Melbourne has certainly got off to a promising start with VAMFF collaborating with Vogue to provide what can only be described as architectural monochrome bliss meets street edge.

The runway featured 7 of Australias innovative and talented designers, demonstrating just how good Australian design is at the moment. From Goot, Bassike and Willow to Maticevski each collection fused chic with street perfectly. Monochrome, leather, lace, neoprene were the constants, as was the strong oriental and architectural influences underpinning each garment. With addition of Birkenstocks and baseball caps the styling channelled the streets of New York.

Starting the show with Scanlan and Theodore, the use of leather harnesses with metal accents paired with structured neoprenes set the scene of what was to come. Josh Goot continued his brilliance with monochrome heavy silks and metallic hues. The use of structural elements shone through with sharp angles and square necklines.

Bassike is always a standout and provided an exciting preview into their AW collection. Heavy overcoats, organic wools and cottons, the classic low slung leather pants and oriental inspired hooded jackets, provided what will become a staple to many this winter. The use of layering was also noted adding to the constant architectural theme of the night.

Maticevski combined chic playful elements with structure creating a sense of modesty with an element of wild. The subtle use of pastels and lilacs provided a varied and pleasant contrast to the black white and shades of grey motif of the night.

Vogue certainly put on a show. But lets face it when you combine the killa beats of Queen Bey with brilliant Australian Design success is inevitable.

With plenty more shows to attend WAH will be covering the festival both here on the blog and on our twitter feed @wearehandsome where you can see live updates as the shows unfold. Next up? Camilla Franks.

Divine Wanderer