More recently, it’s the dress that secured itself an invite – and an award nomination – to the biggest night in Australian fashion, Prix de marie claire, sponsored by Lexus.
The highlight from Australian label Macgraw’s most recent collection, the Flannel dress is literally like no other: for starters, it’s made from merino lace, a first-of-its-kind fabric created by the Swiss factory that also supplies Chanel, Prada and Gucci.
The design duo behind Macgraw, sisters Tess and Beth, fashioned their world-first fabric into the distinctive blooms of the elusive pink flannel flower, a natural rarity that blooms only after a bushfire.
“It’s a beautiful phantom flower that we’ve paid homage to out of merino lace, using black and different pinks and gold lurex,” Tess says. “It’s so luxurious.”
Before it made its way to Prix de marie claire, the Macgraw Flannel dress was a finalist for the prestigious Woolmark International Prize in Paris. “We presented it in front of Victoria Beckham and Natalie Massenet, and it was by far the scariest thing we’ve ever done,” recalls Beth. “It was wild – you just think, ‘if I can do that, I can do anything!’”
It was an exhilarating occasion that mirrors their whole approach to what they do. “Fashion for us is about more than the clothes, it’s about a feeling,” says Tess.” We want that sense of exhilarating performance to come through in our shows, through to our collections and to our customer.”
“During a show we’re always watching the monitor backstage, looking for toe-tapping along the front row – if we see that, then we’ve been successful!”
Lexus is proud to support Prix de marie claire, and the Next Gen Award, which recognises and supports emerging fashion talent.
