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Model-turned-designer Lucinda Taffs understands what Australian women want to wear. And at her brand Auteur’s Afterpay Australian Fashion Week debut—a pared-back, elegant presentation revealed at Sydney’s culinary hotspot Mimi’s—she proved just how sharp that intuition is.
For all the pontificating that goes on about the ‘ideal Resort wardrobe’, the core principles are simple: ribbed dresses that look understated but sexy (extra points if you can add blazer and heels and wear them to the office), wide-leg trousers in breezy shades of ivory and cream, and easy beach throwovers that work for sunset cocktails. Like we said, simple.
“If, even in a small way, my clothes can make women feel confident and sexy, I feel like we’ve achieved something important,” says Taffs, who launched the brand in 2020 because she wanted to create the kind of vintage-inspired dresses she felt her wardrobe was missing. That vintage sensibility—in particular a nod to the ‘70s heyday of Riviera-dwelling jetsetters like Jackie Kennedy and Lee Radziwill—was evident throughout Auteur’s Resort ’22 offering, poignantly named ‘Voyage’.
Coincidentally, the floaty, flattering dresses were reminiscent of the pioneering designs of Roy Halston Frowick. Known mononymously at Halston, the late designer’s ‘70s creations are back on the fashion industry’s mind following the release of the Ryan Murphy mini-series Halston on Netflix. The event certainly had the feeling of a chic Halston salon—guests were treated to caviar and champagne before the show began, with the room lit with Cire Trudon candles. Très chic, indeed.
