Australian Fashion Week: The beautiful, the bold and the downright bizarre new trends you’ll be wearing

Australian Fashion Week drew to a close on Friday and, as always, it was a mixture of the beautiful, the bold and the downright bizarre.

Carriageworks in Sydney’s inner west was awash with actors, influencers and style gurus throughout the week.

Comebacks, new eras and fashion-forward were all in the spotlight, but it wasn’t just those on the runway that were turning heads.

The weird and wonderfully-attired crowds that flocked to the shows were also keen to flaunt themselves as budding fashionistas.

There was no shortage of celebrities and influencers sprinkled within the crowd of fashion buyers, editors and journalists, with style-conscious big names, such as Sonia Kruger, Kate Waterhouse, Jackie O, Ricki Lee Coulter and Rebecca Judd prominent.

Inside, the return of the Carla Zampatti label to fashion week for the first time since the death of the legendary designer in 2021 was highly anticipated.

Now with Zampatti’s son Alex Schuman and creative director Karlie Ungar at the helm, it showcased its resort 2025 collection featuring sophisticated ensembles of high necklines, bulky metallic jewellery, luxurious silk dresses and sheer fabrications.

Popular athleisure brand P.E Nation entered a surprising new era on day two, with the launch of its RE/CREATION collection.

Steering away from its signature aesthetic of loud colours and clashing prints, creative director Pip Edwards sent a diverse cohort of models down the catwalk in elevated wardrobe staples with a neutral palette and sleek silhouettes.

Romance Was Born put on a breathtaking celestial showcase with other-worldly props and high-voltage designs.

The optimistic colour palette exuded an electric feel, synonymous with the brand’s bold aesthetic and show-stopping designs, and was described as “jaw-dropping” by stylist Aymeric Futol.

Summer may have come to an end, but it seems the Australian fashion industry still wants to shine, with metallics a top trend on the streets and the catwalk.

Ready-to-wear label Acler brought the drama with gold lamé boots alongside a palette of warm sunset hues. New Zealand prodigy Rory William Docherty’s Resort 2025 collection embraced high-shine materials, as silver foil-like dresses appeared alongside reflective blazers, hats and bags.

In line with the omnipresent metallic notion, womenswear favourites Bec + Bridge and Viktoria & Woods both featured silver garments that shimmered down the runway like Taylor Swift on her record-shattering Eras Tour.

And the reign of sheer garments is also far from over. Whether it was a slight dabble, such as P.E Nation and Carla Zampatti’s sheer skirts, or a confident showing, like Albus Lumen’s post-apocalyptic dresses and see-through tops or Beare Park’s elegant dresses.