For the past week I've been in Sydney, blogging for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia! This year there were 

45 runway shows and a complete total of 69 designers showcasing their collections. 

The first season of Resort Collections graced the runways and showrooms at Carriageworks and off site throughout Sydney. Attending for my first time, and as a blogger was an amazing experience. This post is a re-cap of some shows I attended, and adored. 

Dyspnea Photographs by myself, Isabella Smith

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Wrap up!

Hey everyone! As many of you already know, I was in Sydney during MBFWA in Sydney last week. I had an absolutely amazing time and the whole week was filled with crazy new adventures, lots of lessons and absolutely gorgeous Resort runways.

The week opened with the Toni Maticevski show. Beginning fashion week with edgy textures, dark sleek cuts, ruffles, and stunning futuristic gunmetal jewellery dripping down the models backs. A few street style looks before the show included double denim, autumn layering, lots of nude tones, and Bambi Northwood Blythe in a white off-shoulder asymmetrical dress.

Day two continued with shows by Aje, Dion Lee, Ginger and Smart, Misha Collection, and ending with a confident, upbeat, sequinned and shoulder padded Zhivago. Bella Hadid and her Misha Army were absolutely stunning, capturing the audience with attitude in their nude and black looks for Misha’s newest collection. 

Zhivago Images by Image.net My first show for the week was the Zhivago Resort '17, 'Death Becomes Her' collection

The show was absolutely captivating, upbeat, accompanied by a runway full of dancers with iPhones and a gorgeous vocalist in a sequinned bodysuit. The show consisted of a few signature shoulder pads, skin-tight pieces, glitter, sequins, mesh garments, thigh high splits, low necklines and exposed shoulders. Accompanied by glitter brows, bold lips with glitter also included and deep red or blue eye makeup, the girls appeared robotic and intergalactic. I find Zhivago tends to lean towards this style. A remix of the song '#Selfie' by the Chainsmokers played while the models stormed past on the catwalk, enhancing the connection between the designs and new, developing technology.

Over all, I enjoyed the show. The pieces can be seen as a little similar to others in the Zhivago collections. Although I feel like the styles are always improved and perfected each season to Strengthen the Zhivago label.

During day three we watched girly pastels, flares, ruffling and iconic embellished mesh walk down the runway for Alice McCall. The Bec & Bridge show was absolutely stunning, industrial but chic - showcasing a range of dark and nude looks combined with my favourite staple for Autumn, silk! Other shows included By Johnny, Karla Spetic, McGraw and Manning Cartell. A stand out street style look from day three would have to be simple silk cami dresses over plain white tees combined with a neck tie and black boots or nude heels. 

I absolutely adored the pastel colours and recurring lace pieces throughout the Karla Spetic collection. Some pieces included chest prints that looked like photo frames with holiday images from Croatia, Greece and The Sound of Music. I found the runway was elegant, girly and flowing with long dresses and high knee splits- but also met with structured layered skirts creating shapes that juxtaposed against the silk pieces. Along with the silk pieces there were a few ribbed knit dresses with back cut outs all paired with relaxed flat strappy white sandals. I adore silk and personally wear ribbed clothing so I was actually sitting there in awe at these pieces!

Karla Spetic Images by Image.net

By day four I was absolutely exhausted and ready to nap all day! The week is so exhausting running around, staring at other peoples clothes and admiring runway looks can really be tiring! My favourite street style looks from Wednesday included flared blouse sleeves paired with boyfriend jeans and heels and Sarah Ellen’s bright graphic knit, striped pants with a black and red miu miu bag. 

Runways were absolutely stunning on Wednesday, one of my favourites included C/MEO’s models walked wearing feminine tuxedos with sharp angles, baby blue turtlenecks, flowing nude dresses and block colour midi skirts. Emma Mulholland’s models walked through a mesmerising runway vortex with bright colours, glitter, embellishments and space cadet metallic shoes. A few other gorgeous shows on Wednesday were Discount Universe and Romance Was Born.

Camilla opened day 5 with a luxurious runway on a mini cruise in the early hours of the morning, completely harnessing the Resort vibe of fashion week. Models walked with surfboards in flowing, heavily patterned and embellished pieces accompanied with face paint and beaded jewellery. Back at Carriageworks for the Swim show, the street style was almost unbeatable. Looks that stood out were bold coloured dresses and skirts with leather jackets draped over shoulders, chic blazers with deep v-necks and a tailored fit, along with an array of monochrome outfits, leather look leggings and flowing white blouses. 

Thursday evening t

he Dyspnea girls held a private presentation of the new collection Èrotique SS17 at Sun Studios in Alexandria on Thursday the 19th of May. The audience were treated to pink donuts with rainbow sprinkles and pink bottles of champagne before the girl gang emerged in a flurry of silk and sparkles. The space was gorgeous with floral arrangements curated by Fleur and Threads. 

The girl gang emerged one by one, and left us just as quickly as they entered, single file. The models were each very individual, another benefit of a presentation. Dyspnea's pieces looked stunning on every girl wearing it in the room that night, and I don’t think anybody there doubted it.

Standing with the models allowed us to interact and experience the pieces in a whole different way. The bedazzled and silky pieces are fun, playful, and fairy-like - They would make anyone feel like a princess. Adorned with high thigh slits, spaghetti straps, plunging back and neck lines, intimate embroidery, oversized silk blouses, and an array of nude Patent PU boots, I felt as though the show was one of the most enjoyable of the week. Plus dancing and drinking champagne with the models afterwards is always a plus! 

Headpieces by Maria Elena Head Pieces Au // Floral arrangements // Fleur and Threads.

Afterwards we attended a bloggers event, showcasing Marks & Spencer, Reiss, plus more champagne and sweets!

The closing day of MBFWA finished the week off with a bang. I absolutely adored the NextGen show, watching the creations of upcoming designers come to life was so exciting. Kaliver’s pieces were so dreamy and wearable, easily adaptable into daily street style! Finishing MBFWA with a luxury designer runway, model Shanina Shaik brought the week to a close in Oscar De La Renta. Classic gowns and a bridal gown accompanied by two beautiful flower girls graced the last runway. I headed off home to pack for my flight after some excessive street style admiration, layering with asymmetrical hems, lace dresses and off-shoulder pieces were my favourite style staples for the day. 

If you’re thinking about attending a fashion show soon, a list of a few things I wouldn’t want to forget! Make sure you pack your camera if you want to take snaps, iPhones don’t work too well in the darkness surrounding the runway. A good lip balm, water or coffee - waiting around can be torturous! Matte powder for quick and easy touch ups, a pair of sunglasses to tie a look together, comfortable shoes and last but not least, the most crazy outfit you can pull together! I quickly learned that fashion week isn’t only about the runways, but about pushing the boundaries of your own comfort zone and experimenting with street style to create new looks.

Hope you all enjoyed fashion week! 

In collaboration with MBFWA as an Official Blogger