SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 11: Models pose backstage ahead of the Auteur show during Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2022 Resort ’23 Collections at Carriageworks on May 11, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

At the Auteur Resort 23 runway show in Sydney yesterday, the vibe was ethereal and other-worldly. Inspired by the magic of the ocean, Creative Director Lucinda Taffs served up fluid dresses, gauzy skirting and embellished tops in liquified metallic shades.

The collection drew on “mother nature, particularly what’s under the sea, both real and imaged,” Taffs told GRAZIA. Shiny like the smooth underside of a shell, Auteur’s new direction is a fitting one for life on the other side of a pandemic.

That’s not to say it hasn’t been a tough year for the local label, who like the entire industry have been dealing with various setbacks over the past 24 months. “Logistics have been particularly challenging in the new world we live in,” Taffs explains. “But luckily I have a really supportive team who go above and beyond to make things happen right down to the very last minute.”

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 11: A model poses backstage ahead of the Auteur show during Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2022 Resort ’23 Collections at Carriageworks on May 11, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

Second only to the clothes was the beauty look, a high shine display of glossed hair, glossed skin and gilt eyes. Australian brand Mr Smith led hair, using a heavy hand to create almost damp-looking waves that were scraped back off the face and fell down onto the shoulders.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 11: A model prepares backstage ahead of the Auteur show during Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2022 Resort ’23 Collections at Carriageworks on May 11, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

The makeup (by Lara Srokowski for Lancôme) couldn’t have been more perfect. Skin was soft, radiant and just glossy enough to emulate an underwater feeling. Eyes were a focus — either dusted with silver shadow that extended beyond the temples, or embellished with winged liner made from crystals.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 11: A model poses backstage ahead of the Auteur show during Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2022 Resort ’23 Collections at Carriageworks on May 11, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

Brows were clean, the highlight was was perfect, and lips were nude but glossy. Overall the mood was shiny disco mermaid — one we’re very much aligned with for the year ahead.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 11: Models pose backstage ahead of the Auteur show during Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2022 Resort ’23 Collections at Carriageworks on May 11, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

Read more of our rolling Afterpay Australian Fashion Week coverage live on the GRAZIA Gazette.