Must-have accessory this ball season: lots of cash

Ball season has arrived - and so have the costs, which can approach $2000 once the dress, shoes, spray tan, hair, makeup, nails and tickets have been paid for.

As school balls have become more extravagant - with elaborate props and decorations - so too has the preparation.

Jacqueline Recchia will fork out about $1800 to send her daughter Montana, 17, to the ball this year.

That cost covers the dress, alterations, shoes, hair, make-up, nails, spray-tan and tickets to the pre-ball and ball.

The Westlake Girls' High student picked up a dress for $1200 during a trip to Brisbane.

Ms Recchia said although it was a lot of money, she was happy to pay.

"She's only going to one ... they just have one in their final year now, which in hindsight is a good decision because it makes life cheaper.

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"The cost of the ticket - $100 - that's the cheapest part of the whole thing."

Many students have booked beauty treatments months in advance to secure an appointment at their favourite salon.

Ashley Kellett, owner of Beauty on Demand, said her 18 stylists would be flat-out over ball season. They could treat up to 15 clients on school ball days, and also did spray tans and manicures in the lead-up.

"We have a saying that the ball girls are just as important as the brides-to-be, it's nearly like an example of walking down the aisle, but it's their red carpet."

Girls were picking up dresses from shops including Zambesi and Moochi, and then adding expensive accessories.

Epsom Girls Grammar student Bianca Mangakahia will be getting her hair and makeup done through Beauty on Demand for her school's ball on Friday. That would cost about $130. She said all-up the event would cost her about $400, and she was paying some of that herself.

The Year-13 student had ordered her dress from the United States and said buying online was common to avoid wearing the same thing as others, and it was cheaper.

Lorde look now hot trend

Her songs will likely be on the playlist but Lorde's influence will also be seen in the hair and make-up of many at their school ball this year.

The straightening irons are being put away for those with naturally curly hair like Lorde's.

Ashley Kellett of Beauty on Demand said Lorde's style - including trademark dark lipstick - was a trend this year.

"Lorde has brought back quite a bit of a natural beauty aspect ... I think it's helping younger girls accept themselves a little bit more."

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Creativity Without Commercial Restraints at SCAD’s Annual Student Fashion Show

The Savannah College of Art and Design has acquired some eighty buildings since its inception in 1978—many of which are historic, and so spread out that a campus tour requires a car—and the development is showing no signs of slowing down. The facilities are even more impressive. Fashion students are trained on state-of-the-art laser cutters, 3-D printers, and every type of textile and fiber contraption the mind can imagine. All of that has made SCAD a hot spot of emerging fashion talent, which the school proudly displayed at Saturday night’s annual student fashion show.

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Beverly Sung’s pleated, asymmetrical dresses (above, left) were a respectable nod to Issey Miyake. Sculptural, digital printed dresses from Wenxia Wang and Zenobia Duncan (below, left) were equally impressive. Elaine Lui, a former Alexander Wang intern, drew creativity from her native Hong Kong, with mesh-overlaid streetwear covered with prints of electric wiring and light-up LCD details built into the clothes (above, right). Across the board, fabric innovation was the big story here—burned Lycra, hand-plisséd skirts, digitally printed boiled wool. Dean of Fashion Michael Fink told us, “What sets this year apart is that there is so much textile and fiber development. The fashion students are actually making their own textiles in collaboration with our Fibers students.”

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One-on-ones with the designers after the show afforded an opportunity to hear their stories and inspirations. Michael Mann’s conceptual menswear referenced football, a comment on the offense and defense he struggled between while being bullied as a teen. Wesley Berryman’s parents drove eight hours from rural Tennessee to come see him show androgynous creations that might feel at home on a rack beside Rick Owens and Gareth Pugh (above, right). Berryman’s mother told us, “I don’t know where he got his fashion sense—definitely not from me! When we used to go to Walmart [to buy clothes], I was always worried he would put up a fight! But really, I just want to support my son.”

The real joy in seeing a student fashion show like SCAD’s is the opportunity to witness creativity without the commercial restraints many professional designers face. Free from the pressure of having to “sell” anything, and enabled by a supportive faculty and cutting-edge facilities, SCAD’s runway served as a rare, unfettered fashion moment.