May the 5th saw the third annual Melbourne
Alternate Designers (M.A.D) fashion showcase. This year the event had a
location change, taking place in the Melbourne Arts Centre. It is amazing to
see this event grow and be able to utilize such a famous and beautiful
building, and it was now more accessible with more parking and being so close
to the CBD and transport.
The runway took place in a separate, but connected, room
from the market, and had a unique layout. With a crescent pathway running
across the room, and the main stage running at a 90˚ angle, this allowed the
audience more chance to see the garments, the models to interact with the
audience, and a more traditional catwalk to still be present. The night ran
smoothly and on time, something M.A.D has set a standard for and continues to
keep.
The market this year appeared to have many more artists.
Ranging from those selling prints and pins, to others selling clothing and
accessories, this year once again showcased local artists and had something for
everyone. My only qualm with the market was, due to the floor’s layout, a
bottle neck was created and with so many attendees it was difficult to
manoeuvre. But this is something that happens due to the popularity and large
attendance, and being in a new space there are bound to be a few hiccups.
The night was hosted by Mr. Marmalade, a magician and
entertainer. He wowed the audience with some ring tricks, and provided a fun
setting for the evening. He hadn’t learned the safety rules off by heart, but
made it an obvious and meta joke by reading off instructions (and I would
prefer he read off paper than forget anything); it was a clever and amusing way
to handle the ‘boring’ aspect of a show. Mr. Marmalade’s comedy ranged from
innocent (pointing out his table never folds in easily), to dark (declaring war
on children), which proved this show is definitely 18+. I enjoyed Mr.
Marmalade’s MCing, he was entertaining and kept attention, but didn’t steal the
show.
The
first designer for the evening was Sugar St Claire, previously known as Cherry
Pie Millinery. Her showcase featured headdresses and outfits worn by
burlesquers, and having some performance element to her runway started the
night off in a great way. Featuring millinery from ‘simple’ flower crowns, to peacock
feather fascinators, to giant feathered headpieces, Sugar St Claire’s work is
gorgeous and can elevate a beautiful outfit into an extravagant one. My
favourite piece was a silver star headdress, the stars create a halo around the
head and under stage lights for burlesque would no doubt appear to be
floating.
MUA: Eevie La Volpe
MUA: Eevie La Volpe
Tiki Amazon
Lucky Dip
Taffy
Taffy
With A K
Loli Box
Ana Diction
Ana Diction
The designer
The second designer was Intimdation. Known in the cosplay
community, Intimdation made his M.A.D debut with street style wear crossed with post-apocalyptic fashion. Whilst it may seem a bit too eccentric for street wear, especially with the use of camo print, it’s reminiscent of what can be seen in Harajuku; where everyday clothing and eccentricity go hand in hand. The outfits looked practical and comfortable, and Intimdation is known for adding pockets and hidden pockets in his outfits. My favourite outfit was a white (and black) top, skirt, with a hound tooth cloak.
Shaelyn Wood
Eleanor Gray
Eleanor Gray
Jamie Eames
Nicholas Cato
The
following designer was Scarlet Menagerie, featuring costumes or everyday
clothing for the fashion bold. Her collection featured skirts, reminiscent of
Victorian age and creating unique silhouettes and layers. Her tops were
layered, with loose sleeves, but more form fitting on the torso, creating a
much nicer silhouette (especially with the skirts) and movement to the outfits.
My favourite outfit was a blue and champagne top and skirt, she really worked
with colours, using champagne in the skirt, scarf and belt she broke this up by
using a contrasting blue for the top.
HMUA: Mekayla Ashley hair and makeup artist
HMUA: Mekayla Ashley hair and makeup artist
Scarlet Menagerie
Sylvia Mogie
Ashley Paskin
Marilyn Mocktail
After this, Ylva the Red showcased with medieval
costumes. Perfect for renaissance fairs or LARP, these costumes seem
historically sound (as far as I can tell). The team created a range of costumes
from different time periods, to different classes from poor peasant to rich
king. They use heavy fabric, which gives the costumes weight and nice movement;
making them feel real and what would be worn back in the middle ages. They also
add little elements, such as embroidered trimming, which makes the outfits look
personal, rather than ‘off the rack’ costume shop. My favourite outfit was a
blue gown, with white head piece, and grey cloak, it was an outfit that looked
like it could feature in a movie.
