Calling All Fashion Girls: The SCCI Is Holding A Series Of Unmissable Fashion Events

Anyone who has held up an Akira Isogawa dress beside a Boo Hoo special knows that some fashion is art and some is just clothes but an international expert is coming to Australia to prove the point.

Dashing Frenchman Emmanuel Coquery, the director of the Grand Palais in Paris is on his way to Sydney to ask ‘Is fashion art?’

Apart from that accent, what qualifies Coquery to cross continents to make his point? Well, the magnificent Grand Palais is home to some of the leading fashion-based exhibitions in the world, most recently the works of master photographer Irving Penn. It has also hosted Chanel’s runway extravaganzas complete with icebergs, rocket ships and supermarkets.

Coquery, the former director of heritage for Chanel, has been lured to Sydney by the Sherman Centre for Culture and Ideas, which is hosting a series of curated conversations around fashion from April 5-21. Consider it essential attendance for anyone with an interest in fashion that goes beyond the checkout cart.

The must-hear keynote address will be at the Museum of Applied Arts and Science, Sydney on April 5 at 7pm.

Here are some other highlights from the SCCI program to move you to the front row of true fashion followers.

Manolo Blahnik: The Boy Who Made Shoes For Lizards

Fully understand Sex And The City leading lady Carrie Bradshaw’s decision to invest in Manolo Blahnik shoes rather than the stock market with this documentary about the designer.

Even with appearances from Anna Wintour, Iman, Rihanna and Karlie Kloss, Blahnik is, naturally, a shoe-in as the captivating star of this tender trip down memory lane.

Manolo Blahnik: the Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards, April 13, 7pm, Chauvel Cinema, Paddington.

Akira Minagawa

While no one is quite sure why there are so many fashion geniuses called Akira, audiences at the keynote address of Akira Minagawa won’t care after hearing the designer’s radical approach to rethinking fast fashion.

With a mission to foster fashion that will last 100 years, take in Minagawa’s exploration of aesthetic excellence and endurance.

Akira Minagawa, April 10, 7.30pm Museum of Art and Applied Sciences.

Women in Shadow

It’s a runway show, but not as you know it. Artist Nasim Nasr takes over the Museum of Art and Applied Sciences with a look at the veiled female figure.

Women in Shadow, April 9, 7.30pm, Museum of Art and Applied Sciences.

For the full lineup of events, see www.scci.org.au

Damien Woolnough