Michelle Jank's Winged Goddesses

When asked by Kellie Hush, Fashion Editor at The Sydney Morning Herald, to speak about the inspiration behind her latest collection, Michelle Jank revealed that the draping technique used in creating her garments was inspired while working with fashion designers in India last year. "Indian women are so beautiful and they really embrace their femininity in the way they dress," said Jank. "At times it was like watching all of these colourful ghosts float by in their fluorescent saris."

But to my eye, the collection looked more like a tribute to the Greek goddesses Hera, Eos, and Iris. In Greek mythology, the goddess Hera (queen of the goddesses) took many forms, among them that of a bird. Iris (the personal messenger of Hera and Zeus) was given wings to carry messages to mortals. And Eos, the winged Greek goddess of the dawn, flew through the sky to open the gates of heaven so that Helios could ride his chariot across the sky each day. But no matter the inspiration, the pairing of her swooping bird breastplates and sculptured perspex neck pieces with flowing, ethereal dresses was nothing less than magical. (If you want to own one of these one-of-a-kind necklaces, check out brownsfashion.com.)