Aussie Design Students Pull the Wool <i> Off</i> the World’s Eyes

MELBOURNE —  It’s long been the perception that Australian fashion lags decades behind the rest of the world, with Down Under practically synonymous with dowdy. But if the recent Australian Wool Corp. Young Designer Awards are any indication, Australia is becoming an important island in the mainstream of fashion.

At the ninth annual event held in a nightclub here, the 14 finalists in the men’s and women’s categories from the seven Australian states (culled from about 600 entries) avoided the usual student excesses--Star Trek space suits and copies of looks from European designer collections. “Anything printed with views of Sydney harbor or koala bears was out,” joked one student.

Instead, there was a preference for simple lines with subtle details, a glaring contrast to the over-designed, costumey ensembles often seen at student shows in Los Angeles, New York and Paris.

A wide-legged jumpsuit in navy had a simple white yoke at the shoulder. For men, a street-tough look included a voluminous coat that latched at the side with a metal D-ring over short, cuffed trousers worn with high-top boots.

One student took a humorous stab at a bridal gown with a tight, white, thigh-high number with an overskirt that resembled the cage-like structures women used to wear under hoop skirts.

The winners epitomized the students’ penchant for simple sophistication. Lindsay Wallace of Western Australia, women’s wear winner, designed an off-white wool jersey body suit draped with a sculptured stole “inspired by ancient Greek goddesses.” Men’s wear winner Sandra Donlan of South Australia fashioned formal tails with a bias-pleated and tucked vest in black and white.

It’s not surprising that the required fabric for entry into Australia’s most prestigious student fashion design competition is wool. The nation’s wool growers provide the world with 70% of the apparel wool traded internationally adding up to a $6-billion-a-year industry for the Aussies.