KEY POINTS:
Anna Fitzpatrick, presenter of ALT TV's weekly fashion bulletin 'The Seen' blogs from the front lines covering Rosemount Australian Fashion Week.
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MONDAY: It's the first day of fashion week and I have to make a good first impression. One thing to remember at any major fashion week is that the guests get dressed up to the hilt! Sometimes more so than the models! You'd think it was the media and buyers who were on show.
Anyway, I arrive at the official venue to find a sea of style-obsessed, trend-driven fashionistas dressed in nothing but black.
When I imagine Sydney fashionistas all I see are short skirts and lots of colour. But no, it's all black, and here I am, in a BRIGHT red Karen Walker knee-length dress! I thought black was a Kiwi thing!
At 11:15am Sydney-time I have an phone interview with Clarke Gayford on George FM (I will be doing this every day) to keep him up to date on what the Kiwi contingent is doing over here.
After this, its straight into my first show: One Teaspoon.
It's running 45 minutes late and is only the second show of the day! It doesn't bode well for the rest of the week.
I only have a GA ticket but manage to scam myself a seat.
The show opened to a cartoon video of a skeleton, I think it had a global warming theme but wasn't completely sure.
The collection hads strong beach theme with dreads in the model's hair and lots of tie-dye and bikinis.
In the crowd I spot one of the boys from kiwi label Stolen Girlfriends Club and outside I find the rest of the crew along with fellow Kiwi's Gabby Mirkin from Urbis and Zara Mirkin, fashion editor of No Magazine. It's amazing how fast the New Zealand contingent has immersed itself in the week already.
The second show is the 'Ready to Wear' show that features collections from five up-and-coming Australian designers.
My feet are already hurting from my sky-high heels (not a very appropriate shoe to be wearing for a 10 hour day which involves a lot of standing, but none-the-less I sacrifice myself for the cause) so to my delight I find I have been seated.
A few more local mates appear in the front row - Katie Newton (fashion editor of Sunday Magazine) and Marian Simms (editor of Karen Magazine). They are in prime position to see the week's first near-disastrous moment when a model slips on the catwalk. Unfortunately this was the highlight of the show.
In between the RTW show and Wayne Cooper I have my hair blow-waved and a glass of bubbles in the Redken retreat room in exchange for doing a piece to camera next to the branded Redken wall (favours for favours are the currency over here).
This also means I get to sit down in big comfy chairs instead of standing out in the cold with hundreds of people watching me speak to camera (something I still am not used to).
With my hair freshly done I have to stand in line for 40 minutes to get into the Wayne Cooper show. I received an email just 30 minutes prior to the show from Wayne's PR girl saying that she has given me a spot at the show. I get to the door thinking she had given me a seat and was disappointed to receive my GA ticket. I am not disappointed because I think I deserve a seat, its just that allocated seated tickets get to go in to the show at least 20 minutes before the GA holders, much better for my feet!
Something I noticed in the first few shows is that, unlike Air New Zealand Fashion Week, in Sydney there is a little voice that comes over the PA system telling the GA guests to fill any spare seats other than those in the front row. Even for a big name like Wayne Cooper, there were quite a lot of spare seats so, lucky for me, I get a third-row seat that also comes with a nice goody bag and, to top it off, singer/rapper and MAC spokesperson Eve and her entourage are sitting front row opposite me.
Getting backstage here is almost impossible. You have to have clearance from 10 people and have them meet you at the door to be escorted in. I attempt to get my first backstage interview after the Wayne Cooper show.
After 5 minutes arguing with the bodyguard as the women who was meant to be escorting me in doesn't show, he takes pity and lets me in. Then I have to wait for 10 minutes as other fashion TV shows interviewed Wayne. The last one asks him to repeat some silly line to camera which he keeps mucking up, making him mad and grumpy for my interview. This is not like NZ Fashion Week where I am usually the only fashion show and getting an interview and backstage is very simple.
When I ask for a short interview, Wayne looks so pained and pissed off. I am suddenly very nervous and forget to ask him half the questions I want to! He is grumpy on camera and it puts me off completely - usually designers are happy for any press and are at least nice to you on camera.
I think I am going to stick to my pre-organised interviews after that experience. I have confirmed Bettina Liano, Kate Sylvester, Zimmerman and Melanie Cutfield so far.
Whilst backstage I spot Kim and Khloe Kardashian (they have a reality show on E! and Kim is infamous for a sex tape!) in very short and tight sequined dresses. Kim is tiny and Khloe is very tall; both are very good looking, with perfect hair and makeup.
Lastly tonight I attend the M.A.C Gold Fever party. We turn up only to find there has been a mix up with my name on the door list. As we are trying to sort this out M.A.C spokesperson Eve turns up and we are quickly told to move off the carpet ASAP! She is wearing a floor length black dress and is very gracious speaking with the media. I wish Dan was here!
Once the name dilemma is sorted and I am in, I am handed a drink with gold flakes in it. Everything is gold themed! They have covered every wall with gold foil and there are go-go dancers on podiums boogying away in gold hot pants.
Half way through the event a video is shown giving instructions on how to do a M.A.C dance, they are performed by the dancers and they are very entertaining.
The big attraction though is Danni Minogue! She isn't huge in NZ but is massive here and they love her! She does a series of disco songs and all the camp boys loved her!
Tomorrow I will fill you in with the news from my busiest day of shows, including NZ designer Kate Sylvester's show (at least backstage at Kate's show I wont be greeted with a huff and a puff).
* Catch ALT TV's 'The Seen', Tuesdays, 8pm, on Sky channel 65.
