Tag Archives: Peony n Pearl

FASHFEST REVIEW—Night 2 Show 2

Glam night tonight at FASHFEST with lots of gowns of gold, plus … let’s hear it for the boys! and M J Bale Menswear, and you can get more info on menswear from Ink and Leathers. Plus, some terrific entertainment with music from Magnifik with singer Neonhoney, JD Cheese, and Hamish Lardi, and an interesting short film clip from Sebastian Chan. Savoy Dance kicked butt on the catwalk with a Swing dance halfway through their walk. Here’s our runway rundown on the night.

Zilpah tart print inspired by Canberra Balloon Spectaculat

Zilpah tart print inspired by Canberra Balloon Spectacular

Zilpah tart creates amazing and beautiful prints from images of the Canberra region. Designer Yumi Morrissey photographs stunning images and adapts them into gorgeous unique prints. This collection included windfarm windmills, Canberra sunsets, and a themed Balloon Spectacular, set off by gorgeous floral accessories from Peony N’ Pearl.

Zilpah tart windmill design

Megan Cannings Designs was the first of many glam outfits on the catwalk. Megan’s designs include soft flowing formals and special occasion gowns with plenty of back detail. Very feminine and chic.

Charly Thorn—what can we say? This designer is only 17 years of age … that’s right, seventeen! She first appeared a couple of years ago at Fashionation in Cooma with an impressive collection, but her show tonight was truly stunning and achieved the only standing ovation I’ve seen at any FASHFEST. Watch out for her label—this young designer is going places!

M J Bale popped up as the only menswear on the night. Very classy and stylish and included both formal and smart casual. Guys … check them out.

Canberra Vintage Collective has its base at 360 Fashion Markets in Kingston where you can often grab a brilliant vintage (or modern) label bargain. Labels on the night were classic retro Hummingbird Vintage, Yellow Canary Clothing, KarensKloset, and Christian James for high quality accessories. All set off by Savoy Dance who upped the catwalk pace with a quick Swing dance performance.

Savoy Dance wearing Canberra Vintage Collective

Savoy Dance swinging Canberra Vintage Collective

Kira Pizzingrilli makes her debut at FASHFEST this year. Kira mixes original paintings and sketches to design her own prints and each garment is unique, and this collection reflected the 1990s classic Aussie beach style. Kira lives on the Central coast and all her garments are made in Sydney.

Naomi Peris Bridal offers glamourous and original bridal wear for women aged 18 – 35. Bridal wear isn’t really my thing but you can bet your bottom dollar that even Bridezilla will find something from this very different collection. Simple, sexy, and sleek—the styles are uniquely enhanced with lace, sheer capes, embossed fabrics, and stunning back detail, and not all in virginal white. Very nice to see some colour in there.

FASHFEST final night is on Saturday 1 October at the National Convention Centre, with shows commencing at 6.30 and 8.30pm.

360 degrees at Kingston!

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Pre-loved or designer fashion—you can get it all at 360!

By Aine Dowling

Three Sixty Fashion Market, aka 360FM, opened up shop in the Kingston Fitter’s Workshop in October 2014 and is already becoming the place for ethical, sustainable, and vintage (pre-loved) clothing and accessories. Its location is ideal—smack between the Canberra Glassworks and The Old Bus Depot Markets—attracting visitors from both, as well as standing on its own as a unique outlet for bargain designer items.

Recycled bohemian sits among the classic and corporate wear at 360FM

Recycled bohemian sits among classic and corporate wear at 360FM

LFW paid its first visit to the busy market on Sunday and we were impressed with the range of goods on offer. The pre-loved stuff is very high quality but not high-priced; verified by the lovely Fletcher Jones tartan kilt I picked up for less than $40 at Hummingbird Vintage. There are a number of former FASHFEST designers there including Dissonance, and Audrey Blue, plus hand-made jewellery from Peonynpearl, bags from Sash & Belle, candles, and books and toys.

Here’s a snapshot of what’s on offer. Check 360FM website for their next market day.

Ethical and certified fair-trade fashion by Audrey Blue

Gorgeous hand-made jewellery by Peonynpearl

Pops of lime among classic black by Dissonance

Dissonance designer, Annette Clark with her 2013 FASHFEST dress

Dissonance designer, Annette Clark with her striking 2013 FASHFEST dress

Gorgeous bags from Sash & Belle’s Autumn/Winter Collection

Flat out at Hummingbird Vintage

FASHFEST 2015—Day 2 Runway

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Giving you a look at the entire collections and designers from Day 2 (strictly night 2) at FASHFEST. Who was our favourite? Too many to choose, but we did have a couple—check out our follow-up post for that one!

by Aine Dowling. Photos by LFW

First up Recollection by designer Philippa Soutberg. This collection is inspired by the Australia’s birdlife and landscape and include classic, timeless pieces designed for women aged 25 – 45. All garments are designed and manufactured in Canberra. This is Recollection‘s second year at FASHFEST.

BM Designs creates headwear also inspired by Australian birdlife and the Aussie bush. Designer Barbara Mickelson has won several awards and her entire collection includes outfits, dresses and accessories. Barb has also taught creative headwear and textiles, and this is her second year at FASHFEST.

Simone Perele from Stephanie’s Boutique Lingerie. See LFW Style Opening Night Runway review for more information.

