Defamer Australia's fashion correspondent reached something resembling nirvana at last night's installment of the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival when someone claiming to be from NW Magazine requested to take our picture. It took us until approximately 3pm this afternoon to recover from this even vague degree of separation from "Amy & The NW-ettes", hence your missive arrives from fashland a little late, but better late than never, eh? Read on...

 

ON THE CATWALK: WE LOVED

* Every gorgeous confection that Gwendolynne and her collaborateur in millinery, Richard Nylon, dreamed up for their Vienna-soundtracked dream sequence, particularly this vaguely Vreeland-esque number for colder dress-up nights.

* Nicola Finetti's palette of vivid, tomato reds in knits and satins.

* Aurelio Costarella proved why he is the local the stars love to love with his dreamy eveningwear, worn to particular perfection by Australia's Next Top Model alumnus and Rye beach babe Sophie.

* Nevenka's gypsy-chic separates, embroidered scarves and to-die-for leather elbow-length gloves.

* Everything Karen Walker, particularly her floral-print smock dresses and most of all her Buddy Holly glasses, which make us want to read small-print in a really dark room until we get a proper reason to wear them.

* Claude Maus' range of leather coats, capes and jackets, in black, black or black.

ON THE CATWALK: WE ESPECIALLY LOVED

* Chadwick model Claire Quirk - you may remember her from last year's eye-roll-inducing "too young for Fashion Week" fracas - was gifted with a particularly unweildy gown during the MATERIALBYPRODUCT segment of Runway 5; long in the front and longer in the back, with plenty of ribbons and sashes apparently determined to be caught underfoot. Claire made her way to the end of the runway with more than a few momentary adjustments. Lesser girls would've cried, stumbled, bunched the train into a messy fistful of fabric to free their pins or just plain given up (and we have seen all occur in the past). However, and this is the mark of a great model, Claire made it to the catwalk's end, and rather than having her way with the dress to make life easier, she presented it precisely as the designers would have desired - in its natural state - and then made a calm, if occasionally (and adorably) hesitant, return journey. Appropriately, she was rewarded with sustained - mid-show! - applause from the crowd for having survived the glamorous ordeal in such a professional manner. Top marks for this fashionable schoolgirl.

ON THE CATWALK: WE LOL'D

* Jessie Hill's leather dunce hat.

* Cose Ipanema's use of Hole's Doll Parts.

* Jethro "Son Of Nick Cave" Lazenby hiking up his artfully low-slung Nom'D pants, mid-catwalk, like a little boy annoyed by his "special" clothes.

IN THE FRONT ROW

* Brendan and Alex Fevola loitering between shows, Brendan looking admiringly at Alex's breastal region and Alex barking the evening's itinerary at him.

* A brief but discernable "excuse me?" facial expression from 9 newsreader Jo Hall as she was asked by a volunteer to "line up here with the other media" despite her VIP ticket.

* No Miranda-watch or Zandra-watch tonight, sadly.

Tune in same time tomorrow for more fashionable reportage as we dream of one day joining the fashion dynasty on The Bold & The Beautiful.

Tags: au | brendan fevola | channel nine | fash | fashion | jo hall | models | nick cave