drag

Here’s how the opening of MBFWA went down last night

Starting with Maticevski.

Maticevski: a name synonymous with drama, femininity and technical shaping. However last night, after his show kicked off MBFWA at Barangaroo, the kind of words being bandied about were ‘animal print’, ‘handcuffs’ and ‘diamond ball gag’. 

Well, I don’t know about you, but I didn’t see that coming.

Ryan Storer‘s bondage-themed sparklers were the talk of the night, a risky move by Maticevski that paid off. It could have so easily fallen into obvious ‘artsy’ territory, but instead, the jewels helped tell a story of female empowerment.

It wasn’t obvious, but it was there: Victorian-era high necklines and deconstructed bustles set the scene, harking back to a time when women’s public sexuality did, in fact, mean imprisonment. Diamond cuffs secured hands behind the back, and neckpieces that resembled fetishist rope ties tumbled over full skirts. 

Back then, and not too long ago, an overtly sexual woman was often labelled ‘hysterical’, and likely committed to a white-walled institution. And so came the nod to straight jackets, in crisp white shirting that saw ties trailing behind the models.

But we are in 2016, and today sexual empowerment is a signifier for strong femininity. Yes, you can wear a full ball skirt, and yes, you can also be into BDSM in your spare time. Why the hell not? 

Well, now thanks to one of our most creative and influential designers, you have the wardrobe to do it in. 

Here’s to diamond handcuffs – and everything they represented last night. 

mbfashionweek.com/australia

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Images via Flaunter.

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