Runway highlights at MBFF Sydney

sass & bide  

The Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival Sydney will be showcasing the best new looks for the Spring/Summer season, with collections from some of the country’s most renowned designers including sass & bide, Camilla, Dion Lee, Lisa Ho and Nicola Finetti to name a few.

Over the five days of events the Sydney Town Hall will be transformed into the must-be destination for fashionistas. We take a look at some of the highlights of the runway.

Mercedes-Benz Presents S/S 2011/12 – A Review of Australian Fashion Week
This spectacular event will bring the best of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia to the audience with a condensed look at what’s hot and what’s not for the entire year. The key looks of the new season will be on display in a show stylised by Kelvin Harries and featuring designers like Alex Perry, Josh Goot, Lover, Marnie Skillings, Rachel Gilbert and Manning Cartell amongst others.

Repeated nightly at 8:30pm

Jupi Corp Presents Man and Woman by Peter Morrissey and Dr Rey’s Shapewear
After a runway hiatus Peter Morrissey returned in bold fashion at the 2010 Sydney Fashion Festival with Man and Woman. A year later the much-loved designer returns to present his new Spring/Summer 2011/12 collection, the label’s largest ever range. Showcasing work wear for men and women, as well as casual wear, men’s underwear and women’s lingerie, this designer label brings the luxury back to the masses with all items priced under $100.

The centrepiece of any woman’s wardrobe is Dr. Rey’s Shapewear, developed by worldwide phenomenon ‘Dr 90210’ Robert Rey, a Hollywood plastic surgeon who has combined his expertise with Bruno Schiavi’s fashion acumen. The brand returns for a second year with a new jungle inspired look, showcasing bold animal prints that once again surprise in the Shapewear category.

Tuesday 23 August at 5:30pm

Speedo Summer 11
Luckily Speedo’s unofficial ambassador Tony Abbot will be nowhere in sight when the swimwear brand shares their Beach Fashion collection for Summer 2011 in their first ever show at MBFFS. Featuring sexy cuts and creative prints on bikinis, one pieces and boardies, this is not the Speedo of old.

A range of limited edition Speedo Aquabumps women’s and men’s swimwear will make up an exciting capsule in the Speedo Beach Summer 2011 show. Both born out of Bondi, Speedo and Aquabumps owe a debt to the iconic Sydney beach. In honour of their roots, the two brands have taken Eugene Tan’s remarkable imagery of their spiritual home and created a range of unique prints to apply to their swimwear.

Wednesday 24 August at 12:30pm

Hot in the City Lingerie & Swimwear Show
The hottest show on the MBFFS schedule is back again. Hot in the City will feature your favourite celebrities on the catwalk in a showcase of the latest summer collections of several sexy lingerie and swimwear brands with high energy glitz and glamour – no wonder it’s one of the most popular events at the festival and it back for its fourth consecutive year.

Friday 26 August at 12:30pm

Labyrinth by Camilla (presented by Virgin Australia)

Camilla Frank’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection, Labyrinth – ‘Every end has a beginning’, is one of the most highly anticipated shows at the MBFFS. This breathtaking showcase of Camilla’s new collection features the magnificence of the Bengal Tiger and a serpent pattern inspired by Greek Mythology’s maiden.

Camilla’s celebrity fan club (which includes Kate Hudson, Lilly Allen, Beyonce and Gwen Stefani) reached new heights last year when the queen of television, Oprah, proudly wore one of Camilla’s designs while taping her ‘Down Under Adventure’ series. The reaction was what you’d expect from the TV titan’s endorsement, the general public and the fashion world alike gushed over Camilla’s work and four month’s worth of stock sold-out in a fortnight.

Exclusively on show at MBFFS, Camilla’s entire collection will strut the runway for the first time this season.