Fashion Festival Attracts Top Talent

The fashion stakes are high and the competition fierce as some of Australia’s most talented designers vie for the nation’s top fashion honours in the National Final of the 28th NRA Australian Fashion Design Awards presented by AMP Capital Shopping Centres on Wednesday 8 April.

As Australia’s premier fashion competition, the Awards showcase the best of today’s designers and discover the talent of tomorrow, providing designers with an extraordinary platform to showcase their talents to the shopping public nationally.

27 designer finalist entries were selected from a field of almost 300 entries which all competed in the preliminary judging heats held on the Gold Coast and nationally from 31 March to 3 April 2009.

The most nominated finalists in this year’s Awards include two recent Supreme Award winners:
Lisa Brown (Lisa Brown)
Brad Webb (Darb Bridal Couture)

The finalists are:

Student Designs presented by Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre
Jessica Chatterton, Metropolitan South Institute of Tafe, Indooroopilly, Queensland
Ben Garrett, Metropolitan South Institute of Tafe, Dutton Park, Queensland
Nomiki Glynatsis, Metropolitan South Institute of Tafe, Brookfield, Queensland
Prudence Grayson, Metropolitan South Institute of Tafe, Boondall, Queensland
Nicola Hall, Metropolitan South Institute of Tafe, Glebe, New South Wales
Ebony Harding, Swan Tafe, Winthrop, West Australia
Eva Huynh, RMIT Brunswick, North Balwyn, Victoria
Rebecca Timson, Curtin University of Technology, Kardinya, West Australia
Laura Zhu, University of Technology Sydney, Roseville, New South Wales

Ready to Wear presented by Conrad Jupiters
Lisa Brown, Lisa Brown, Clear Island Waters, Queensland – 2 finalist entries [LIFESTYLE]
Birikini, Kylie Pizzirani & Chelsea Hillbrick, Mooloolaba, Queensland [KIDS]
eeni meeni miini moh, Elizabeth O’Connor-Cowley, Milton, Queensland [KIDS]
Little Workers, Ivanka Belic, Paddington, Queensland [KIDS]
Tayla-Lu, Nerina Gugliemino, Carindale, Queensland [KIDS]

Daniel Alexander Couture, Daniel Alexander, Fortitude Valley, Queensland [SWIM]
White Sands, Leah Madden, Broadbeach, Queensland [SWIM]
Lisa Blue, Maree Elizabeth Coates, Tweed Heads, New South Wales [SWIM]

SIGNATURE DESIGNS presented by Sony Centre
Brides Desire by Airs & Graces, Wendy Sullivan, West End, Queensland [BRIDAL]
Darb Bridal Couture, Brad Webb, Brisbane, Queensland – 2 finalist entries [BRIDAL]
Lisa Brown, Lisa Brown, Clear Island Waters, Queensland [BRIDAL]
Strictly Bridal, Ann Wilson, Mudgeeraba, Queensland [BRIDAL]

Darb Bridal Couture, Brad Webb, Brisbane, Queensland [COUTURE]
Dimitria Bridal Couture, Dimitria Kal & Christina Kal, Albert Park, Queensland [COUTURE]

Darb Bridal Couture, Brad Webb, Brisbane, Queensland [FASHIONS ON THE FIELD]
Taree Birse, Taree Birse, Southport, Queensland [FASHIONS ON THE FIELD]

VIEWERS CHOICE presented by AMP Capital Shopping Centres

Forever New, Knox Shopping Centre, Victoria
Peter Alexander, Warringah Mall, New South Wales
Sussan, Macquarie Centre, New South Wales
Veronika Maine, Garden City Booragoon, West Australia
Venus and Apollon, Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, Queensland
Witchery, Karrinyup Shopping Centre, West Australia

Finalists from the Ready to Wear and Signature Designs categories will be competing for the Rising Star Award and the ultimate accolade – the AMP Capital Shopping Centres Supreme Award.

Australia’s best student designer will also be announced on the night, as well as the winner of the NEXT New York National Model Search.

The Supreme Award winner will receive a Sony Centre Entertainment Package valued at $5,000 and the Supreme Award trophy.

FOR PHOTOS AND LATEST RESULTS REGISTER AT http://www.fashionscene.com.au

Along with the release of the Canon 50D, Nikon announced the successor to the D80 the Nikon D90.

I’ve been a fan of Nikons since the release of the D3. Basically until then Canon lead the way with Digital SLR technology.

The D90 introduces a new feature which has rocked the digital slr world and the forums at DPreview the world’s number one digital camera website. Nikon introduced at Photokina 2008 the D90 with live video recording. The first of it’s kind on a Digital SLR.

I never thought it would be any good, i mean, you can’t autofocus, zoom and the ergonomics are wrong. HOWEVER, after some time to digest it, its truly ground breaking.

The video above shows some footage recorded on the camera using fisheye and big aperture lenses. Amazing.

You cannot do anything like this on a digital video camera under $1000. For me who does video work and even now i’m trying to do some shallow depth of field shots in post-production which is very time consuming can be done easily with a D90. You can even get this effect with the cheapest nikon 50mm lens.

So obviously you can’t use the D90 for event work but for creative shots, its revolutionary. Live view has been around for digital slr’s for a while, why haven’t they thought to just record the feed in the past?

Canon has missed the mark this round. I’m sure they could do a firmware update down the track.

UPDATE:
Sample D90 Video – HOT!