MFF 2025 Opening Runway Review: Goodbye Micro-Skirts

NAKED DRESSES, MICRO SHORTS and crop or butterfly tops may continue to win over the fashion set — the sheer influx of skin-baring gowns at the 2025 Oscars after parties only reinforced this — but this year’s hemlines are going a long way. The opening night of PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival (MFF), held at Carlton’s heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building, presented some of the latest ready-to-wear collections this season.

And if the runway was anything to go by, it appears that billowy, longline silhouettes will be dominating our wardrobes in the months to come, just as they dominated the designer runways. More than just a sign of our ever-changing tastes, perhaps it’s a sign of the times, per the “hemline index” — a long-held theory that women’s skirts and dresses fall down during times of economic uncertainty.

Off-the-back of last year’s baggy suit movement, Viktoria & Woods added a nostalgic, cool-girl twist to classic tailoring with the dresses over pants trend. Think of the trend as less Y2K Disney Channel star, more French girl insouciance — a sage green suit effortlessly elongated with a colour-matched slinky-cowl neck dress over floor-grazing pants. Party girl favourite Aje also doubled down on the aesthetic, styling a long-length bow-adorned peplum top (yes, melding two divisive trends in one) with matching black tailored trousers.

To a similar streamlined effect, Manning Cartell embraced solid colours, showcasing an oversized red suit styled with a red singlet; meanwhile, Bianca Spender embodied modern elegance with a hero garment of the fall/winter ’25 shows: capes. Fusing British-like check wool pants (on my wish list!) with an asymmetrical cape which rippled across the runway, the outfit was both sporty and sophisticated. First Nations label Ngali played with duster coats — the ultimate slouchy finishing piece — with a black iteration featuring embroidered birds across the neckline, paired with an oversized white shirt and loose-fitting pants and boots.

While full-coverage looks are to be expected in autumn (though this week’s Indian summer in Melbourne is certainly challenging that), Romance Was Born, Gail Sorronda and Macgraw’s collections at MFF all proved longline silhouettes are just wearable in the warmer months. Showcasing the versatility of sheer, retro-chic designer Macgraw edged up a transparent skirt and top co-ord featuring lashings of sequins, with a long double-breasted maroon coat. Gail Sorronda, who opened the show with singer Sarah Blasko — a welcomed move in light of the Filipina-Australian designer’s recent rejection from the 2025 Australian Fashion Week schedule — brought the goth glamour, romantically blending sheer pants with crops, shirts and tunics.

Romance Was Born dramatically closed the show, celebrating meringue-like silhouettes, tulle and lace with a prom-inspired collection right out of the 1986 teen romcom, Pretty in Pink. Paired with embroidered gloves, fantasy highlights included a sheer and pastel embellished dress; a floor-skimming polka dot frock featuring a mid-riff cut-out; and the designer’s first: a Romance Was Born bride. The muse? None other than Muriel Heslop of 1994 Australian classic, Muriel’s Wedding, with the original film poster plastered across the puffy gown. Soundtracked to “Fernando” by ABBA, and a finale song of “Dancing Queen”, MFF’s opening night is best described in two words: long (in silhouette length) and joyful.

Related: Melbourne Fashion Festival 2025: Street style, runways and trends