HMUAs: Nick Brown, Jack Taylor
Sleepless Darkness Cosplay & Modelling
Nicole Bennett, Dan Knaggs
Rianne Albiston
Kay Robertson
Kay Robertson
Ti Butler
Jessica Witney
Salvan Singh
Helseth Indigo Dreams
Nicole Bennett
Dan Knaggs
Bec Goulden (front right)
The Designers
Finishing
up the first half of the show was Clockwork Butterfly. Featuring neo-Victorian
inspired outfits, this collection was inspired by candy and sweets of the
Victorian era. She created unique silhouettes for each of these outfits, even
with three of them featuring skirts no patterns, cuts, or shapes repeated. She
pays attention to little details from bows placed where fabric gathers, to a
striped pocket on black, these details add extra surprise and show how much
thought is put into these designs. My favourite outfit was inspired by lemon
drops, featuring a ‘mullet’ skirt, the outfit is modest but still allows the
wearer to showcase their legs.
MUA: Dominique Weir
Hair: Emma Johansson-Taylor
MUA: Dominique Weir
Hair: Emma Johansson-Taylor
Vee Marie
Vee Marie
Chery Fyfe
Eloquent Mx Loki
Eloquent Mx Loki
Stirling Gill-Chambers
Stirling Gill-Chambers
Silhouetté D’Amour
The Designer
After a break the second half of the show opened with Mr.
Marmalade drawing and calling winners of a raffle. The proceeds of the raffle
went towards Fly by Night Bat Clinic, a non-for-profit which rescues and rehabilitates
flying foxes. The drawing of a raffle was a bit clunky, with the drawers unsure
of which prizes went together, and unable to read artists’ handwriting. The
raffle wound up having to be stopped early in order to keep running on time,
but this allowed people more chance to buy tickets. I know they received a lot
of items for the raffle, so even if everything went smoothly there might not
have been enough time, and I’m sure in the future a smoother system will be
implemented.
The mid-show performance consisted of Miss Gemma Trick showing off various circus tricks with hula hoops. She differentiated herself from previous years by having hoops with LEDs, along with her outfit sporting lights, creating a more sci-fi feel to her performance. It was a fun show, and a great way to get the crowd ready for the next lot of fashion.
The mid-show performance consisted of Miss Gemma Trick showing off various circus tricks with hula hoops. She differentiated herself from previous years by having hoops with LEDs, along with her outfit sporting lights, creating a more sci-fi feel to her performance. It was a fun show, and a great way to get the crowd ready for the next lot of fashion.
Starting the second lot of fashion was Tricksy Pixies,
showcasing scale armour and leather lingerie. Perfect for people into fetish
and BDSM fashion, this collection combined scale mail with leather harnesses.
The scale sections of the outfits fitted the model’s forms well, rather than
looking like a sheet of armour, and were incorporated into the harnesses,
rather than looking awkwardly layered. She also utilized colour with the scales,
using blacks, blues, reds, and silvers, which added more choice and
personality. I would have liked to have seen higher cut underwear on the
models, as they seemed really thick compared to the harness straps, but I
understand the choice and she did coordinate them to the pieces (the red and
black scales were matched with red underwear). My favourite piece was a full
black scale and harness, with scales covering the chest, along with scales on
the shoulders; it was a very regal look.
The Designer
Following was Kongas Kreations, with an Alice in
Wonderland inspired collection. His showcase featured only two looks, the Queen
of Hearts and the Mad Hatter, but they were well executed and very detailed. I
was surprised by this, I knew of Kongas Kreations as a leather worker and props
maker, so to see him create beautiful costumes from hat to shoe. Whilst the
costumes are made from fabric, there is still leather elements (some of which I
didn’t realize were leather until after the show), the headpieces, corsets,
gloves, and boot covers are all shaped leather. Having two costumes I can’t
choose a favourite, they are both gorgeous and show the skill Kongas has in his
craft.
