Rockstars and Royalty’s Reign of the Forest
by Wendy Johnson (for LFW)
It was a snippet from an interview with London designer Basia Zaryzka that led Vicky Kidd-Gallichan to name her independent fashion label. “I was living in England and heard Basia say she creates gowns for rockstars and royalty. I thought it would be a fabulous name for a business,” says Vicky. Fast forward to 2007 and Vicky had moved to Canberra and opened Rockstars and Royalty, creating pretty princess gowns, rock ‘n’ roll-inspired pieces and glamourous cocktail dresses.
It would be challenging to pick which side of the label suits Vicky’s personality best—no doubt it’s a bit of both. She loves colour, has been known to have bright pink hair and has a tattoos on both arms. Suffice it to say that it really doesn’t matter—everything Vicky turns her hands to turns out to be inspiring, whether fairy tale or edgy. Think, for example, about her collection, which she launched at the inaugural FASHFEST, Canberra’s four-day, red-carpet fashion event. Guests were transfixed with the beauty of each piece, including the gold and teal gown worn by the Face of FASHFEST 2013, super model Anneliese Seubert (see pic above). Her more recent Reign of the Forest collection, near and dear to Vicky’s heart, is just as stunning.