With a vampire theme, right down to sponsorship from cult TV programme True Blood, Saint Augustine Academy’s Rosemount Australian Fashion Week solo debut was a dark affair. Models stalked down the runway with fangs protruding from between parted lips, otherworldly eyes of transparent white and metal eyebrows created from hook and eye contraptions. The collection seemed to break down into 4 distinct parts- a clean retro feel in the beginning progressing into hardcore punk, then nouveau goth before a grand finale of ghost-like, bloodstained figures in white, harking back to imagery from Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula. 

The collection featured heavily with denim in the first part- with tailored shirts and snug fitting jeans as well as body con dresses embellished with studs which incorporated black broderie anglaise into torsos and skirts for women. With bold red and black stripes characterising the second half of the show, what stood out the most was the tailoring of men’s jackets and pants for the third story, neo-goth. The whole show was held together with the common thread of children-of-the-night darkness, although I’m not sure that this would translate upon the collection decontextualised and in broad daylight (ironically, the collection lives up to its vampiric theme). With jewellery from cult label Henson, Saint Augustine Academy’s summer collection was overall cool, well made and easy to wear.