It’s without a doubt one of my fave events to dress for and this year’s Melbourne Cup I wanted to go for a look that was pretty and feminine. Enter this pastel pink Macgraw dress. I wanted to wear a local designer this year and this frock definitely fit the brief. What I loved about this dress was that the overall design is pared back but elevated by the finishing touches. The diamante flower buttons gave it a touch of playfulness whilst injecting a bit of bling. Meanwhile the blouson sleeve and A-line skirt offer up some on trend elements.
The vibe of the dress demanded interesting accessories. Headwear is so important on Cup day and this Sylvy Earl straw boater in a similar shade to the dress provided the ideal complementary piece. It was also great to be able to incorporate a little texture. The feathered bag was a lot of fun and worked well with the pretty vibe of my ensemble. Lace up heels provided a slightly little grittier element. The final finishing touch was the selection of beautiful Chaumet jewels I was wearing. The gorgeous rings really lifted my entire outfit whilst adding a luxe touch that was just made for Cup day.
Credits: Dress, Macgraw; Bag, Olga Berg; Shoes, Tony Bianco; Hat, Sylvy Earl, Jewellery, Chaumet.
When you have a standout blouse to work with it pays to keep the rest of your look quite pared back, such was the case with this ensemble. The Macgraw top, with its frilled bib and sleeves is the centre piece of this outfit so I opted for simple white Maticevski pants. The colour picked up the tones in the blouse without competing for attention.
As far as my accessories went it was an obvious choice to go with all neutrals. A simple pair of pointed beige Christian Louboutin shoes and a beige Fendi clutch were the ideal complementary pieces to this ensemble. Simple and elegant whilst still providing the perfect backdrop to allow the top to shine.
Credits: Top, Macgraw (not out yet); Pants (in black), Maticevski; Bag, Fendi; Sunglasses, Chloe; Shoes, Christian Louboutin
For a casual look that still maintains a polished vibe playsuits are the way to go. I love the crisp, clean white shade of this Macgraw number but it’s anything but plain with the gorgeous finishing touches. The ruffled bib feature, and the bishop sleeve along with the gold buttons give it some added personality. I’ve found this playsuit really easy to work back with multiple colours and pieces in my wardrobe as it provides a great blank canvas.
I went for a monochrome palette in this instance pairing the playsuit with my pointy Dior slingback flats (which as an aside, have been worth every penny with how much wear I’ve been able to get from them) and my black Dior chainstrap bag. As a finishing touch I added a pair of minimalist cat eye frames to add a slightly edgy element to this soft, feminine look.
How gorgeous is this Macgraw skirt? The beautiful floral embroidery on the sheer organza makes it a romantic yet impactful statement piece. The thing with anything transparent is you’ve got to temper it with the right underwear, and in this instance I went for a full bloomer style to offer a little more coverage. Also I think it’s important to consider what top you pair such a skirt with. In this instance I opted for a button up, Victorian style blouse in order to let it take centre stage. I think something sheer worked back with something a little more conservative strikes just the right balance.
When it came to my accessories I wanted to keep things sleek and simple. A black Dior clutch and my favourite black Alaïa heels helped cap off the entire ensemble. As I said, when it comes to anything sheer, you’ve really got to ensure that you avoid anything too over the top so as not to overwhelm you entire look.
There’s nothing better than a crisp white dress on a spring day—especially when it’s one like this Macgraw number. I am a huge fan of shift dresses as I’ve always found them to work with my height and shape so I particularly like this dress for its Victorian take on the style. The high neckline works well to ground the slightly more whimsical sheer puff sleeves. The sweetheart neckline and gold buttons turn the design into something that has a feminine feel but with modern accents to avoid it looking too saccharine.
One combination I’m really loving at the moment is dresses worn with sneakers. I like the high-low mix of it and think it can help turn a dress that’s a little more formal into something that’s appropriate for off duty wear. I’m quickly amassing a huge collection of white sneakers because they’re my go-to on days when I want to go a little more casual, and this new pair by Calvin Klein have already been on a few outings. The sleek, pared back design make them an easy shoe to work back with multiple looks in my wardrobe. Also the monochrome colour palette make them ideal for various occasions. I like to keep things quite minimalist most days so opted for a sleek crossbody bag that’s just the right size for a day out. It also adds a casual element to help temper the bold, statement elements of my dress.
