What’s black and white and white all over? Spring and summer at David Jones and Myer, apparently. With another round of season launches over, these are two of the main trends the department stores have been buying into, in any number of styles including sleek and minimal, sporty, prairie-ready and delicate and lacy.
David Jones let its new ambassador Jessica Gomes shine in the opening of its show, with a tableau of all-white ensembles from a variety of designers rather than just one. For its pool party-themed affair, Gomes wore a languid Willow trouser and bustier ensemble, while other white highlights included Scanlan & Theodore’s 1950s-silhouette mesh dress and draped gown from Carla Zampatti.
Both department stores are clearly banking on buyers wanting a wardrobe cleansing, but Myer in particular played the affair safe, with David Jones offering a much more fashion-forward offering.
While the pool party theme kept things fairly open to interpretation at DJs, Myer’s Kimberley-inspired show, aligned with its recent campaign shoot in the Western Australian region, meant that it was working within boundaries that were too narrow. The set was underwhelming, with tiny tiers of earth-coloured glitter running down the side of each catwalk in a nod to the colours of the region. And too often these colours were reflected in the clothes, with muted earth tones taking precedence over bold colours (with the exception of a small reef-inspired section), which is not necessarily in keeping with summer trends as a whole.
A bronzed Jennifer Hawkins was a standout in the scenery and proved again why she is such a popular choice for the retailer, which is hoping to resign her for another contract when her current one expires in mid-November.
As a case in point, it was interesting to see the offerings of the two stores from Ellery, now stocked in both stores after the settlement of the court case of its designer, Kym Ellery, who had broken her exclusivity contract with Myer to sign with David Jones. Myer sent out mostly white and cream ensembles, where David Jones focused on black and prints, with more surface interest to the fabrics.
Interestingly, one of the most visually interesting and fashion-forward collections at Myer came from Cue, with its graphic fabric-blocked separates and dresses in black and white with yellow chartreuse highlights.
Graphic prints were a common theme throughout, especially in black and white, as seen at Simona, Jac + Jack (David Jones), and Manning Cartell, and spliced together such as in a striking halter gown from AG Arthur Galan at Myer.
Leopard and snake prints continue to be strong, often in woven jacquards rather than print, such as at Josh Goot (DJs) and Cue (Myer). Crop tops and exposed midriffs and sides – set to be huge for spring/summer, like it or not – were in abundance at Ginger & Smart, Josh Goot, Scanlan & Theodore, Camilla (David Jones) and Manning Cartell, Kate Sylvester, Jayson Brunsdon and YB J’Aime (Myer, pictured right).
Sports chic was a strong trend for David Jones, with Bec & Bridge and Bassike in particular blurring the lines between trackside and café chic.
Finales are always talking points for these shows, and David Jones went with a colourful gypsy-inspired offering from Camilla, with two outfit changes for Gomes, who was resplendent as a gypsy queen.
Myer’s Maticevski finale was a triumphant turn, with a large selection of pieces in black , gold and cream, including metallic mock-croc jacquards and metallic thread patterning on sharply tailored separates and mid-century silhouettes. It was a knockout ending to an otherwise safe show.
Glynis Traill-Nash is the Fashion Editor of The Australian
