Full tracksuits are back in fashion

AS if chokers, high-waisted ‘mum’ jeans, floral dresses and goth make-up weren’t enough.

                 
Another staple trend from the ’90s has made its way back into fashion — the tracksuit.
Once the uniform of Sporty Spice and Jenny From The Block-era J. Lo, matching jumpers, hoodies and sweat pants have been given a high-fashion spin by trendsetters including supermodel sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid, Margot Robbie and Cara Delevingne.

And while matching tracksuit pants, jumpers and hoodies may be a “look” that only models can pull off, Instagram types are teaming new season sweaters with skinny jeans, leather and even over dresses, as seen on P.E Nation, adidas x Stella McCartney and GOOD CMPNY.
James Hill, co-founder of GOOD CMPNY, said sweaters were “like denim for your upper body”.
“From going to the gym, wearing it with a pair of jeans, we’ve had some people wear it out to fashion catwalks with a dress on and a jumper on top with the sleeves rolled up,” Hill said, of the Melbourne-based unisex label.

“I always think fashion trends are a rejection of whatever becomes the norm,” he said.
“Somebody will start a trend then the masses will jump on it then the same people who started it will reject the trend they started, and start another trend. And that’s the cycle it goes through.”
Part of that cycle is a blurring of the lines between men’s and women’s styles.

Fashion stakes high in the birdcage, the best and worst dressed from the big stars

A LIGHT breeze and reggae strains welcomed punters and VRC guests to the Birdcage at Flemington Racecourse for Melbourne Cup.

               
The biggest star in the Birdcage for the morning was Melbourne Cup darling Michelle Payne, dressed in pale pink — with wings — every inch the likeness of the Melbourne Cup guardian angel.
             
With no mount for the race that made her name a year ago, Payne was in high demand in the sponsored marquees of the Birdcage with only betting behemoth Tabcorp successfully enticing her in during the morning.

Nearby Race sponsor Emirates were awaiting the arrival of actor Elsa Pataky, wife of Chris Hemsworth, who on Friday wrapped production on Thor on the Gold Coast. Hemsworth was no accompanying his wife, a horse lover.

Canadian supermodel Coco Rocha guest of honour at Adelaide Fashion Festival

THE state’s top designers are pinning their hopes on international celebrity Coco Rocha modelling their creations at the Adelaide Fashion Festival.
                   

                 
The Canadian supermodel, who has appeared in Italian Vogue alongside Gemma Ward and modelled for Christian Lacroix, Stella McCartney and Louis Vuitton, has been secured for an undisclosed sum to be guest of honour at the five-day, 20-event festival.

Showcasing South Australian brands such as Keepsake The Label, Liza Emanuele and Paolo Sebastian, the festival, now in its ninth year, starts today with an invitation-only opening at Tandanya.

Arriving in town late tomorrow with her manager-husband James Conran and the couple’s 18-month-old daughter Ioni, Rocha will have front row seating reserved for her at parades on Friday night.

Catch up on day two at London Fashion Week

Yesterday had to be one of the best days on the LFW schedule for celeb-spotting. Julien Macdonald’s show is beloved by some of TV’s most recognisable faces - the cast of MIC are a permanent fixture, we spotted Olympic diver Tom Daley in the crowd and the catwalk was, of course, opened by Insta-star Hailey Baldwin. While over at House of Holland, edgy it-girls Alexa Chung and Pixie Geldof were holding court.

             
Always a red carpet favourite, the Julien Macdonald can be relied upon to serve up the single most unashamedly glam collection in the whole of the fashion week calendar. This time he was inspired by animal prints, with sequined zebra stripes and panels of high-shine mock-croc adorning the barely-there dresses.

If the Julien Macdonald show was all about celebrating the female form, then the outfits at Gareth Pugh were all about subverting it. With exaggerated power shoulders and dramatic circular head-dresses covered in bold Beetlejuice-style stripes and gold accents, the show had the feel of an Eighties/sci-fi mash-up. Frances Bean Cobain looked on from the front row, dressed head-to-toe in monochrome stripes that matched the models’ outfits.

At the House of Holland show, the bold looks continued but this time with a more gritty street style aesthetic. Think fishnet tops dotted with embroidered patches and paired with supersize hoop earrings. The designer made a strong case for raiding your own wardrobe as he clashed gingham prints with lace and florals - we’ve certainly got some of those at home.

Photographer Rankin to Stage Open-Air Exhibit During Milan Fashion Week

The streets of Milan will get an extra dose of fashion in September when Rankin stages an open-air exhibition of his latest work during Milan Fashion Week.