Credits: Dress, Macgraw; Shoes, Calvin Klein; Bag (similar option), Calvin Klein
My daily wrap up of the day that was at Australian Fashion Week.
Shows I attended: Macgraw, We Are Kindred, Mara & Mine, Pereira Fitzgerald, Emilia Wickstead
Locations: Macgraw at Swifts mansion in Darling Point; We Are Kindred, Mara & Mine and Pereira Fitzgerald at Carriageworks; Emilia Wickstead at Wylies Baths, Coogee,
Fave show: Pereira Fitzgerald. it was their debut collection and it was so wearable—very feminine yet understated, sophisticated and elegant.
Biggest trend I saw: feminine silhouettes, frills, sequins, shirting.
The highlight of the day: Macgraw at Swifts – such a stunning location that really brought the collection to life.
My Day 3 wrap video, interviewing the designers behind Macgraw and We are Kindred.
Beth and Tessa Macgraw first launched their label in 2012 and since then their brand has amassed a celeb following that includes Lorda, Coco Rocha and Karlie Kloss. They’ve won prestigious awards including The Tiffany & Co. National Designer Award, The BT Award, The Regional International Woolmark Prize and The Australian Fashion Laureate for Best Emerging Designer. Macgraw is now available worldwide via online retailers such as Farfetch and Moda Operandi, and department stores David Jones and Lane Crawford. I caught up with Beth and Tessa ahead of their show about how they got into fashion, what it’s like to work with a sibling and the challenges they’ve faced to get where they are.
Congratulations on this amazing collection. How has Fashion Week been for you?
Tessa: Well, actually I think we’re quite calm this year. It’s always got its challenges and issues, but I think we’re handling them pretty well so far.
Beth: We’re having a different approach.
Tessa: We’re trying a different approach,
Beth: Yeah. It’s fashion, it doesn’t need to be stressful, it should be fun. I mean we like all our models to smile and be in a good mood on the runway.
That’s something you don’t always see. Is that something you focus on?
Tessa: We do. Yeah, we cast a smile. Which is kind of tricky. It’s challenging.
The collection is absolutely stunning. Can you tell us a little bit about the it?
Beth: So, we showed our collection at a beautiful gothic revival match in Cold Swiss in Darling Point. And as soon as we saw the architecture of the building we were quite inspired and knew we wanted to entwine that and work that into our collection. So, we kind of created a collection around the woman who would have resided there in its heyday. So, she’s pretty fab. She likes to-
Tessa: There’s an opium room in there, in the house. She’s a bit naughty I guess.
What is your favourite thing about Fashion Week?
Beth: I really love how it brings everyone together and builds, like there’s a lot of pre-events and then we go to our friends’ showing. So we go to their shows and they get to come to ours. The other time we get to see each other is in Paris.
Tessa: I think there’s an energy, I think it’s nice that everyone comes together. It’s an exciting week.
How did you both get into fashion in the first place?
Tessa: I studied fashion design way back when. We’ve grown up loving fashion.
Was that always a plan, to be designers?
Tessa: Pretty much, and to work together. Some people think we’re mad.
As sisters, what is it like to work with family?
Beth: It’s both, I mean, we’re very much on each other’s wavelength, we have a lot of non-verbal communication.
Tessa: I mean we get along, we do like each other. It helps, it does help, and I don’t think we’d be doing it if we didn’t.
Beth: It’s very important, though, that we have the same aesthetic and we gravitate to the same fabrics and if we didn’t, because we are quite honest and verbal about it, it probably wouldn’t work. So you need the personality mix to be right as well.
It must be so nice working together.
Tessa: I trust her and that’s pretty important I think in this industry.
Beth: We get to do it together, like we’re constantly pinching ourselves. And we get to go to Paris and we’re on the plane together and we’re in the shows together and-
Tessa: It’s a lot of time together, it is.
You only started the label five years ago and already you’ve had such huge success in that short time frame. What has been your secret?
Beth: Same focus I think, not growing too quickly for us,… You make a lot of mistakes. and you don’t want to make them in the best store or on the biggest celebrity, and it’s good to just learn and, what are your strengths and what’s her aesthetic, it takes a few years to work that out I think.