Hana Apparel Designs is owned by Neda Alemohammad who creates beautiful pieces inspired by Persian designs that celebrate the culture and splendour of Iran, and is designed for women of all ages. All garments are designed and made in Australia, and this is Hana’s debut appearance at FASHFEST. You can read more about Hana at LFW Style Who’s Who at FASHFEST.

At last—so nice to see ‘curvy couture’ on the runway! Belle Bird is about confidence and celebrating those awesome curves! Designed by Peige Eber, Hannah Knight and Emilie White this clothing label caters for women size 12 – 22 and is part of the Birdsnest brand in Cooma, NSW, and includes That Bird Label, Belle Bird, Bird Keepers, and Boho Bird.

Bronwen Stead was a former bikini model and is passionate about sport and millinery—put the two together and you get the amazing collection Angel Wings. All wings are made exclusively in Bronwen’s Canberra studio and this collection is in collaboration with fashion by Dana Carmont.

Graduate CIT designer, Emma O’Rourke makes her debut appearance at FASHFEST with The Label offering signature pieces for modern and professional women. Emma also designs her own prints and has a sustainable and ethical approach to her work, mixing traditional fabrics with techo-materials.

Mimetic is the famous ‘fit in a carry-on’ designed capsule wardrobe from George McWilliam and Melissa Pompeani who create classic clothes for women on the go. Both off-the-rack and made-to-measure garments are designed and made in Canberra. This is Mimetic’s debut appearance at FASHFEST. Read more about this brand at LFW Style Minimise with Mimetic!

Rockstars and Royalty in collaboration with PeonynPearl

And the evening closed with the amazing Rockstars and Royalty showcasing Vicky Kidd-Gallichan’s latest collection Cherries in the Snow. One of the leading Canberra designers, Vicky collaborated on this collection with Fionna Tamin from PeonynPearl to produce the most stunning and gorgeous gowns. This is Vicky’s third appearance at FASHFEST and Fionna’s first. You can read much more about both brands at LFW Style This is the Flora Dress, and Rockstars and Royalty’s Reign of the Forest.

This is THE FLORA DRESS

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Flowers and fashion are front and centre this year at FASHFEST with a truly unique collaboration between Rockstars and Royalty and Peony n Pearl.

by Wendy Johnson

And the fun started with The Flora Dress that fashion designer Vicky Kidd-Gallichan and floral designer Fionna Tamin created as a teaser to the red-carpet event—now only five nights away. It was fussy work involving hours of meticulous planning and execution but the end result was worth every second for these two talented Canberrans.

It all began with Vicky creating the garment, a corset (the type she is so famous for) and a mini hoop cage skirt. Once made, matters moved into high gear on how to ‘decorate’ the skirt with silk and real flowers. “We wanted a 1920s look so shooting at Lucky’s Speakeasy at QT Hotel was perfect because it has an amazing vibe and suited the look we were going for,” says Vicky. “We even managed to restyle their hotdog cart as a flower seller’s cart.”

To create the dress, Fionna worked primarily in her floral shop and then carted fresh flowers to the shoot location to finish things off on site. More than five types of fresh flowers, including Cymbidum orchids and Spider chrysanthemums, as were Privot berries, Peppercorn berries and Gumnuts. Luscious purples and greens formed the main colour pallet.

The shoot was made possible, as all amazing shoots are, by a team of strong creatives, this time all from the FASHFEST team. Model Hannah Miners will be on the catwalk this year, hair was by Tanya Lancaster who works at THE Hairdressing and is a Team Leader, and makeup was by Katie Saarikko, Creative Director of MUA for FASHFEST 2015 who used creamy foundation by major sponsor Harlotte Cosmetics. The end result was captured by Leighton Hutchinson, Director of Photography for FASHFEST. “I’ve done shoots with Leighton for the previous two FASHFESTs”, says Vicky. “I love his style and the way he uses colour.”

Creating The Flora Dress was a great pilot for what Vicky and Fionna are planning for Rockstars and Royalty’s Cherries in the Snow collection that will appear for the first time on the runway at FASHFEST 2015. “I was inspired by the name of the red lipstick Revlon launched in the 1950s and still makes today,” says Vicky. “I wear it and love it.”

Cherries in the Snow will feature fresh flowers which adds to the complexity of planning, says Fionna, who has been working in floristry since 2007 and who opened her own shop in March last year. “You need to select the right flowers to work with—flowers that will last as long as you need them to. Some flowers simply won’t work since they die if out of water for more than an hour. It’s my first time being part of a major collection and taking part in an event on the scale of FASHFEST. It’s thrilling.”

The collaboration is possible this year because FASHFEST has moved to a new venue, the National Convention Centre, which has massive refrigeration units in its kitchen that can be used to keep the flowers fresh.

FASHFEST is on 13 to 16 May. Don’t dillydally. It’s time to get ready to glam up for FASHFEST, and remember the venue this year is heated, so don’t hold back. Buy your tickets today: www.fashfest.com.au

Credits for Flora dress—Designer: Vicky Kidd-Gallichan, Rockstars and Royalty; Floral designer: Fionna Tamin, Peony n Pearl; Model: Hannah Miners; Makeup: Katie Saarikko; Hair: Tanya Lancaster and THEhairdressing; Photographer: Leighton Hutchinson—taken on location at Lucky’s Speakeasy at QT; Behind the scenes photographer: Samuel Broomby

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