Nancy MacDonell reports from Australian Fashion Week
Thursday, May 1

Christopher Esber, who showed today as part of 4 Boys, a showcase of talent from the Fashion Design Studio at the Sydney Institute of Technology (the name comes from the fact that the participating designers were all male), sent his models down the runway with Granny Smith apples in their mouths. As I sat pondering the significance of this—was he making a biblical reference to Eve and forbidden fruit? Was it some sort of comment on the size zero debate? And, perhaps more to the point, were the models as uncomfortable as they looked?—it was actually quite difficult to stay focused on his puzzle-piece skirts and structured dresses cut from light-sensitive fabrics. Backstage after the show, Esber revealed his motives. "I have an infatuation with René Magritte—I have a poster of 'The Son of Man' in my studio and I was thinking of that particular green, which I find quite inspiring." So much for critical insight.

It's 68 degrees, but in Sydney that's considered cold—gloves, boots, furs, and winter coats have been out in force all week, at least on the natives (the non-Aussies are bare-legged and sandaled). When I stopped by Sportsgirl, the Australian version of Topshop, scarves, bulky sweaters, and knit hats were the most prominently displayed merchandise. Prices, however, are not of the shopping bag-filling variety that makes Topshop a destination retailer: An acrylic scarf is $25, a corduroy blazer $129. The upshot: There are no cheap fashion fixes in this town.

Another designer mystery cleared up: Friedrich Gray, which was selected to represent Australia in the Wool Protégé Show this week, is not designed by a man named Friedrich Gray. "I didn't want to use my own name when I started the label," explains Ben Pollitt, whose lean knit tanks, leather and stretch georgette leggings, and draped leather jackets won him a place in the show (he was picked by Vogue Australia editor in chief Kirstie Clements; other participants include Jean Pierre Braganza, who was nominated by Karl Lagerfeld, and Sandra Backlund, who was the choice of Franca Sozzani). "It comes from Casper David Friedrich and Gray's Anatomy. And Jean-Michel Basquiat had a band called Gray. All of which are influences on my aesthetic."

Among the buyers in Sydney this week is Julien Bertic of Villa Moda in Kuwait. He filled Style.com in on what's caught his eye.

Why did you decide to come to Sydney? We're opening more stores in the Middle East, and this seemed like a good opportunity to source brands that are not readily available there. We like to be able to offer our customers that kind of niche product.

What's stood out for you so far? I really liked Hotel Bondi—the quality of the prints and the cuts are very good. Easton Pearson was gorgeous. We carry it now and it performs really well. You can style it in different ways—you can wear it as is or you can push it in a more rock 'n' roll way with accessories. And I thought Romance Was Born was fantastic. It was the best performance of the week and the most creative.

How would you sum up what you've seen? There are really two different things going on in Sydney. There are the established brands like Alex Perry and Lisa Ho, that address the Australian market. But then there are these cutting-edge brands, like Friedrich Gray or Romance Was Born. It's great to see cutting-edge that's good rather than just crazy to be crazy.