View from The Front Row

Once the lights have gone out, the red carpet’s been rolled up and all the celebs have gone home for a cup of tea and a nice lie down (which is undoubtedly what they do after such an exciting day), what happens to the glamorous gowns worn at the Oscars? While the demand for new looks at each Tinseltown event dictates that a dress is never seen more than once on the same person, there’s no reason for them to never see the light of day again on someone else. Styled in a new way, a dress can be given a fresh lease on life – just ask Georgia McCorkill. As part of her PhD in Architecture and Design, Georgia is running The Red Carpet Project, part of which involves using remnants from bridal and formal wear manufacturers to create dresses for celebrities to wear at red carpet events. But her latest effort is not only for those famous faces…

In conjunction with LMFF, Georgia is hosting The Front Row, an interactive event run from a pop-up studio in Melbourne’s Nicholas Building. A selection of her creations will be on show for all to see, and she’s handpicked some lucky ladies (this excited writer included!) to wear her dresses to LMFF events. The pampered participants in the project will get to have their own way with her creations – even if that means chopping bits off or getting Georgia to make significant alterations – before they are passed on to someone else to repeat the process. The changes will be mapped on a wall of photos in the studio, so drop in and see for yourself how the dresses have evolved.

The Front Row is free and runs from March 1-18, Wed-Sun 11am-8pm at Mattt HQ: 3rd floor, Nicholas Building – 37 Swanston Street, Melbourne.