The Sun-Herald

LOWDOWN

THIS week's party scene was a bit like a night in front of the TV - except with hundreds of other people and no pyjamas.

There were the ASTRA awards, today's MTV awards and Fashion TV's big bash to celebrate going local.
The invitation to the Fashion TV party came with a giant Swarovski crystal. I wondered what it was for, but then remembered that in fashion, no one asks what anything's for. I put it in my pocket in case it was the key to a VIP grotto, or something for Beyonce.
The Fashion TV people had offered to show me how their VIPs partied, and as further research into the meaning of VIP I headed preparty to a sort of primping factory deep inside the Hilton Sydney. There, an army of make-up girls and stylists wrangled a production line of fragile people. One male VIP was having a hair drama and was close to tears. "I don't want it twisty," he hissed. "I want it beach." Celebrity hairdresser Anthony Nader presided over it all with surprising calm.
Down at the special marquee behind the Opera House, we walked a red carpet strewn with more crystals. (Fashion VIPs like to see pretty everywhere - even on the floor.) Inside, beautiful people lounged on chaises and dangled martinis between their elegant fingers.
I spotted faces: a Kirk Pengilly here, a Kamahl there; lots of models, including catwalk star Elyse Taylor. On the stage were clothes, not people; previews of collections from such as Bowie Wong, Kirrily Johnston and my favourite, the sassy Lil' Mama from 2Day FM's Mamajugs.
The dress code was casual chic, which manifested as absolutely anything. One man wore a military uniform and another was channelling building site chic, with shorts, singlet and bad-weather hair. There were evening gowns and cargo pants, overalls and bling. But each look, no matter how careless it seemed, had been constructed with precision. It would not be OK, my Fashion TV friend warned me, to laugh at any of it.
In the end I didn't, because the Fashion TV people are very kind. The whole event was in aid of the Red Ribbon Foundation (an HIV and AIDS research charity) and when the silent auction began, they bid generously.
By the time everyone reached the after-party at Zeta Bar, I had noted that Fashion TV VIPs are an astonishingly well-behaved bunch. Even in the blurrier hours, when apple martinis flowed, there was no sign of the potential rage glimpsed in the styling room. The models lounged prettily and the celebrities remained upright. There can only be one explanation: on Fashion TV, no one wants to spoil their clothes.