Vogue Australia March 2023

Welcome to my first issue as editor-in-chief of Vogue Australia. I'm so proud to have this role and plan to fill these pages with people, fashion, places and everything else that resonates right now. Since I started working in magazines, the focus has always been about creating memorable images and collaborating with great designers and photographers. That's certainly been the case at Vogue Australia, with a team expertly guided for the past decade by my predecessor, Edwina McCann. Edwina laid down the blueprint of Vogue values, and we'll continue to uphold them. Vogue is the enduring byword for fashion – what's exciting, what's coming next and what you need to know about – and it's these elements I really want to push. Onwards. Forwards. As you can imagine, my first issue at…

DAN JACKSON It was incoming editor-inchief Christine Centenera's idea to shoot her first cover in full daylight, eclipsing star Hailey Bieber in radiance. It was a new style of shooting for photographer Dan Jackson – “which was exciting” he says and “beautiful” – but the concept came with its own set of challenges. “I was mostly being blinded by the sun,” Jackson admits, of the need to shoot directly into the skyline in order to capture the beams and flares. “Fortunately, HB was very patient and professional.” The result, from page 121, is all brilliance, and speaks to a fresh era for Vogue Australia. “We wanted something that felt like ushering in a new moment,” Jackson notes. “An evolution for us and something just bigger than we had done [before].” MATTHEW EARL “I…

Being an A-list fashion plate, with a style emulated and scrutinised the world over, turns a routine haircut into a careful decision. But in the spirit of creating the beatific imagery for the inaugural Vogue Australia cover under Christine Centenera's new editorship, Hailey Bieber was game, going from long and sleek to clipped bob. It helped that she'd conferred closely with those who brought the shoot to life and whose vision she trusts, including editor Centenera, who she has known personally for years. In hairstylist Teddy Charles's hands, she was at ease. “Hailey is always ready to take a risk for the right project and team. She does like to push the limit – I love her for that,” shares Charles, who has worked with the model and skincare founder on…

The joy of Westwood is in the drape, the wicked corset, the curvy cardigan and the Tiny Orb so potent it holds the flame. The DNA: the rip, the riot, the royal. That MiniCrini … we wore it all. We walked tall. She punked us and we loved her for it. We were going nowhere fast, Never Mind the Bollocks, “God Save the Queen”. God help us all as we slashed our tights and stuck safety pins through our ears. It was dark fun. It was hard, it was fast, it was life-changing. We touched the edge of freedom and it felt good to be bad. Reckless, feckless, run fast through the streets, shout, laugh, get drunk, just be a punk, for a minute. Then we grew up, pause just…

In two minds. That was how fashion felt in the wake of the spring/summer ‘23 season. Designers, working against a background of looming economic challenges and veritable existential threats, led with level heads, events of recent years rendering them veterans of uncertainty. The clothes that resonated most recognised that feelings, not overt trends, are governing our wardrobes – how could they not as we respond to war, ecosystems teetering and extreme beliefs making mainstream incursions? No wonder then: one of the prevailing moods was escapist abandon. A coping mechanism, and a source of joy came via supremely elegant silhouettes, draping so exquisite it elicited emotion, glittering glamour and glory in beauty. “When having reached their highest level, emotions find ease”, read Pierpaolo Piccoli's show notes at Valentino. Pushed to the limit, we…

Sheer force Embrace the elegant reveal of filmy sheers and featherweight fabric, which give breezy understatement a sultry twist. Floor work Take the minimalist's approach to modern femininity: a long-line skirt that skims toes gives the illusion of height, plus wardrobe mileage when the weather shifts. Scan the QR code to shop Vogue's edit of the best of the trend. Let's ride Biker jackets expand their rebel associations with streamlined cuts for round-theclock relevance. Zing thing Succeeding the domination of bright pink, electric lime has emerged as the striking colour of the moment. Boldly go. Scan the QR code to shop Vogue's edit of the best of the trend. Precious cargo Utility's many iterations this season included elevated takes, like these satin cargo pants, which seamlessly straddle day to evening. Practicality with poise. Scan the QR code to shop Vogue's edit of…