BiancaSpenderDinosaurDesignsarticlebody
Bianca Spender’s Souvenirs Improbables included armorial accessories by Dinosaur Designs, reinforcing the collection’s interrogation of clothing as shelter and protection
Credit: Mark Nolan/Getty Images

Souvenirs Improbables, the Resort 2018 collection presented by Bianca Spender this morning on the first full day of shows at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, was inspired as much by the romantic work of English model-turned-photographer Sarah Moon as it was an injury to the designer’s draping arm.

The designer’s interrogation of clothing as a form of armor that shelters and protects the body from the ills of the world – or perhaps the workroom – was carried through in strong, graphic accessories that came courtesy of Sydney design studio Dinosaur Designs, who created graphic metallic shapes with a lunar feel befitting Spender’s initial inspiration.

Slung across the hip of an asymmetrical iridescent blue shift or framing the face in spectacular fashion, the reflective pieces echoed Spender’s intentions to create a collection that contained multitudes of strength and fragility not unlike – as the show notes observe – a mirror. Spender’s take on suiting was particularly strong – relaxed in silhouette yet precise in its tailoring, the Spender suit looks comfortable enough to go to bed or battle in.

As at yesterday’s Dion Lee show, the story of the blazer, single or double-breasted, as dress for bar and boardroom is fast gathering momentum. Best suit up.

View the full Bianca Spender Resort 2018 runway collection here

Tile and cover image: Mark Nolan/Getty Images