By Benjamen Judd

TOP DROPS: The Biggest Trends We Spotted On Site At Australian Fashion Week

The fashion off the runway at Australian Fashion Week was just as eclectic and electric as the actual shows

Nuria Oliu in P.E. Nation and Nick Truelove in Tommy Hilfiger at Australian Fashion Week. Image: Getty

Denim. Crocs. Headscarves. Loafers. Enormous pants and tiny jackets – the fashion off the runway at Australian Fashion Week presented by Pandora was just as eclectic and electric as the actual shows. Sometimes, more so.

It’s no secret that the biggest fashion event on the Australian calendar brings out the peacocks in major numbers. The walls of Sydney’s Carriageworks are suddenly the backdrop for any influencer within metres of a photographer, or their own iPhone. Eye-catching, yes. Scene-stealing–often. Including the one bright spark who came as a set dinner table complete with croissants and then attempted to take a seat at the P.E. Nation show.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 13: A guest wearing denim bomber jacket and pants during Australian Fashion Week Presented By Pandora 2024 at Carriageworks on May 13, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Hanna Lassen/Getty Images)

If we had to sum up the week in style, it would be never let comfort get forgotten in favour for a fad. The most interesting shift in dynamic has been how men are blending elements of formal and casual. It’s all business at the kick-ons with the revival of oversized denim, baseball caps but worn with collared shirts and ties. Or blazers, equally mammoth in proportions.

Sneakers be damned, all hail the revival of the loafer. And the Croc, complete with Jibbitz charms. It was a two-horse race between these two styles of footwear and it would take a braver person than I to decide which one out by the end of the week.