Vogue Australia February 2023

Writing my final editor's letter for this magazine has naturally led to the re-reading of my first from the September 2012 issue. I confess to being a bit of a cynic when it comes to believing that life is determined by forces other than our behaviours, luck, hard work and circumstances, but I have to admit that when I was looking at the coverline ‘Joel Edgerton: hot in Hollywood’ on the original Vogue magazine I edited, it made me ponder otherwise. The Australian actor features across 24 pages in the issue with an interview as well as a fashion shoot overseen by our fashion director, Christine Centenera. Christine and Joel are now partners who share the most adorable toddler twins. I have twins who are finishing school this year, and the…

KATE WICKETT “This is going to be a hugely exciting time for the LGBTQIA+ community and country as a whole,” sums up Kate Wickett, the CEO of Sydney WorldPride, which begins February 17. Along with festival creative director – First Nations, Ben Graetz, Wickett shares the story of Australia's winning bid in her essay (on page 81), plus details of the accompanying human rights conference. “My hope is for Vogue readers to understand the intention of Sydney WorldPride to unite us as a city and community – a party with a purpose,” she says. “To have an institution like Vogue dedicate an entire issue to Pride, Sydney WorldPride, and to highlight local young queer creatives is a truly magnificent thing.” GILLIAN CAMPBELL Make-up artist Gillian Campbell worked alongside hairstylist Rory Rice on this…

Hot collar Statement-making lapels are the smart way to rethink the suit A contrasting colour commands attention. Want to shop Vogue's edit of the best in workwear? Scan the QR code. Blush job Red and pink are unlikely chromatic bedfellows no more. Disregard the rules and go tonal in the power hues of the season. Leg work Forget 1970s silhouettes, the new flare has a streamlined ease that makes it polished enough for meetings, but, louche enough for off-the-clock rendezvous. Want to shop Vogue’s edit of the best trousers? Scan the QR code. Shining example As glamour takes over the wardrobe, glistening fabrics deserve a seat at the everyday table when they're brought back down to earth with workaday knits. A cut above A suit in a washed-out hue is anything but pallid. Boldly break the starched and pinstriped mould in…

Kevin Germanier never intended to become one of Paris's most boundary-pushing creatives. The Swiss Central Saint Martins graduate worked as a designer at Louis Vuitton before starting his eponymous brand in 2018, purveying colourful attire made of painstakingly applied beads. In short order however, his runways – filled with models of all gender identities and body types, in bold clothing celebrating their physicality – have become a forward-facing part of a paradigm shift. “I'm not casting a big girl because she's a big girl,” Germanier says of his shows, which allow the uniquely cast models to express themselves. “I'm not casting someone from Africa because they're from Africa. I'm casting people that inspire me, and because they're individuals. Personality is very important … the idea that fashion is just for tall blonde…

Sophie Roberts Towards the end of lockdown, I got a message from a friend. She said, “I've got this girlfriend of mine, Jessica, she's an actress. She's been stuck out here because of covid, she lives in London, and she's a champagne, good-time girl. I think you would really hit it off.” I jumped on social media and was blown away by how beautiful Jessica is. I had no preconceived ideas about who she was. Our paths hadn't crossed, but we had a number of mutual friends. I had been on the precipice of opening a salon in Potts Point. Tire night before my first client, I was cleaning the space. It was 10pm and I got a knock at the door. It happened to be this writer who lives upstairs. She…

Fashion is built on storytelling, and Paul McCann knows how to paint a visual picture. The Marrithiyal man, who's known for his artisanal gowns, recalls a moment from the inaugural First Nations Fashion + Design show in 2021 when drag artist Felicia Foxx walked the runway in McCann's show-stopping tulle. “Felicia is probably the only one that could've pulled that dress off, because it wasn't meant to slip down,” McCann says. “They were meant to pad her out to keep it up, but even when it did come down, she just sold it regardless, nipples out!” It's the kind of unplanned moment some creatives might take issue with, but McCann is accustomed to the unexpected. His previous career, as an Indigenous art officer working in Victoria's prison systems, was worlds away from…