Called “Outside In,” the exhibit will kick off on September 25 on Via Montenapoleone in Milan, and will be open to the public. Playing off the idea of taking the “inside out,” Rankin will showcase his signature playful sense of humor in the exhibit’s conception. It will include a series of portraits of models inside white boxes, which will line the street. The effect will create an “illusion” or trompe l’oeil, aided by the fact that each model is photographed from a different perspective. The models, too, will convey a different emotion meant to display internal feelings shown on the outside — hence the exhibit’s name.

“[There are] no ticket prices, no queues, no being cut off from the world,” Rankin said. “It’s there for everyone to access, 24 hours a day, from shoppers and tourists during the day to party people at night, to the stragglers and the last ones standing at dawn. It’s going to be purely subjective. Worlds within worlds within worlds.”

The exhibit will run for the duration of Milan Fashion Week, and it is sponsored by Audi. In order to fete fashion week, Campari is also working with the Montenapoleone Association to create “Campari Fashion Avenue.” On September 26, Campari will turn Via Montenapoleone red, and the shops will open their doors and offer aperitifs from 7:30 to 11:00 p.m.

Selena Gomez boosts Aussie fashion industry

SELENA Gomez has given love to Aussie fashion this week, putting our labels on the global stage as she continues her Revival tour.

With more than 94 million Instagram followers, the US singer can sell out clothing items the moment she steps out in public, and local brands AM Eyewear and Dion Lee are already feeling the effects of her worldwide influence.

Since the 24-year-old stepped out in a pair of his chico sunglasses, AM Eyewear founder Kumar Ponnusamy said he had been inundated with requests from fans wanting to buy the same style.

“She is one of the world’s most influential celebrities when it comes to social media, so it’s great she’s chosen to support Australian labels like Dion Lee and AM Eyewear during her tour,” he said.

Gomez, who is touring the country, chose a custom-made Dion Lee white corset and sheer skirt as part of her onstage performance outfits.

“There were pieces from our resort 2017 collection that Selena was particularly drawn to, which I then adapted into a design that had the silhouette and movement to work on stage,” Lee told Vogue Australia.

The former Disney star has kept her off-duty ensembles fairly simple during her visit, favouring all-black looks or classic denim pieces with statement sunglasses.

The first 50+ Fashion Week

The fashion industry might be known for celebrating youth and throwing up trends that look ridiculous on anyone over the age of 21, but as London Fashion Week kicks off tomorrow, one brand is trying to change all that. This afternoon saw the launch of 50+ Fashion Week - a 25-minute catwalk show at the Café Royale in London designed to prove that it’s about style, not age.

But 50+ Fashion Week wasn’t just a publicity stunt. The idea came about after JD Williams commissioned a piece of research that showed older women feel they’re being ignored by the fashion industry. In a survey the retailer conducted via YouGov, 58% of the approximately 12 million females over 50 in the UK (four million of whom are between 50 and 64) said they felt woefully under-represented on the high street. 50+ Fashion Week then was designed to rouse that audience to flex their spending power and demand more from fashion brands and retailers.

It also makes economic sense. Figures from the Centre for Economics and Business Research show that 50+ women spend £6.7 billion a year on women’s wear, over 4% of the market and growing at a rate of 1% a year. Meaning JD Williams - a retailer that’s been selling clothes for women since 1875 first from catalogues and now online - are tapping into quite the new business opportunity.

Red carpet fashion fails

The National Television Awards is a chance for some of the biggest stars of the small screen to flaunt their style credentials on the red carpet.
But while many brought the glamour in beautiful show-stopping gowns, without putting a sartorial foot wrong, others were turning heads for all the wrong reasons.

Hollyoaks actress Jorgie Porter was hoping to look out of this world but her revealing silver dress may have elicited a few gasps from onlookers.

TOWIE star Lydia Bright, 26, must be a fan of fairytales as she looked a dead ringer for Cinderella in this golden dress.

The stiff corset-style dress also left her cleavage spilling from the neckline, an eye-popping look when paired with the fringing detail.
Hannah said: 'The blue eyeshadow, the pin curls, the boosted bust, we appreciate Lydia's nod to Hollywood glamour but this is a look that belongs on Elizabeth Taylor - a long time ago.

'Lydia's young and gorgeous - she should have let her hair down and opted for a more fun look with knock-out accessories'.

Tess Daly was all for flashing her thighs this evening and wore a fitted black dress with gold detailing and a very high leg slit, which would even make the Strictly dancers blush.