fashion

Australian fashion week just gave us one of the most diverse runway shows yet.

Something unexpected happened at the Thomas Puttick show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia this morning.

No, a model didn’t fall over, Bella Hadid didn’t make a surprise appearance nor did we see Imogen Anthony walk the runway in a bikini made entirely of sand – although that has all happened in the past.

This time, we’re talking about the good kind of surprise.

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Is the most diverse runway we've seen? Image: Getty

The emerging luxury womenswear designer eschewed models for muses for his 2017 Resort show, presenting what may just be one of the most diverse runways we've seen.

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There were people of all backgrounds, skin colours and ages, each with one thing in common - they had inspired Puttick in some way.

Listen: Christie Brinkley says she's battling ageism with this cover shot. Post continues after audio.

His muses on the runway included scholar and Federal Member of Parliament Dr Anne Aly, charity founder Aminata Conteh-Biger, stylist, blogger for over 50s and supermodel in her first show in over 30 years Yvonne Tozzi, Lynn Staton, a graphic designer and community acitivist and Isobel Blomfield, a paralegal and documentary maker.

"It's great to wear clothes for women over 50 and remind people we're not dead yet," 60 year old Tozzi, who's daughter Cheyenne is also a model, said ahead of the show.

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Four of the models came from Sydney agency Silverfox Management Group, Australia's first agency to exclusively represent models over 30 years old.

Entitled "Variations on a Floral Theme", Puttick's collection played a lot on texture, featuring luxurious-looking silks, ribbed cotton and lace in flowing forms with screen-printed floral details. The show was also held in support of White Ribbon Australia.

2017 marked Puttick's first appearance at Fashion Week, after training at the likes of Alexander McQueen, Alexander Wang, Helmut Land and Christopher Esber.

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Image: Getty
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Inclusitivity has always been something he's passionate about.

"“There’s a sense of exclusivity, an active disassociation from the humans behind the clothing and also a lack of representation in how we present fashion," he told Broadsheet earlier this year.

"I think that to empower women through design you have to make sure they can achieve whatever they need each day in your clothes".

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A post shared by Thomas Puttick (@thomasputtick) on

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Shu Uemura chose the show to mark its first appearance at MBFWA, with a fresh and natural makeup look the perfect complement to the for-everyone clothes.

Skin was prepped with the Depsea Hydrability Gel Cream, skin lightly covered in the Petal Skin Foundation, $70, for a matte finish, before using the tint in Gelato, $40, for blush and lips. Natural mascara, a wash of neutral eyeshadow and a quick curl of the lashes completed the look.

Proving that fashion doesn't have to be restricted by age or anything else, Puttick's casting decision was one that had people both in and out of the industry applauding.

With a few days to go, here's hoping we see much more of this.