PERTH FASHION FESTIVAL DAY 6; MONDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2011

KEE@FSWMAG.COM

THE PLANET VENUS MUST HAVE BEEN IN PERFECT ALIGNMENT AS EVERYONE SEEMED TO BE SMOOCHY-WOOCHY AND KISSY-WISSY. OR ELSE THEY WERE MOLLY-CODDLING AND CANOODLING EACH OTHER! MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR, SEEMED TO BE OUR CLARION CALL TODAY!

A kiss is just a kiss..unless it was by supermodel Nicole Trunfio, the Face of Perth Fashion Festival when it became something rare, precious and unforgettable!

My crocodile on wrist and elephant on neck also became stiff and hardened

Matt Jelonek, pixman of The West Australian got a peck from gf Vicki Sofield

Sam Wallwork sneaked in from behind to launch a rear attack on Nicole Trunfio

These two chicks are just as lovey-dovey

This gal was alone but I am sure not for long

Many would love to sink their teeth into this juicy orange number!

Or this one!

This one is the ultimate! Nicole Trunfio carrying Nicole Trunfio!


SOCIAL SHOTS AT FASHION BAR WHERE WE CONGREGATED BEFORE AND AFTER EACH SHOW

Amber Rae was not wearing a teepee as feared but a designer cloak

Hunk, Simple Simon and Amber Rae

3 lovelies

2 lovelies

1 lovely; Danae St George

Another lovely; sexy model Scott James Wilson

The smiling version; note his ravishing eyelashes! Wonder if they were real

1 lovely Shane Newton

2 lovelies---Shane Newton, designer of Zsadar and friend

2 hunks, Scott Wilson and model

Model and journo friend

Models relaxing after the Designer Capsule Show #3

These bartenders were the ones making us relaxed with drinks from Bunkers!

A bit of skin will get you everywhere and anywhere

Luxe ladies!

Class act

Sister act!

Twins Susan and Stephanie Shen

Kee Hua Chee with the Shen twins. I am no midget so these two are really tall on their heels

Henry, Kee Hua Chee and Jimmy Yong

My new friends from Vietnam

Danae and Kee Hua Chee wearing Keith Kee Kouture KL

Beautiful in black and glitter as seen in Kee Hua Chee's attire by Keith Kee Kouture KL

Winsome 3some

He got bored of Danae and Kee Hua Chee. It happens

Nicole Trunfio

Nicole Trunfio 2

Nicole Trunfio 3

Nicole Trunfio 4

Nicole TRunfio showing her new range of jewellery called Eight & A Half

She designed these and they are hot!



Kee Hua Chee and Nicole Trunfio

Kee Hua Chee and Nicole Trunfio 2

Natasha Hinch and Erica Allia of Martini & Coz


THE DESIGNER CAPSULE COLLECTIONS FEATURED ZSADAR, ONE FELL SWOOP, ANGE LANG AND ZHIVAGO AT HACKETT HALL, WESTERN AUSTRALIA MUSEUM

The Zsadar show by Shane Newton the handsome blonde designer who I mistook for a model opened Day 6 of Perth Fashion Festival with a primeval Big Bang that grabbed our jugular! First a model in a highly dramatic ball gown reminiscent of Wuthering Heights appeared. Then the lights went off so we assumed WA Museum did not pay their electricity bill or Perth Fashion Festival did not pay their staggered payment to WA Museum. A voice announced, "Please stay in your seats. There is a technical problem we are sorting."

Then came a piercing scream as the be-gowned model was kidnapped and dragged off the floor, kicking and yelling!

One of the male models also picked up a handbag from the floor, ransacked it thoroughly and scattered the contents all over the runway! Finally he threw the bag onto the floor before thundering away, where it remained till the end when designer Shane Newton picked it up together with the bits and pieces. I clung onto my bag for dear life lest the model picked on me but of course it was all pre-arranged though it was very convincing based on the squeals, shrieks and screams from the audience!

Mind you, there was a hangman replete with ghastly noose around his neck as well striding across the runway.

All very dark, gothic and morbid. The clothes and accessories were hardly wearable, unless for clubbing in underground places. But the overall effect was sensational and I enjoyed gawking at the theatrics and shock factor. The tattoos were just body paintings and would fade within 3 weeks, informed a model Scott James Wilson. Everynow and then the audience needed a jolt to the system after endless parades of pretty stuff and this was the electric prod!

THIS WAS FASHION SUBVERSION AT ITS SEXIEST!


