By Mera Stackhouse

You might be wondering, what the heck is an installation fashion show? And that makes two of us. The only explanation I could find beforehand was: An exciting new event, the conceptual WA Designer Installation will be an entirely different experience from traditional runway shows, according to the Festival website. Not very informative. Going into the venue (which was a tent set up in the Perth Concert Hall courtyard) I had no idea what to expect. Except maybe that it was going to be a circus themed fashion show.

It turns out things weren’t as mysterious as they seemed. From the first ladies out on the catwalk, it was easy to see the subtle difference of the installation format. All the models from each designer came out en force and posted up out on the catwalk at the same time, giving me just enough time to ogle at their ensembles before the lights strobed and the next designer’s music and visuals over took the stage.

I loved the vibe. I should lead with the good stuff: the vibes were good.  Each designer had visuals projected onto the main wall behind the stage and their own soundtrack. The lighting was superb (and was maybe my favorite part of the show! Ok don’t kill me, the clothes were cool too, but the lights set this thing apart, man!). The lights dimmed as all the models took their places, strobed a bit, and finally spotlighted each of the looks. The lights were clean and funky. A+

I might complain (only might) that there wasn’t enough time to focus on each model, but what they lacked in pacing, they made up for in flow. I never felt like the show was monotonous since you could hardly take in all the models before the music was bumping, the lights were glaring and another look was in front of you.

The verdict? It was more original than your average runway. The format has so much potential, but I wish the clothing had been more ballsy! Check out all the pics below. Pretty awesome right? But not very funky. Don’t get me wrong, I really like some of these designers* (to wear on my own body). But maybe I’m not looking for ready-to-wear fashion. Maybe I want an installation fashion show to be more of an installation work of art! Something that is a little less mobile, but makes the audience view the medium in a new way. I’m looking at you, Perth Fashion Fest of the Future. With a little more wow-factor this could be even better next year.  

*Featured Designers:

Apate
Bhalo
Cantini Designs
Convict
Emily Muco
Katherine Dunmill
Monster Alphabets
and
Tindale