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The 2016 Logie Awards on last night showed just how much further we have to go as a nation. I’m not talking about racial diversity or gender equality – well done Waleed Aly and Noni Hazelhurst for impassioned speeches – but instead how far we have to travel together as a country to improve our fashion credibility.
The Logies red carpet (which was, to be correct, black) was a hot mess of epic proportions that sent the brown ice cream scoop emoji into overdrive. It’s unfair to compare it with the Met Ball Gala staged in New York last week, where guests wear creations by international designers instead of local dressmakers fond of the word couture, but it’s time to admit that the Logies is the Aldi of awards ceremonies. The packaging is familiar but just slightly off, with a startling number of dresses heavily inspired by the international catwalk.
Dannii Minogue, Jesinta Campbell and Rebecca Judd on the black ‘red’ carpetCredit: Getty
Part of the problem is the dress code. For attendees such as Carrie Bickmore and Jessica Marais red carpet means being sewn into body-hugging dresses with more cut-outs than fabric, while Rebecca Judd took the opportunity to play dress-ups in a gown that Disney Princesses and drag queens would agree was over-the-top. Meanwhile Lee Lin Chin continues with dressing like she’s taking part in the world’s longest piece of performance art.
The struggle for talent to find something that pops for the paparazzi is more than obvious, with international fashion houses preferring not to loan their latest collections to starlets from Summer Bay or Ramsay St. Look at poor Margot Robbie who went to the 2009 ceremony in a flamenco-style mullet dress but had to get naked for Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street before having Calvin Klein throw outfits at her.
Sylvia Jeffreys, Sophie Lowe and Cheyenne Tozzi were style standoutsCredit: Getty
Against all odds there were some style standouts. Nine Network presenter Sylvia Jeffreys looked at ease in her custom Rebecca Vallance gown. Even with a thigh split to rival Angelina Jolie, Jeffreys stayed on the right side of sexy. Sophie Lowe sparkled in Rachel Gilbert with sleek hair while Australia’s Next Top Model mentor Cheyenne Tozzi slayed in a billowing Valentino red dress with a bombshell blowout.
Actress Marta Dusseldorp will continue to be pigeon-holed as the next Cate Blanchett with her on-point floral Dolce & Gabbana dress and Sonia Kruger delivered some strangely-appealing Gold Coast Barbie glamour in Herve Leger.
And then we have the rest. Jesinta Campbell’s Camilla & Marc bodysuit covered in a fishing net made me long for the playfulness of Met Gala Madonna’s bare buttocks. Dannii Minogue could have been auditioning for a Mae West biopic in her sheer and feathered nightgown, while the lace trend was one bandwagon well-and-truly jumped on by Megan Gale, Olympia Vallance and Bickmore.
Next week the eyes of the world are supposed to focusing on Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia to get a style snapshot of what this country has to offer. Let’s hope that the ice cream scoop emoji is given a good rest. Fingers crossed we see Noni Hazelhurst and Waleed Aly on the runway – just not in lace please, but feel free to flash some butt cheek.
Cover image: Megan Gale
Cover credit: Getty Images
