For any event, I picture myself as an onlooker and wait for my client’s arrival. I imagine the bright media lights, the colour tone of the red carpet and try to guess what everyone else will wear. Above all, I want my clients to feel confident in an effortless ensemble onlookers admire yet slightly envy.
This opportunity was presented when Newcastle Knights players Mitchell Pearce, Kalyn Ponga, Connor Watson, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Mitch Barnett walked into Westfield Kotara for their end of season awards night style session. I first noticed their love for fashion in different ways; this comes down to the conversation on the day, what they were wearing at the time of the session and how much involvement they had piecing together their outfit. Let me take you behind the scenes on a style session with a group of down to earth guys.
Kalyn Ponga & Connor Watson – wearing SK Menswear
Kalyn Ponga: Inspired by James Bond’s effortlessly suave style, I often saw this tux in SK Menswear and knew I would have to wait for the right client. Stepping onto the red carpet in something other than black or blue is daring in itself and I wanted Kalyn to feel confident in doing so. Styled with a black bow tie and crisp white pocket square, his look was simplistically perfect.
Connor Watson: I fell in love with the floral jacquard shimmer in Connor’s tux and wanted to create a stylish all black look. Under the red carpet lights I knew it would catch attention for all the right reasons. Styled with matte black dress pants and patent black shoes, this SK Menswear look oozed Met Gala.
Shaun Kenny-Dowall – wearing Politix from David Jones
Shaun Kenny-Dowall: Inspired by Connor McGregor’s signature style, I wanted to create an extremely polished look with a touch of fun, Shaun loved this idea and voila’, his three-piece Politix needed no alterations, only details. I called Shaun my fashionista during his style session because we had so much piecing together these final pieces. Complementing the fine white pin stripe we opted for a fresh white pocket square and subtle tri-tone blue floral tie.
Mitch Pearce – wearing Tarocash
Mitchell Pearce: Have you ever shopped last minute? Coming in for his style session that day of the awards night, we needed to find Mitch a look that needed minimal alterations and this Tarocash subtle floral black tux was perfect due to it’s stretch fit. Styled back with a white dress shirt with black buttons, only a black bow tie was required to complete an effortlessly charming red carpet look.
Mitch Barnett & Lachlan Fitzgibbon – wearing Tarocash & Florsheim
Mitch Barnett: Fall in love with three-piece suiting as Tarocash step up the black tie game. While a waistcoat is not generally seen with a tux, I wanted to add a piece of gentlemanly charm to Mitch’s look. A simple bow tie and Florsheim polished black dress shoe completed his outfit creating a sharp yet classic red carpet look.
Lachlan Fitzgibbon: A timeless look, Lachlan’s three-piece checkered Tarocash ensemble is something that can be styled with versatility. For the ultimate red carpet look we added a textured black waistcoat, matching tie and Florsheim black patent dress shoes. Change up these details and he now has the perfect race day attire.
