Every year, the tension on the Logies red carpet between the demands of fashion and TV is tighter than the Spanx worn beneath countless gowns.
“Television wants everything in fashion to be dramatic and ridiculous,” says stylist Mikey Ayoubi, who could be referring to the bold wardrobe choices on Love Island and Married at First Sight. “For people who really love fashion, the Logies are an opportunity to sneak something chic and sophisticated into the mix.”
The shift away from wardrobe department cast-offs and bridal store samples on the Logies red carpet to outfits that drive sales in stores has been slow, but this year’s mix of luxury labels Dolce & Gabbana, Zimmermann, Alemais, Rebecca Vallance and P Johnson continues a move in the right direction.
“There is always going to be that traditional Logies look that we all know and sometimes love,” says stylist Jess Pecoraro, who worked with emerging actors Bebe Bettencourt and Mavournee Hazel on more fashion-forward looks from Australian designers Albus Lumen and Mariam Seddiq.
“We need to keep things fresh and give people the space to have fun. There’s still plenty of room for fun at the Logies and the young stars are bringing it.”
As the unrelenting return of ageing supermodels proves, fashion is not just for the young. For award night veterans such as Lisa McCune, Georgie Parker and Shelley Craft, traditional gowns from Cappellazzo Couture, Velani and Karen Gee offer style with security.
“There is more than enough room on that red carpet for all types of labels,” says Nicky Velani. “A gown will get the job done, but sometimes it’s simply about making a woman feel comfortable.
“We certainly don’t have anything to fear about more labels on the red carpet. We all lift each other up and our dresses hold their own.”
Velani designed The Great actor Belinda Bromilow’s strapless black gown for this year’s Oscars, which she attended with her screenwriter husband Tony McNamara.
“Bromilow had a text from a well-known Hollywood actor afterwards asking which luxury designer the dress was from,” Velani says, refusing to name the star. “We know what we’re doing.”
Fortunately, for fans of aesthetic extremes at the Logies, some stars are happy sticking with an individual approach to their red-carpet attire.
This year saw valiant attempts at showgirl dressing from Sonia Kruger and Home & Away’s Emily Weir and stabs at the corset trend by Better Homes & Garden’s Melissa King and influencer Skye Wheatley.
“It’s always going to be a mixed bag,” Ayoubi says. “I’m just as bad. I discuss classic looks and tonight I gave Tim Draxl a giant flower brooch to wear with his suit. The Logies will always let you get carried away.”
Logies red carpet top five
Zoe Foster Blake in Alemais
For the second year in a row, beauty entrepreneur and author Zoe Foster Blake turned to Australian label Alemais for Logies luck alongside husband and Lego Masters host Hamish Blake.
Hamish Blake and Zoë Foster Blake on the Logies red carpet.Credit: Getty
Last year, it was a sequined red column dress; this year, Blake joined the flotilla of black gowns on the red carpet. The strapless dress featured a strategic evil-eye charm on the decolletage, among other embellishments.
“This year, we wanted to capture effortless ’90s glamour and cinematic red carpet style,” says Alemais designer and co-founder Lesleigh Jermanus.
Lucia Hawley in Toni Maticevski
Channelling old Hollywood glamour must be easier when your aunt’s an Oscar winner. While Nicole Kidman has been locked into a lucrative agreement as a brand ambassador for controversial French luxury label Balenciaga since December, her niece, Lucia Hawley, is free to source red-carpet looks closer to home.
Lucia Hawley in Maticevski at the 2024 Logies.Credit: Getty
The television-presenter daughter of Antonia Kidman turned to stylist Elliot Garnaut to secure her strapless, form-fitting white dress from Melbourne designer Toni Maticevski for the Logies red carpet.
Kyle Shilling in Paul McCann
The basic black-tie approach is proving too boring for Australia’s leading men. Summer Bay singer and Widjabul man Kyle Shilling traded his Home & Away board shorts for a hand-painted tuxedo from First Nations designer Paul McCann. The purple suit features dramatic painted dot details around the jacket shoulders and cuffs.
Kyle Shilling at the Logies in a hand-painted suit from Paul McCann.Credit: Getty Images
Rebecca Harding
Rebecca Harding in Effie Kats with Andy Lee in a suit from P Johnson.Credit: Getty Images
Sometimes, it’s enough to be pretty in pink, as Andy Lee’s fiancee, Rebecca Harding, proved in a custom Effie Kats dress with a simple silhouette worthy of Audrey Hepburn.
Tim Draxl
Leading lady Sarah Brightman was elusive during the Melbourne season of Sunset Boulevard, leaving co-star Tim Draxl to do the heavy lifting in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. On the Logies red carpet, Draxl was equally reliable in a blush suit from Italian luxury label Dolce & Gabbana. The double-breasted suit with wide-leg trousers featured a nipped waist that gave the singer and Logie-nominee for In Our Blood last year a Superman silhouette.
Performer Tim Draxl in Dolce & Gabbana at the 2024 Logies.Credit: Instagram
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