Project Rundle - Adelaide Arcade

We chatted to two talented third year fashion students Antonia and Kayla about how Adelaide Arcade inspired them to create two amazing and equally different garments for Project Rundle.

Antonia: Which Adelaide laneway/arcade were you given for Project Rundle?
Adelaide Arcade.




Antonia: Describe your garment and how Adelaide Arcade influenced the design? What was your inspiration?
My garment is best described as a wide-legged flared full length jumpsuit. It is evening wear, and heavily influenced by the 70s trend of jumpsuits which we will soon be seeing on Australian catwalks. The main fabric I used has a significant pattern which I believe is very reminiscent of the black and white photographs of Adelaide Arcade in the late 1800s. Incorporated with this fabric is charcoal and terracotta red suede. I chose these colours as they are very prominent in the Adelaide Arcade, especially in the floor tiling and painted iron decorative cornices, chairs, and handrails. The pure vibe of the arcade and style of shops showed me that my design needed to be fashion forward, stylish and dramatic. The top half of my design is softly draped and gathered; for this I drew inspiration from the art nouveau iron fixtures. The soft gathers are contrasted with suede triangular and diamond shaped sections inspired from the eye-catching tiling used throughout the Adelaide Arcade. The buttons and rouleaux loop decoration on the back of the jumpsuit came from my research into women’s fashion from the late 19th century. Part of the design brief was to include the name of our arcade somewhere in the outfit; I decided to do this by incorporation a necklace with the letters ‘A A’ to represent Adelaide Arcade. I managed to find letters in the same font as the Adelaide Arcade sign.


Antonia: Tell us about the highlights and challenges of Project Rundle.
A highlight of Project Rundle for me was to draw inspiration from architecture rather than just fashion itself. The brief we were given was very broad, but that made it even more personal. A huge challenge was trying to make the design I had on paper come to life; many obstacles were overcome and many toiles made until finally everything came together perfectly. Seeing my drawing become a wearable piece of art was definitely the biggest highlight of this project for me.


Kayla: Which Adelaide laneway/arcade were you given for Project Rundle?
The Adelaide laneway I was given for Project Rundle was ‘Adelaide Arcade’. And may I say it was a wonderful experience to design a garment on a historical piece of Adelaide that has celebrated 125 years! Absolutely amazing!




Kayla: Describe your garment and how Adelaide Arcade influenced the design? What was your inspiration?
Every part of this arcade is unique. I was fairly taken by the tiles and symmetrical patterns they were laid, hence the design on my top and the skirt waistband. I also took influence from the Victorian period when the arcade was built by designing a layered and gathered skirt and open back on my top. The colours I have used are also inspired by the vintage look of the arcade which include rustic red (pop colour), gold and cream.

Kayla: Tell us about the highlights and challenges of Project Rundle.
The highlight of this project was definitely being able to design a garment on a historical piece of Adelaide. I enjoyed looking at the architecture and detailing, and then being able to apply that into my design. The challenge for me was probably the fabric sourcing, as there was not a whole lot available in the colour palette I was using.

Parades will take place on Friday 25 March at 12pm, 1:30pm, 5:30pm and 7pm and on Saturday 26 March at 12pm, 1pm and 2pm at the Gawler Place canopy.