High octane gown

You needed a carriage, not a cab, to get around Perth in this

The back was just as beautifully made

Scantily clad men were the main draw

Fully dressed but his nail-studded cuffs were menacing

Body art

The tattoos were temporary and will fade after 3 weeks

Hooded hoodlum?

Horny devil

Pretty boy gone wrong

Fashion moved much faster when you were on a skate board

He must have been a real skateboarder as he did not crash into the audience as I was hoping for..

Perfect for a day at Monkey Mia beach but maybe not since he carried a whip and cracked it too. The dolphins might get frightened

The hangman and his noose making an appearance

For extra impact, the noose was shoved into his groin. I loved it

With the noose inside his crotch, we must assume this hang man was well hung!

This outfit seemeda shade too tame

So biblical this crown of thorns

No one could kiss him now

Many would not mind being bitten by this cobra king

The cobra king grabbing a handbag and rummaging inside it!

After pilfering, he threw the remnants away onto the floor as the audience gasped from shock

The bag lain forlorn till the end of the show as everyone else held on tight to their bags

Models carried on nonchalantly

Nice slit

The final parade

What a cracker of a show

Designer Shane Newton picking up the debris lest the fashion police arrest him for littering

BELOW ARE CREATIONS FROM THE LABEL 'ONE FELL SWOOP' WHICH INSTALLED LARGE, STANDING FANS TO BLOW THE MODELS' HAIR FOR THAT ALLURING WIND-SWEPT EFFECT. AS I SAT OPPOSITE THE FANS, I ENJOYED A GREAT BLOW JOB TOO...













Waif like figures wafting past for the finale of One Fell Swoop

BELOW ARE THE CREATIONS FROM 'ANGE LANG'. THE MODELS ALL BANDIED THE ZORRO EYEBROWS!



















Finale of Ange Lang

BELOW ARE THE CREATIONS OF ZHIVAGO WHICH WAS LAUNCHED TONIGHT BY TWO DESIGNERS LYDIA TSVETNENKO AND LARA KOVACEVICH. THEY ARE RUSSIAN SO OBVIOUSLY THEIR LABEL' ZHIVAGO' MUST HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY THE EPIC NOVEL 'DR ZHIVAGO' BY BORIS PASTERNAK!

THEY DESCRIBED THEIR CLOTHES AS 'DIRTY PRETTY' DUE TO A WACKY BLEND OF HAND-FRAYED SILK, CHIFFON AND LEATHER! PLUS LOADS OF ATTITUDE AS SEEN IN THE BLACK TEAR STREAK RUNNING DOWN DESPONDENTLY FROM EACH RIGHT EYE!
























Finale of Zhivago

CREATIONS OF S2
I THOUGHT THE LIGHTING WAS TOO DARK, MOODY AND BROODY FOR FASHION, EVEN IF S2 IS FAMOUS FOR BLACK GARMENTS! I COULD JUST ABOUT MAKE OUT THE DESIGNS BUT NOT DETAILS BUT I WAS SITTING IN THE FRONT ROW! BET THOSE AT THE BACK COULD ONLY MAKE OUT GHOSTLY FIGURES FLOATING ETHEREALLY PAST!
EVERY DESIGNER SEEMED TO HAVE A SIGNATURE TRADEMARK MAKE-UP AND CHRISSIE CATLING OF S2 OPTED FOR THICK, BUSHY EYEBROWS KEPT SEPARATE AND NOT CONNECTED ACROSS THE FOREHEAD AS THAT HAS BEEN DONE EARLIER.
THE SHOW OPENED WITH A HOODED MAN (THOUGH WE COULD HARDLY SEE HIM AT FIRST!) WALKING WITH AN INCENSE BURNER AND SWAYING IT AS HE WALKED TO EMIT THE SMOKE AND DISPEL BAD VIBES. AFTER THE RUNWAY WAS CLEANSED AND CLEARED OF LINGERING MALFEASANCE, THE SHOW PROPER BEGAN!



































The incense man came to again clear the air in case we inadvertently emitted foul breath and bad vibes and after that came the finale. I suspect the last male model was the incense man!



TODAY NICOLE (TOMASSO NOT TRUNFIO BUT SHE WAS JUST AS LOVELY!) PICKED ME AT PARMELIA HILTON HOTEL AT NOON TO DRIVE ME IN THE MERCEDES BENZ TO MOUNT LAWLEY, WHICH IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH MOUNT EVEREST OR MOUNT KINABALU...IN OTHER WORDS, MOUNT LAWLEY IS NOT A MOUNTAIN!

