KARLA SPETIC AT RAFW

We have been watching Karla Spetic with anticipation for some time now. She began her label only a few years ago now, and never fails to get good industry feedback. Her somewhat whimsical approach to dressing is very feminine, but not in an overly girly way.

This collection went off with a bang. The colours were bright, bold and daring. The opening look of a lilac and orange print combination set the mood for what was to come. Up next was an all white tuxedo, broken up only by a sliver of orange shirt peeping through between the lapels. The next look was a colour explosion, with the unofficial colour of the season – fuchsia – making a comeback.

Teaming with the theme of RAFW so far, there was a slight oriental influence, seeing in thigh high side splits and small mandarin collars. Perhaps the SS2011 Louis Vuitton show has been lurking in the depths of many designers minds, and it is interesting to see this collective consciousness on the runway.

Knitwear was slashed across the back in jumpers and peekaboo cut-outs were seen in a jumpsuit. Spetic loves swimwear, and it is always a big feature for her. Usually a fan of more structured bust cups, this time it was all about the halter neck style, in a very 70s fashion.

In fact, the whole show was obscenely 70s, but in a good way. The kind of way that would make you nostalgic for this time period (if you were around then!). As the show progressed, the colour combinations got more and more reminiscent of this era, climaxing in a wall paper-esque brown and lime green combination. These are colours you don’t usually associate with ‘high end fashion’, but somehow it actually worked.

The fleur de lis motifs cemented this fact, and will most likely be one of the most shot prints this season. For the finale, Spetic blurred the lines between the decades and launched into a fully fledged lime green power suit that wouldn’t have been out of place in 1985. We will look forward to seeing this one up close and personal.

Lucinda Rose Constable
All photos taken by pages official RAFW photographer Luke Byrne.