With her selection of dresses by leading Australian designers Toni Maticevski and Steven Khalil, actor Bojana Novakovic is jealous of stars who stepped onto the Logies red carpet decades ago.
The beloved televised event featured clothing borrowed from television apparel departments — not to mention the outrageous outfits that caught the eye of the likes of Jeannie Little and Susie Elelman. But at Sunday night’s ceremony on the Gold Coast, designer styles are expected to be in effect.
Logie nominee Bojana Novakovic with stylist Mikey Ayoubi is being tried on for the Logies in Steven Kahlil.Credit:Louise Kennerley
Thanks to a handful of stylists, designers are increasingly willing to lend lavish pieces for the event, and the tragedy of gimmicky outfits and borrowed ball gowns has been replaced by ambitious runway creations.
“When I was in my twenties and thirties, I wouldn’t have been caught dead at the Logies,” said Novakovic, 40, who has been nominated for a Silver Logie for her role in the Binge series. Love me† “Was there fashion at the Logies? Growing up, I remember people looking like they were on their way to the races. It’s a lot better now.”
Novakovic has left her reputation and dimensions in the hands of Sydney-based stylist Mikey Ayoubi, who has been arranging actor outfits for the Logies for over a decade. He compares the evolution of the event to one of the most stylish acting exports in our country.
Silver Logie nominee Bojana Novakovic for “Love Me” on Binge, dressed in Toni Maticevski with stylist Mikey Ayoubi as she prepares for the Logies red carpet.Credit:Louise Kennerley
“You can see how far it’s come since Margot Robbie looked wild and young on the Logies red carpet in a ruffled dress,” says Ayoubi, referring to Robbie’s 2009 flamenco-inspired dress with an asymmetrical “mullet” silhouette. “Like them, the Logies have evolved for an international audience. The formula for designers today is that if you lend it to Australian talent who are successful at something that is recognized around the world, it is a win.”
Melbourne stylist and shoe designer Lana Wilkinson is temporarily housed in a suite at the Logies location, The Star on the Gold Coast, to dress her handful of clients. Wilkinson says the popularity of social media gives designers the confidence to lend signature pieces from their collections.
“If someone wore a Capellazzo dress on the red carpet, one of their pieces would be requested for the Met Gala,” Wilkinson said of seamstress Sonia Capellazzo’s Melbourne label. “It was all because of social media. It is now about international exposure.”
