Circa Nocturna 2010: Alternative Fashion Parade

Last Saturday night I braved the catastrophic Melbourne weather and ventured out to Fitzroy Town Hall for the 2010 Circa Nocturna Alternative Fashion Parade as part of the Loreal Fashion Week.

Dolly Q Creations
via Giuseppe Dante Sapienza's Photo's on Facebook

I had attended this event a few years earlier when it still had the "feel" of an alternative club, but with a fashion parade in the middle of it and I was pleasantly surprised by the metamorphosis that it had gone through.

The event was professionally executed, with limited tickets, seats and a photographers section at the end of the runway.

Lady Moon Corset
via Giuseppe Dante Sapienza's Photo's on Facebook

The quality of the designers had increased and it was lovely to see how some of the designers who were still quite green a few years ago had blossomed and displayed sophisticated stories of clothing.

Some of the standouts were:

Lyris Designs

Her range was simple and yet sophisticated. Using block colours and screen printing techniques, her outfits stood out as being refined and classic in design. I loved the play between a structured corset and long flowing skirts and jackets.

Elvy Ess

Elvy Ess Designs
via Giuseppe Dante Sapienza's Photo's on Facebook

I love the laser cut bug work that Elvy Ess does, but I didn't like their last range of clothing. Their 2010/2011 range was spectacular. Using a ripped effect to create cloth can look a bit piece-meal, but they came together wonderfully. Layers upon layers of cloth was used to create shapes and effects that worked well on the models and the accent of red was used to reveal the Elvy Ess logo somewhere on the garment.

Dolly Q

Dolly Q Creations
via Giuseppe Dante Sapienza's Photo's on Facebook

Dolly Q are known for their avant garde approach to alternative fashion and their range was inspired by Elizabeth I. They must have spent hours doing hair and makeup because their delivery was flawless. The outfits were opulent and used overtones of gold and red to deliver their story. Dolly Q have an attention to detail that not many other designers had during the show. Little things like an extra ribbon around the waist and findings used on corsets, showed that they had spent ages refining their outfits.

Some other notable designers to check out: Vanyanis, Zentity and Pur Pur Fashions.

Carnivale Nocturna

After the fashion parade patrons were ushered into the glorious Fitzroy Town Hall reading room for a market style event where you could meet designers, buy products and mingle with the models close up. A great idea!

But, the market layout was unworkable, claustrophobic and lacking in design layout. Some tables were empty others were chock full of stock and it took ages to do a circuit. A great idea, but it needs a bit of work in order for the flow to work properly. It was good to see the designers portfolios and speak to them about where they were going and what they wanted to achieve with their businesses.

I can't wait to see these designers in some of the stores around Melbourne and I wish all of them the very best for the 2010/2011 fashion year.

More photo's of the fashion parade can be found here or here.