Last night I had the privilege of attending the Opening Gala of The Spirit of the Black Dress at The Trust. The Spirit of the Black Dress celebrates a timeless classic (the LBD), embraced by sustainability, recreated by talented and emerging designers. We witnessed the 10 winning dresses by designers/labels Kate Aikins, Bento, Bhalo, Berri Drum, Christina Exie, Gabriella Ferrante, Emmarose Kinsman, Sonya Kraan, Jessica Robertson and Lisa Taranto. It was an incredible night, definitely worth driving from one end of the city in peak hour traffic and getting changed in the car for.
Jenny Bannister, the doyene of Australian fashion with gorgeous Phoebes Garland, 2 of the judegs for the Spirit of the Black Dress
Another judge, the ethereal beauty, Kyra (Pybus PR)
The other 2 judges: ever so stylish Sarah Gale and Phillip Boon
Personal stylist, Blogger AND Photographer Meagan Harding, is there anything this lady can't do?
TuTu, Designer and Owner of WOW PEOPLE BLOG
One of the winners of the Spirit of the Black Dress, Samantha Hardman, designer of BENTO. Her collar is a DIY too!
Craig Braybrook, one of the most successful and talented contestants of Project Runway 2011, a proud owner of a little pooch too!
Front-Row beauties, Lou Pardi (editor extraordinaire), Tullia (the original founder of the Spirit of the Black Dress!), and the stunning Leeyong (Style Wilderness Blog, previous fashion editor at Vogue Nippon)
Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Spirit of the Black Dress, aka superwoman Jane Hayes (Jane Hayes Consulting)
Gabriella Ferrante: The dress that got the most cheers
a SONYA KRAAN creation
a CHRISTINA EXIE dres
Ending Credits
The best thing about the event was to catch up with so many friends under the same roof, before LMFF blasts off! Aren’t Phoebe (Lady Melbourne)’s jade necklaces incredible?! They were her favourite souvenirs from Hong Kong. We both adore shopping overseas.
Can you guess who designed my little frock? It was one of the only pieces my business partner gave me when we closed the boutique that actually fits me (the rest are on sale here!). If you guessed Karla Spetic, you are a fashion genius. Everyone kept commenting on how much they liked my ‘top’, until I turned my back on them… :) I must admit, I rarely wear black, but I did try! After all, it is the Spirit of the Black Dress!
Thank you Jane for having me. I wish all the designers the very best in 2012 and may the global fashion industry take heed of this project and apply its sustainable sensibilities in their own businesses. And on a side note, lesson for the day: getting changed in the car whilst driving is a leading cause of wardrobe malfunctions. Don’t try this at home kids.
Where: The Trust
Wear: Karla Spetic dress, Chanel earrings, vintage cuff and clutch, Pinkie the snail ring, YSL heels
{ 22 comments }
