70’s ‘Nostalgia’ dominated runway 3 of the Paypal Melbourne Fashion Festival; all be it with a modern twist.  Sand tones, caramels and rich chocolates in floating linen, cosy knits, and butter soft leathers a plenty. These were separated by shimmering lamé and playful crochet, culminating in a celebration of colours and swirling 70’s prints to bring the show to a close.

I spoke stylist Stuart Walford about his inspiration behind the show.

“I try to inject playfulness in all my projects. It's important we don't forget to have fun with fashion!” Stuart said.

The Newstalgia trend allows for strong self expression….and the runway was created to take guests on a voyage through the seasonal trends; a celebration for fashion, culture, and lifestyle near and far.”

Newstalgia is the perfect way to describe this runway, a clash of eras inspiring a new aesthetic, that is both comfortingly familiar whilst being vibrant and fresh. The opening collection from Bec + Bridge a perfect example with an infusion of warm 70’s autumnal tones, 90’s inspired silhouettes and eye ware, with modern statement gold and silver chains. This amalgamation resulting in an effortless feeling of empowerment and playful nostalgia, for the strong independent spirit ready to take on the world.

Stuart described the show finale as “…bright colours and prints for a moment of Joyful Expression….leading into our eveningwear finale which injects some glam back into our lives after so many years of covid dressing.”

“Colour, print and texture will always be my number one favourite, so I'm most excited to see Melbourne go bold and bright for the coming season.”

Glam is definitely the word that comes to mind when I think about Alice McCall’s new season collection. Vivid sorbet colours of mint, lemon, apricot and watermelon,  embellished with dazzling metallic button detailing. Oversized contrast collars, bell sleeves, ruching, and patterns of psychedelic swirls and shimmering 70’s florals.