Hawkins conducts Melbourne fashion | Whitsundays Celebrity | Celebrities and Speakers in Whitsundays

AAP

JENNIFER Hawkins played fashion's grand conductor with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and a 500-plus cast and crew for the launch of Myer's autumn-winter 2010 collection at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

Opening the massive fashion jamboree in a gold-embellished Toni Maticevski dress, Hawkins said headlining the event demanded "getting into character, and when the music kicks in pumping you go with the adrenaline ...

"I love doing the parade, dressing up and being a bit different. It means you can be different personalities!"

Channelling 1980s meets 1940s fashion, Hawkins wore bold creations by local designers including a hot red dress by Charlie Brown and outfits by Bettina Liano and Manning Cartell, with a final elegant appearance in Matthew Eager.

There was a moment for reflection, however, when a brigade of models strutted out in UK designer Alexander McQueen's Diffusion line in tribute to the 40-year-old who died in February.

Hawkins said controversy - from McQueen's suicide to Elle Macpherson's recent catwalk comeback at Paris Fashion Week - was becoming a major part of the modern fashion game.

"You definitely have to know what is going on behind the scenes of what you are doing if you want to have longevity. I like to think I'm in control but not a control freak."

Former Victorian premier Steve Bracks' son Nick made his debut as a model, strutting the stage in designers Ben Sherman and Politix, while Packed to the Rafters star Hugh Sheridan also charmed the crowds in local fashions.

Stand-out designs at Monday's shows included cuffed ankle boots by Arabella Ramsay and silver dresses by Jayson Brunsdon.

The season's fashion is set to go in all directions - from street to ballroom with rock chic in between but sky-high spike stiletto boot heels were common to most women's labels.

The dramatic resurgence of the shoulder pad balances out some deconstructed shapes and wild prints that are making their mark.

Military jackets, Grecian draping and sparkly metallic panelling all featured in the first evening of shows, which included a runway event at the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival Docklands headquarters.

The festival runs until March 21.