Marie Claire Fashion and Beauty Night: Fashionable First for Nation’s Capital

Marie Claire is an international fashion brand that has been inspiring and informing the women of Australia for over 20 years. Last Friday night this iconic magazine and its leading editors came to the Canberra Centre for the very first Marie Claire Fashion and Beauty Night in our nations capital.

Canberra has never been known for fashion, but rather politics, culture and roundabouts. Melbourne and Sydney have always been miles ahead in the fashion stakes. However, the large turnout for last Friday night’s event may prompt an increase in fashion events in Canberra.

With months of advertising coming to a head via radio and social media, it was no surprise that the lines to enter the Marie Claire VIP Area stretched through the first floor of the Canberra Centre. The first 100 guests to arrive received a gift bag filled with discounts for stores within the Canberra Centre, as well as beauty samples and a copy of the most recent Marie Claire magazine.

Two workshops were hosted on the night, and cost guests an affordable $20 per ticket. Guests who attended the workshops were greeted with a glass of champagne on arrival, a selection of antipasto treats and a gift bag filled with fashion and beauty samples, as well as a list of discounts valid at Canberra Centre stores that evening.

The first workshop was fashion focused and hosted by Marie Claire’s Editor Nicky Briger, along with Fashion Director Jana Pokorny, Market Editor Monica Russell and Senior Fashion Editor Chloe Buttenshaw. This workshop was about the clothing and accessory pieces that each of the editors loved, sourced from our very own Canberra Centre, and how they could be styled for the everyday modern woman. The editors pulled outfits from brands such as Saba, Witchery, Zara and H&M, a mix of both upmarket and affordable.

The second workshop focused on beauty and featured the expertise of Marie Claire Beauty Director Sally Hunwick in styling both makeup and an outfit in order to transition easily from an everyday office outfit to an event in the evening. Accompanied by Editor Nicky Briger, Sally spoke to the audience about trending beauty tips and current seasonal fashion trends from the latest runway shows.

In between the workshops guests mingled in the VIP Marie Claire Fashion and Beauty pop up. It featured a bright pink donut wall, the perfect backdrop for an Instagram photo, a champagne booth, and three beauty desks where guests were able to have their makeup and nails attended to by professionals.

While the Marie Claire team was preparing for the second workshop, I spoke to Marie Claire’s Marketing Manager Michelle Kaplan. Michelle said that although the Marie Claire team loved coming to Canberra for events such as this one, the nation’s capital still has a long way to go in order to establish itself as a contender in the fashion stakes;

“Canberra needs more fashion events… Last week we (the Marie Claire team) attended a Brisbane Fashion Event and the entire precinct had devoted so much time and effort into making the event a fashion destination. I think that there needs to be more young and talented designers coming out of Canberra, in Sydney and Melbourne fashion designers come from elite fashion schools like Whitehouse Design or Billy Blue.”

Currently in Canberra there is only a couple of fashion events including Fashfest and the newly successful Meraki Fashion Show. Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane hold annual fashion events such as the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. These events draw huge crowds from across the country and feature both new and established designers.

Canberra will always be known for its politics in Parliament House, but to gain a captive fashion audience we will have to invest in many more successful events like this one. As Marie Claire Editor Nicky Briger said in her opening statement to our local fashion enthusiasts…“I love Canberra and it’s fashion…but we need more people to know about it.”