All Is A Gentle Spring's Runway Show @ Aferpay Australia Fashion Week
Welcome. It says a lot about a brand when attendees crowding outside its show are dressed in pieces from the collection. At All Is A Gentle Spring’s debut Australian Fashion Week show, this was the case entirely. People from all corners of the creative universe — including a contingent of the Melbourne-born brand’s Melburnian fans, who travelled north for the show — arrived at the Balmain Town Hall decorated in the brand’s signature made-to-measure corsets, printed lycra and embroidered floral fabrics. Apart from looking cute in street style photographs, this display of allegiance tells us that for many, Gentle Spring is more than just a brand. In a few short years, founder and designer Isabelle Hellyer has formed a community filled with people who relish fashion that’s hand stitched full of history and spellbinding stories.
It's also attracted attention from some of the world's most influential celebrity stylists. Grimes, Charli XCX, Halsey and rising Sydney pop stars Cat & Calmell have all stepped out in Gentle Spring designs. But Hellyer is delightfully modest. “Anyone who is wearing it super well is satisfying to me,” says the designer. “If it's styled really well, especially in a way that I wouldn't have done it, that's the most satisfying.”
On the runway, Gentle Spring’s seductive take on historic dressmaking techniques was brought to life. Spiral steel boning gave gentle structure to shirts with babydoll necklines; Victorian era knitted ‘neckbands’ crafted in collaboration with textile artist Nelle Rodis gave the impression of elongating model’s necks while our favourite look — a knee-length skirt slung lower than the hip bones — balanced on a model’s booty with impressive buoyancy.