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The simple answer to a question Living Creatively asked Australian fashion designer Alex Perry goes a long way towards explaining his great success as a couturier.
Living Creatively: What trends should we be watching? Alex Perry: Anything that suits your body, flatters your complexion or makes you feel special.
And with that, Alex nails the trifecta of what a woman wants from a dress – particularly one that costs a month's salary. The Sydney-based designer and his sumptuous, sexy creations are everywhere at the moment – on the catwalk [August’s Rosemont Sydney Fashion Festival], the telly [Australia's Next Top Model], the red carpet [TV’s Logie Awards, September’s AFL Brownlow Medal], glossy magazines [Vogue profiles], advertisements [for Electrolux dryers, which his sequinned silk confections apparently love], and of course socialites and celebrities everywhere [J-Lo, Nelly Furtado and Eva Longoria among them].
Living Creatively asked Alex 20 questions and his answers give quite an insight into the man with the sequined touch.
On a good day I like to think of myself as a Mercedes – sleek, glamorous and high maintenance. Although some days I feel like a clapped out Toyota! In reality I’m probably a reliable and classic model BMW that will last forever, providing it has regular body work and a glossy paint spray every 100,000km.
I studied Fashion Design at East Sydney Tech. I could always draw really well but I didn’t bond with the sewing rooms so when I graduated in 1984 my first job was as a model agent. I represented some of Australia’s leading models, then one day I just decided I would follow my dream to make glamorous gowns. So I opened a tiny store and started making Couture gowns to order. I had no business plan, it was the early ‘90s during the recession, and the store was located between a chicken shop and a beautician in an un-glamorous Sydney suburb that was hardly a fashion destination. But the clients came anyway and the business grew from there!
I am constantly jotting down ideas for embroidery, trims, detailing, silhouettes. It often starts with the fabric or a print or a beading design. The design process is a constant evolution of sketching, fabric sourcing, toiling, sampling, editing and re-sampling and re-editing until the final product is right. My favourite part is seeing a design come to life in fabric on a dressmaker’s mannequin, just the way I intended. I also get a real buzz out of seeing the whole collection on the runway – that is the ultimate thrill for me.
Going to India to design the beadwork is a love/hate experience – it sounds really glamorous but it’s so not! It’s hot, smelly, frustrating and difficult to get things done, but the results are beautiful so I know it’s worth the pain. I also don’t enjoy the costing process much – making a ready-to-wear garment to come into price point is a challenge. Working long hours to finish a collection before Fashion Week is not much fun as you’re tired and stressed. I wish I had more time for holidays, or to just spend time with my wife, Mary.
I think people are attracted to glamorous things because it’s a departure from every day reality. It’s a kind of escape, we all need things to dream about. I think my designs also have a timeless elegance, quality and workmanship that is not so common today so people are drawn to it.
Valentino – he just epitomises glamour for me. John Galliano is a modern day genius. Of course the old masters – Christian Dior, Madame Vionnet and costumier Edith Head were all technical masters and fashion visionaries. And iconic women with strong personalities and a sense of style such as Grace Kelly, Maria Callas and Sophia Loren.
It varies from collection to collection – I can be inspired by music, architecture, photography, textiles, art, film or a beautiful woman styled gorgeously. Anything really.
I think a lot is innate, and then it kind of develops over time from different influences. Style is so subjective, but I think it’s really important to stick to your signature and don’t try to be everything to everyone or follow trends to the letter.
When I design for a Couture client, I am influenced by her personality – it is important that the design reflects whatever her personality is, and I make her look like a more glamorous Hollywood version of herself.
Creating Couture garments for real people is always a great challenge – every body and personality is different. It is also usually a one-off experience to that person so you must make each one feel special. Also, interpreting Couture gowns for the ready-to-wear collection is always a challenge. Each season, it must retain the essence of what it is, cater to customers and retailers' needs, hit a certain price point and yet still be profitable!
Listening to your client is the most important thing a fashion designer can do – they are, after all, going to be wearing your product. Also, staying true to your signature and design ethos.
Anything that suits your body, flatters your complexion or makes you feel special.
Black, red and champagne beige. Or anything sparkly.
Colour is really important to me and it can be integral to the design's success. Some gowns just look better in some colours than others.
I’ve been working on Summer 08-09, which included a trip to India searching for stones and vibrant colours, filming Australia’s Next Top Model again, and delivering and promoting Winter 2008.
Vogue is the icon of fashion magazines – it is the benchmark for all others.
Every Christmas break I start drawing and painting on canvases, but I never get enough time to finish them.
I’m actually not a big shopper – I don’t really have the time. I either dart out quickly to make a necessary purchase, or I shop for the “feel good” luxury experience. Louis Vuitton [nothing bad can ever happen to you there!], Sunglass Hut [I am obsessed with sunglasses and they have an amazing selection], and a friend has a jewellery store in Mumbai. Plus, I love window shopping for sparkly things.
The prospect of coming home to a fresh salad and grilled steak – I am really over Indian curries.
In advertising, or a psychiatrist.
By Carolyn Ford |
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