HMAU: Kristyl Robertson
HMAU: Kristyl Robertson
Elliee Nunn
The next designer was Button Fox, showcasing a large collection of street wear. Known throughout pop culture conventions, Button Fox has made a name for themselves creating cute capelets, especially Pokemon-based ones. In their showcase they displayed outfits that were less fandom based, and could be worn by anyone. Using blacks, greys, and deep reds their capelets, hoodies, and jackets could easily be added to anyone’s wardrobe. What I loved was that every item had some kind of fox element to it, from fox graphics, to
silhouettes made from contrasting fabric, fox ears on hoods, and (my favourite) Button Fox trademark fox faces which hold the closures on the capelets. My favourite outfit was a grey dress with a grey capelet, they were simple but cute cuts that could easily be added to many wardrobes, had good movement, and
looked very warm and comfy.
HMUA: Cassandra Jade
HMUA: Cassandra Jade
The Designers
Following
was Epic Armoury, showcasing outfits and armour perfect for LARP and
renaissance festivals. Rather than sticking to one style this collection
showcased the wide variety of styles Epic Armoury creates, from pirate, to full
body armour. Each look varied in what it would feature, with some showing off
the clothing and sewing abilities of Epic Armour, with only small leather
accessories, to others showing off the leather smithing and the clothing used
only to finish the look. My favourite look was a musketeer outfit, it showcased
a balance of clothing, with poof sleeved shirt and embroidery cloak, and
leather work, with torso armour, belt, and hat.
MUA: Helseth Indigo Dreams & Astrokerrie
George Porihis
Returning
to the M.A.D stage was Von Chibi, showcasing elegant evening and event wear and
headpieces. Each of her outfits and headdresses created unique characters, from
an innocent deer to an ancient Egyptian god, her showcase was entertaining to
watch. Utilizing blacks and greys, these outfits would suit anyone, and can
easily be dressed up with accessories. The headdresses were gorgeous and would
make a conversation starter and draw eyes to the wearer. My favourite outfit
was the Jackal head headdress, the moulded leather was a beautiful idea and
created texture which was replicated in the skirt, it was ferocious and
stunning. Though I have a close second of the headdress with the connected
spikes and chains hanging, it is an elegant outfit but looks deadly with the
headdress.
Hair & MUAs: Daniela Natale, Emma Rose
The Designer
Finishing the evening was Lyris Design,
showcasing her gorgeous corseted gowns and outfits. Each year Lyris outdoes herself, showing off new skills she has learned, and this year was no different. Beginning the show in darkness, her first piece showed off symbols carved into armour and lit up underneath by red light. Once the lights went up, the armour is revealed to be incorporated into a jacket, rather than sitting on top. And Lyris continued this incorporation of armour or sculpted pieces into the outfits, with flowers on corsets which flowed onto skirts, and dragon headdress with a spine running down the back of a coat. This combining of fabric and sculpture was something Lyris had shown last year, but has definitely developed further this year. My favourite outfit was a black and red flower gown and corset with a nude illusion, the shapes and flow it creates are beautiful. I also loved the dragon headpiece and spine.
showcasing her gorgeous corseted gowns and outfits. Each year Lyris outdoes herself, showing off new skills she has learned, and this year was no different. Beginning the show in darkness, her first piece showed off symbols carved into armour and lit up underneath by red light. Once the lights went up, the armour is revealed to be incorporated into a jacket, rather than sitting on top. And Lyris continued this incorporation of armour or sculpted pieces into the outfits, with flowers on corsets which flowed onto skirts, and dragon headdress with a spine running down the back of a coat. This combining of fabric and sculpture was something Lyris had shown last year, but has definitely developed further this year. My favourite outfit was a black and red flower gown and corset with a nude illusion, the shapes and flow it creates are beautiful. I also loved the dragon headpiece and spine.
MUA: Miss Twisted
Hair: Gorejess Designs
Hair: Gorejess Designs
The Designer
Once again M.A.D created an amazing night showing off
alternative designers and local artists. Even with a few hiccups, which are to
be expected of any event especially with a new location, the night ran so
smoothly. Each year this event outdoes itself.
I had a great night, and left feeling inspired with new
designers I’m wanting to support.
I’m looking forward to returning next year!
I’m looking forward to returning next year!
Written By: Dezmin Humphryis
Photography: Slippery Photography
Photography: Slippery Photography
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