Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia took place this past week and featured many of the same Spring/Summer collection trends that were seen in New York last fall. Top Australian designers including Alex Perry, Alice McCall and Bec and Bridge debuted Spring/Summer lines that put a twist on typical warm-weather trends.
Chiffon dresses that create movement were heavily featured on the runways, particularly in McCall’s collection, which was filled with ready-to-wear dresses for spring. These dresses were often made with sheer materials and thigh-high slits. Dresses with movement are particularly wearable for the typical college student because they fit in with the bohemian styles that major stores like H&M and Urban Outfitters are featuring for spring. Simple monochrome dresses were also popular on runways for both fashion weeks.
One of the most popular trends to take over both the runways and the streets has been the crop top. Australia’s fashion week saw its fair share of crop tops, mostly in the form of two-piece dresses. This same trend also dominated New York’s spring collections last fall. This style has become one of the more workable trends for the fashion forward who want to bring runway styles to everyday looks, particularly because of the seemingly limitless ways to wear a crop top.
White, monochromatic looks stood out on the runways in Australia with many designers featuring head-to-toe white pieces. When the spring collections debuted in New York, white played a pivotal role, but was less prominent than in Australia. The crisp white collars that were popular in New York’s fashion week appeared in the form of entirely white suits and dresses in Australia. This trend appeared in several collections in many forms and is easy to replicate because of its versatility. The most difficult part of making this trend wearable will inevitably be not spilling anything on an all-white outfit.
Keeping in line with the accessible and wearable trends that seemed to characterize Australia’s fashion week, hair and makeup styles were kept clean and natural-looking. The low pony tail was a popular hairstyle, in addition to a fresh-faced look and neutral makeup. The earthy approach to makeup was also present in New York’s Spring Fashion Week, which seemed to nod to the quickly rising popularity of the bare-faced look. Fresh faces or very light makeup seems to have replaced strong eyeshadow and eyeliner. However, some of Australia’s shows did feature models with brightly shadowed lids to fit with the bright colors characteristic of spring collections.
Overall, many of the fashions seen in Australia mirrored those seen in New York last fall. The overall trend in both fashion weeks seems to be the wearability of many of the styles. From crop tops and sheer material to neutral make-up, the Spring/Summer collections were filled with trends that can easily be replicated without a high fashion-level budget. Many of the trends have already been popping up in street style for the past year.
A version of this article appeared in the Wednesday, April 23 print edition. Bailey Evans is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].
