Front row follies

You might not know it, but the front row at a fashion show is organised with absolute military precision. Who sits where causes major headaches for those behind the scenes as names of media and fashion buyers are endlessly shuffled and politics pondered.

It might seem crazy but the seating plan is the sort of thing that keeps event organisers up all night. Deciding how to accommodate editors from various magazines in the same row for, say, around 20 minutes, takes, well, days actually.

After all, you can’t have the Vogue team squeezed up against the Harper’s Bazaar editors. Uh, uh, they’re competitors. But the Shop Til You Drop and Cosmo girls get along fine, so they’re ok to seat together. Starting to get the picture? It’s tricky. Luckily beautyheaven is everyone’s friend so we can rub shoulders with anyone.

And so I found myself at the Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival’s Alex Perry show last night seated between two of my very favourite fashion and beauty editors: Glynis Traill-Nash from Sydney’s Sun Herald and Kellie Alderman from The Sunday Mail in Queensland. As you can imagine, there’s lots of catching up to be done in that window between taking our seats and the start of the show. Checking out who else is in the room is vital too. A bit of a goss with Aussie fashion designer Peter Morrissey and a few glances over at MTV recruit Ruby Rose later and it’s showtime.

This event was a little different seeing as it was in support of Fashion Targets Breast Cancer and we were welcomed by the willowy Sarah Murdoch. Can I just say how lovely she looked in red lipstick and a long body-con black dress? Divine.

Of course the Alex Perry gowns were fabulously OTT with his signature candy colours and lavish use of leopard print. That’s why all the models sported bouncing ponytails and sculpted, bronzy make-up, so as not to compete with the standout dresses.

It made me want to reach for my MAC Bronzing Powder and sweep my hair back into a slick pony before curling the ends with my VS Sassoon Ceramic Instant Heat Tong – 38mm. Ok, so I’m easily influenced… but aren’t we all when it comes to amazing hair and make-up?

What hair and make-up trends are you influenced by today?