IT IS NOT EVEN REMOTELY ON A HILL OR HIGH GROUND AS THE ROADS SEEMED TO BE AS FLAT AS THE BOSOMS OF SOME GIRLS I KNOW. WHY IT IS CALLED MOUNT LAWLEY AND NOT JUST 'LAWLEY' OR EVEN 'LAWLESS' IS BEYOND ME AND EVEN NICOLE TOMASSO COULD NOT TELL.

I SUPPOSE ONE CAN SUE CITY HALL FOR FALSE ADVERTISING AS THE NAME 'MOUNT' IS SO MISLEADING. IF I BUY A PROPERTY AT MOUNT LAWLEY I WOULD EXPECT PANORAMIC VIEWS LIKE THOSE AT SYDNEY'S BLUE MOUNTAINS! BUT I DIGRESS.

LUNCH WAS AT RAAH THE BRAND NEW MIDDLE EASTERN RESTAURANT RUN BY JOHN AND SO NEW THE PAINT HAD JUST DRIED. I WENT ROUND ADMIRING THE DECOR AND TOUCHED THE MOSAIC WALL ONLY TO FIND MY FINGERS WERE WET. I WAS CERTAIN I HAD CLEANED AND DRIED MY DIGITS BEFORE LEAVING THE TOILET SO HOW COULD THIS BE? THEN I REALISED THE ENTIRE WALL WAS WET AS WATER WAS FLOWING!

LUCKILY THIS WAS AN ARCHITECTURAL DETAIL AND THE WALL WAS NOT LEAKING!
BUT IT WAS SO WELL DONE AND SUBTLE NONE WOULD HAVE NOTICED THE LITTLE WALL WAS WET AS THERE WAS NO TRICKLING OR GURGLING SOUND. THE WATER DID NOT COLLECT AS A POOL AT THE BOTTOM EITHER SO IT WAS EXCEEDINGLY WELL CRAFTED.

Raah is not scheduled to open to the public until next month so this was a preview though we were not guinea pigs for John's cooking as everything delivered to our table was extremely delicious. It was typical Mid East fare but we did not get cous cous but none minded.

The starters were so lavish I thought that was all we were getting. The desserts were to die for, especially the orange pieces that tasted and looked like marzipan. But they were real oranges lightly dusted with chocolate. The Turkish Delights were delightful and I really over-ate again.

Then it was a short drive for champagne at Billie & Rose boutique. I was hoping for J champagne like the one served by Chrissie Catling at S2 but this was the normal variety. I told 'Rose' about J champagne and she pointed out the bottle she was pouring was Lanson which is a highclass brand so I was quite mollified despite the lack of gold flakes. The various labels carried by Billie & Rose are very eclectic and hard to find as they are sourced from Europe and even the local labels are niche. One denim brand even comes with a booklet detailing the types of jeans they offer.

At 5pm Nicole Tomasso came to drive me to State Theatre for the Hyogo Banshu show, featuring 6 textile and fashion students who were chosen to go to Japan last March to collaborate with Banshu textile manufacturers. Today they showed the fruits of their labours with the 10-metre sample fabrics.

This program was part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the sister state relationship between Western Australia and Hyogo Prefecture.

Then it was a short walk with Sam Barnett, son of WA Premier to WA Museum for the Designer Capsule 3 Collection. It was cold and windy and I wanted to ask Sam to lend a shivering Malaysin his jacket but he was only wearing a Karl Lagerfeld shirt and refused to strip for me.

The Designer Capsule 3 show featured Zsadar, One Fell Swoop, Ange Lang and the inaugural launch of Zhivago by 2 female designers which everyone declared was a big success. I thought the clothes were more of the same. Last night, ultra-violet lamps were used. Today, One Fell Swoop set up large standing fans. As sat opposite, I enjoyed the sensation of the wind-swept look and I am sure my photos will be great with my hair billowing behind.

As usual, we trotted across the road to The Fashion Bar @The Court and I got sloshed again on Bunkers champagne before staggering back to Hackett Hall for the S2 solo show. Alas, Chrissie Catling requested for dry ice, darkened, flashing lights and gritty music which did not do justice to her astonishingly creative designs. The worst culprit and cardinal sin was the dry ice which rendered photography almost useless!

Why bother to hold a fashion show if the photos come out lousy and you can hardly discern the designs. This is bad enough since there will be scant records for posterity but due to the prevailing gloomy ambiance, those seated at the back could not make out the details. I sat front row so I was OK but not for those behind me. This also explains why loads of cash are spent on bright lighting for runway shows!

THE END