Friends and fashionistas, day 1 of RAFW is done and dusted – what a day it was!

Miss J and I showed our dedication to the week by getting up at 6.30am (after talking half the night) and heading over to the RAFW venue to pick up our volunteer tee shirts. An email went around late last night saying there wasn’t going to be enough shirts for all volunteers (confirmed as 300 from a pool of over 1000) and we were committed to wearing our piece of history. So up and away we went. Tee shirt and volunteer pass in hand, we shopped for a while – couldn’t find anything of note – and headed back to our hotel to read the latest glossies (Harper’s Bazaar and Grazia) and prepare for our afternoon shift. Miss J got all domestic and baked amazing brownie-esque muffins and by 2pm we were ready to roll for our first RAFW shift.

Working front of house as an usher, I was allocated to the Cargo theatre at the Overseas Passenger Terminal. About 20 volunteers were working the afternoon shift and upon arrival we spent the best part of the first hour cooling our heels. The Zambesi show was first up and I got started by chatting to Brittany from elle.com, about the highs and lows of the day so far. Her personal faves of the morning had been Lucette and Ginger and Smart, also favourites of the critics. The Zambesi show was a great starter for my week, and I loved the pastel and nude interlude about three quarters of the way through the show. Jackie Frank from Marie Claire was front and centre for the unusually long show (compared to LMFF), although it still seemed to be over before as soon as it had began and it was then time to set up for Bassike.

A total reshuffle of the room was required, each label wanting to express their personal style though every available means. Lifting and shifting ensued before new giftbags were laid out and a new set of fashionistas crowded the entrance for the best seats in the house. Patty Huntington, Imelda Matt, Garance Dore and Lara Bingle lined the front rows for the most crowded show of the day and clearly one of the most popular. Simple elegance reined supreme for the boys and girls at this show which ran nearly an hour behind schedule. It was at this point that fatigue started to set in – RAFW has taken a leaf out of the LMFF book and forgotten air conditioning (and Sydney is HOT) – but we soldiered on as show two closed and we prepared for the last show of Day 1.

Furniture changes started again, we threw away litres of undrunk Perrier and set out hundreds more flyers and gift bags. The Bec and Bridge show was the one I had most anticipated for the day and was not disappointed. I spotted Meg Gray and Ilona Hamer, both from Vogue Australia, front row at the show – you might remember I was their assistant at LMFF?  Although the Bec and Bridge show filled the room with smoke and made it near impossible to see the clothes, the ethereal feel of the event was right up my alley and finally bought the fantastic feeling of adrenalin and excitement I crave from a fashion show. When the show was over and the punters barely out the door, the fun of moving the furniture started again in preparation for tomorrow mornings first show, Sara Phillips. 

Visit Zambesi, Bassike and Bec & Bridge in the coming weeks to view thier SS10/11 Collections!

Image One: Me in the volunteer uniform of RAFW 2010
Image Two: Setting up for Zambesi
Image Three: (L -R) Imelda Matt and Patty Huntington sit front row on the opposite side of the room, Lara Bingle sits second from left (in peach) on my side of the room
Image Four: Bec and Bridge show