Fancy a night of design, style, some dinner and maybe a little wine? Well, Melbourne Fashion Week’s Opulent tastes set out to do just that.
This was the second runway event for the MFW back in October. Giving the public the opportunity to experience a unique way to see Australian fashion designers with a 3 course meal and a fashion runway to feast the eyes.
Street
Before the show, I had the opportunity to quickly duck out and get some shots outside. I was assigned beforehand to grab photos of the layout, restaurant design and table setups. However with a few minutes to spare, I grabbed a few photos.
Inside
This year’s opulent tastes runway was held at a different venue from the year before. il Mercato Centrale located just off Collins Street In Melbourne. Around the corner from Southern Cross Station.
The venue is actually setup as a boutique hub (with Italian roots) for artisan kitchens. Everything from gourmet burgers, Italian, wineries and even ice cream! 23 to pick from to be exact.
But for the runway night they approached it with a more balanced view. Guests were served up a combination of dishes, desserts, wine and cocktails.
Backstage
The runway stylist and creative director was Gideon D. Wilonja
Runway
Nine designers were shown on the night including Clea, Ngali, Clair Helen, Perple, Lovaan, Godwin Charli, Atoir, Saint Stella M and one of my favourite Australian designers, Gary Bigeni.
Putting a runway in a restaurant is going to take some creativity. Giving everyone a clear view of the designs but also allowing everyone to enjoy there meal ended up making the runway walk quite long, but expected in such a large space.
But in terms of designs and mood, every designer brought there own style and aesthetic to the night and music suited the looks nicely.
Now thankfully I was able to use flash for this runway event as the restaurant lighting for the night was the only lighting available. I will also apologise for some of the looks being missing from the photo set. I started the runway stationed behind the bar before moving into a better position.
Thank you for taking the time to read my article. This one is a little shorter than usual but I aim to get more of these out quickly before runway season starts up again in a few weeks!
Photography and words by Aidan McCorry | Shot on Canon R5C and R6
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