Last Thursday, the Bourke Street David Jones store was overrun…and not by style savvy shoppers for once. The reason? Castings for the retail giant’s AW15 runway. Hundreds of hopefuls armed with portfolios and signature all black outfits walked for the panel, consisting of supermodel and DJs ambassador, Megan Gale, designer Michael Lo Sordo, and DJs stylist, Kelvin Harries. We spoke with Megan and Michael about the trends of next season, the casting process, and what makes a model stand out.
The casting process is a daunting one, with the pressure on to curate the perfect cast to walk alongside Jessica Gomes, but luckily, the panel has a checklist to make sure the models meet the criteria.
For Megan, it’s all about presence.
“With a catwalk model, definitely great presence, a great look – a diverse look. I think that if they’ve got a great walk and great presence they’re going to be able to sell clothes. [For catwalk] They need to be able to show how to wear a look, and the trends we’re seeing. I like someone who isn’t too serious with a good smile [and] …We look for someone who isn’t overdressed, or over styled”.
“I would love to choose everybody!”, Michael says with a laugh, “[but] I think the biggest thing is individuality, I think it’s really important for a model to represent themselves, because that’s something that really comes across on the catwalk. We’re looking for diversity, someone who’s a little bit ‘fashion’, but who is also approachable to the [David Jones] customer”.
The DJs runway has launched many trends, and careers, for those within the industry, and very often, it’s the first place we get to see what we will be coveting for the next season. For the biggest trends that will be walking the David Jones AW runway, Megan says she loves “…seeing the 70s come through, especially where pants are concerned, and beautiful, relaxed suiting. I love suiting for winter, and that [masculine] style of dressing will be really on trend next season. [Lastly] Florals are transitioning from spring/summer, to autumn/winter with large prints in monochrome colour schemes”.
As for Michael, his upcoming collection is all about romance. “The idea for the whole collection is getting back to what we love as a brand. 2015 is all about romance to me, and I’m feeling very romantic, so that’s going to come out through the collection. It’s romantic, it’s beautiful…and who doesn’t want to feel beautiful?”
Images courtesy of Jacob Medina
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