A week in work outfits with Acler Co-Founders, Kathryn Forth and Julia Ritorto

Relaxed suiting, wide-leg denim and pops of pink and blue.

Working in a creative role, it can be difficult to know how to dress for the day. Instead of having a set uniform of crisp white shirts and tailored black pants (as much as I love both), an ever-changing schedule means every morning requires a set of questions. Am I running around, or just sitting at my desk? Do I need to dress specifically for a project? And most importantly, will I be in the background of someone’s TikTok?

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For Australian fashion designers and Acler Co-Founders Kathryn Forth and Julia Ritorto, this year’s Afterpay Australia Fashion Week marked 12 months of meticulous work. It paid off in careful drapery, frothy eveningwear and playful suiting at Acler’s standalone AAFW runway, which Fashion Journal was lucky enough to attend as one of this year’s official media partners.

For their trip to Sydney, Kathryn and Julia packed a balance of tailored, ‘put together’ suiting separates and more colourful, casual pieces. Plus a considerable dose of Acler’s forthcoming Resort ’24 collection, of course. Below, they share a week in work outfits at AAFW.

Monday

Kathryn: This week, we have travelled to Sydney to begin prep in the lead-up to our AAFW 2023 Acler Runway. [On] day one, we kick off with model castings with our runway stylist, Jessica Dos Remedios. I want to be both ‘put together’ and comfortable as this is always a long day seeing all the incredible talent Sydney has to offer.

I’ve styled one of my forever favourite archive Acler skirts with our Cleveland Jacket – [it’s] a heavyweight linen blend, which has been perfect for these crisp autumn days. I often default to timeless layering and love to play with androgyny… [wearing] a chunky combat boot to contrast [the] femme.

Tuesday

K: Hello Sydney sunshine! A pop of pink to match this beautiful day. I am currently breastfeeding so a button-down or flowy shirt is on high rotation. Today I am wearing a few pieces that will debut on the AAFW runway as part of our Resort ’24 collection. Pink and pleating are quintessential to most of our collections, and this electric pink shirt is no exception.

Bold and bright, it becomes an effortless outfit styled back with Acler relaxed core denim. I am off to the hair and makeup trial with our beauty partners, Redken and Lancôme. Working with the dream team Diane Gorgievski (Redken) and Lara Srokowski (Lancôme), it is a special moment seeing these artists bring the brief and vision to life.

Wednesday

Julia: We both got the ‘neutral’ memo today! Such a great default colour combination for a clean look. Amongst the prep of the runway, there are often events and dinner meetings to run to in the evening, so we are often thinking about styling a look that will both take us through the day of work and into a night event while still looking fresh.

Blazers are truly a core piece of our wardrobes, you really can never have too many! We have a lot of fun designing a timeless tailored blazer, right through to a cropped boxy fit. Today I have on the Hawthorn Jacket.

Thursday

J: It’s crunch time- taping shoes, garment alterations, fitting models, pairing jewellery to each look and putting the finishing touches on the order of the runway… comfort is key! Relaxed tailored suiting with strip details, wide-leg fashion denim and our favourite pleated shirt (in cobalt blue) is today’s vibe before we head home for an early night… who are we kidding? [We’re] anticipating numerous wakeups to the babies throughout! It is a beautiful, chaotic balance. Kath wears the Braeside Jacket, available now for pre-order.

Friday

J and K: Showday! Our faces say it all. The moment we got to see it all come to life – 12 months of meticulous draping, reworking designs numerous times over and perfecting the details of each piece. The day started at 6am with 561 square feet of beige velour carpet being fitted to the floors of the Eveleigh, located within the old locomotive workshop at South Eveleigh.

Adorned in beige curved ottomans and wool boucle stools from Dan Event Hire, [it was] the perfect backdrop to showcase Acler Resort ’24 – 40 couture-inspired looks bursting with a colour palette of metallic pink and gold, arctic mint and watercolour stripes. We’re both wearing looks from Resort ’24, available in November 2023 and via pre-order now.

Shop the Acler range here.