Alex Perry left no doubt about his new sweet spot when he sent Jennifer Hawkins down the runway in a Neapolitan ice cream lace dress at the Myer fashion show in Sydney.
Perry opened the department store's spring summer collections launch on Thursday night in a pointed sign he was now a Myer man, after rival David Jones dumped him by email in December.
The designer announced he was moving to Myer in February, and said his decision was driven by the prospect of greater business opportunities.
“Myer has embraced the new direction of the Alex Perry brand and there is no resistance to the younger customer I am catering to now,” Perry said.
Flirty mini dresses in fondant colours, glamorous gowns and ladylike looks were among the pieces with which Perry proved he had women of all ages and occupations covered, including Hawkins, who closed the show in a white creation by the designer.
Perry was one of 450 people at the Myer show at Carriageworks, including Myer chief executive Bernie Brookes, models Julia Nobis and Nicole Trunfio and designers Kym Ellery, Yeojin Bae and Jayson Brunsdon.
The set for the show featured a canopy of giant metal palm fronds that swayed above the runway in line with the 90 Days of Summer theme of the new season campaign that was shot in Fiji.
The key trends in the 270 looks paraded on 60 models included florals, lace, monochrome and tropical prints.
Myer welcomed a host of new Australian brands to its catwalk, including White Suede, by johnny and M.J. Bale, in a show of support to the local industry during difficult times for retail.
Lisa Ho was also in the front row to watch her L Lisa Ho collection make its debut on the runway.
Ho signed a deal in March to create a new clothing range for Myer after her companies went into voluntary administration in May last year with debts of almost $20 million.
“It's nice to be busy again,” Ho said.
Ho's new collection of jumpsuits, maxi-dresses and neoprene pieces costs 30 – 40 per cent less than her previous brand.
“With people buying on the internet these days you have to be globally competitive with your prices,” Ho said.
