Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival 2017

words by niall roeder

The Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival returns for the 21^st time in 2017 and brings with it 18 days of runways, models, shopping and all the glamour you’d expect from the country’s largest consumer fashion event. This is big… think Moss-in-the-90s or Hansel post-Zoolander “walk-off” big.

Needless to say, there is a lot on – plenty of really, really good looking people strutting designer threads in expertly produced, world-class runway shows… but which to see?

There are seven premium runway features showcasing Aussie designers, like Romance Was Born, Christopher Esber, Strateas Carlucci and Dion Lee, and Melbourne locals Bul, Kacey Devlin and Kuwaii. Tickets to these are selling fast, so if unless you’re going to do the Brüno sneak-in, you best snap some up soon.

Be sure to check out the Global Indigenous Runway, with Australian Aboriginal, New Zealand Maori, Native American and Pacific nations’ designers intertwining their indigenous heritage with fashion. Expect to see culture- inspired garments with depth – pieces that are more than just pleasing to the eye.

Style-conscious fellas might want to check out the GQ Australia Menswear Runway – a show celebrating the rise and evolution of gentlemanly get-up in Oz. Ticket holders will receive an Asahi beer on arrival (how good) and can expect to watch the likes of M.J. Bale, Jack London, HAN, Calibre, Dom Bagnato and Aquila.

Obviously, the catwalk is a big part of the festival, but it’s not all blue steel and clothes that look good on skinny head-turners. The long list of non-runway events kicking off over the festival period includes talks, industry seminars, forums, film screenings, parties, workshops, exhibitions, live performances, beauty and retail workshops, shopping sessions and a wine and bubbles infused fashion centre.

Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival will run from March 1 – 19.