Tessa: I think it’s hard work as well, you’ve gotta commit to work till late at night and just all the time, you know, you’ve gotta be passionate. You just gotta love it.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face in the Australian fashion industry?
Beth: We make in Australia, it can be challenging, I won’t lie, but it’s, for us, really important to be mainly made in Australia. And we make some things in Italy and some fabrics in Switzerland and different places but, I think it’s nice and I think a lot of our stores preach it that it’s made in Australia, definitely.
Tessa: The challenge, I think in the Australian industry is that we’re sort of getting a bit smaller in production so making in Australia I think is probably a challenge sometimes.
Beth: Probably the other thing is, I mean, they’re all kind of Australia-focused answers for me, like the fact that we’re so far away, has its benefits but it also can be quite hard for the distance. If you’re from the U.K. and you have to go on the train over to Paris Fashion Week, it’s a much bigger effort for us when we’re outside of the business. And breaking in can be a little bit harder but Instagram and the internet definitely has helped as well.
We have noticed that that’s a huge impact.
Tessa: Absolutely. We’ve had stylists reaching out to us through direct Instagram. If they see us around then they will help.
You’ve dressed some pretty amazing people. What has been the biggest pinch-me moment?
Tessa: Julianne Moore I think we both agree? That was pretty cool. I just loved that.
How does that happen?
Beth: Organic. They actually held an event for us in London and the InStyle editor walked in and she was like, “I’m shooting Julianne tomorrow. I’m going to put that on her.”
You’ve also teamed up with Vittoria Coffee again to create these beautiful Fashion Series cups. Tell me a bit about the story behind these and your inspiration.
Beth: We were inspired by love and love letters.
Oh really?
Beth: Tess draws out all of our sketches, all the love hearts are all sketched out. They’re a little sinister, they’re black love hearts these ones. This one has a little loyal sash and he flies in love. And we love colours as well.
You’ve teamed up with them for a few years now. Why is that so important to you?
Tessa: I think it’s a nice alignment they have the Fashion Series and we do prints in-house and as I said we draw them. I think it just, it’s a nice fit really.
Beth: And they’re a family run business. They’re a lovely team the Vittoria family.
I saw the beautiful campaign. It was shot by fashion photographer Sonny Vandevelde. Tell me a little about that.
Beth: We love Sonny. He’s backstage at every one of our shows. He’s kind of part of the family as well. Yes I hear they’re going to be life size light boxes of us.
Oh amazing!
Beth: It will be down at Carriageworks for Fashion Week. And then Vittoria also did a really cool art installation which took a few of our items like our shoes, and love letters and created a beautiful piece of art. That was cool.
Tessa: It’s really pretty what they’ve done this year.
Where do you see Macgraw in five years time?
Beth: Good question. Well I think we’ll be probably in here. Maybe we’ll be in a different studio in this space.
Tessa: Maybe a bigger space, yeah? We’ll probably have a couple more staff members I hope. Yeah I mean we want to grow overseas a bit more don’t we?
Beth: Europe and the US are in our sights at the moment. We’re already in a few stores but just a bit more focus there.
With another full day of shows I wanted a look that was comfortable yet still managed to push style boundaries. If there’s one time to experiment with a new look it’s Fashion Week. I was attending the Macgraw show this morning so I wanted to centre my look around a top and skirt from their current collection. I loved the 60s feel of the crochet mini worked back with a statement button down shirt. There’s something about dramatic shirting that I’m really into at the moment and the finishes on this top from the ruffled collar to the puffed sleeves and sweet heart applique on the back, all combine to make a statement.
If there’s one piece in my wardrobe that has me excited at the moment it’s this Gucci trenchcoat. With a traditional feel at the front it’s livened up by the embroidered moth at the back and the cursive writing on the collar. It helped keep me cosy throughout the day and was a definite focal point to my ensemble.
After a few days of heels I opted for comfort today. These flat boots by Maje are not only great to hang out in all day when you’re on the go, the statement buckles at the front turn them into a striking outfit element. Round frame Chloe sunglasses and a classic Miu Miu blush clutch helped provide the finishing elements to my look and are the ideal subtle complementary pieces.
