Boys manage to find something other than a hoodie to wear to awards ceremony
The ASPAs are the biggest event on the student media calendar. Usual attire for student journalists include t-shirts boasting internet memes, jeans, hoodies, and generic sneakers. The ASPAs, however, call for something a little more formal.
“We made the dress standard this year ‘cocktail’, but I had a lot of people asking me what that meant,” said event organiser and fashion commentator Laura McQuillan. “I told them to wear what they’d wear to dinner with John Key.” Some took heed of Ms McQuillan’s advice. Others should never have dinner with John Key.
As the student media’s answer to the Oscars, the awards constitute only a small part of the evening. The Student Pants Association (SPA) were therefore out in full force, with two-time award-winning student journalist Sarah Robson and pancake enthusiast Rosabel Tan there to judge the fashion highs and lows.
In these recessionary times, looking like you got a lot of bling bling for not much ching ching is imperative. Several attendees sported dresses purchased from op-shops and vintage stores, but the Recessionista of the night was Salient arts editor Fiona McNamara. Robson commented that McNamara’s dress, which cost a minimal $6, “was beautifully offset by her spray-painted silver shoes.”
Also verring dangerously close to ‘frugal’ was the winner of the Best Accessory Award, Michael Oliver. Salient’s news editor sported a fluorescent green and orange plastic pipe which blew bubbles. “The pipe was a representation of my individuality and my love of personal freedom,” Oliver explained. Tan described his pipe—purchased from the $2 shop especially for the awards—as “setting off his otherwise stern outfit, hinting towards a playful lad under all that serious business.”
The highly sought-after Woody Allen Memorial Award went to Craccum’s Film Editor, Hugh Lilly. Lilly teamed skinny black jeans with a light blue t-shirt and a black pinstriped blazer, creating an understated, indie-cool vibe that complemented his thick-framed glasses and perfectly coiffed hair. Both Robson and Tan noted that he was the only attendee who was able to pull off the ‘t-shirt’ look at this high-class event.
The You-Could-Have-Done-Better-And-Had-The-Girls-Swooning Award went to Newsboy. After a good show at the ASPA Conference, expectations were high, but he failed to deliver on the fashion front. The judges reported feeling “quietly disappointed.”
Hairstyles are frequently overlooked when it comes to planning one’s outfit. However, the clear winner for The Most Super Sayian Use of Hair Product was Laura McQuillan. Her blonde locks defied gravity and provided attendees with a distraction from Barry Soper’s needless ranting. “I was hoping she would vanquish him with a ki blast,” Tan reported. “But then he might have fed her to the Rancor.”
For the most part, the judges were impressed with the editors’ fashion sense. Competition was immensely tough, and double first-equal placings were awarded. In the Best Dressed Editor (male) category, first equal was Jackson James Wood of Salient and Jon Andrew of Canta. An impressed Robson said of Wood,“He usually wears a hoodie and checkered vans.” He also sported a skinny black tie that his girlfirend had perfectly knotted. Both judges were impressed with Andrew’s neatly trimmed facial hair, a rarity in student media circles.
Best Dressed Editor (female) was awarded to Analiese Jackson of Satellite and Stacey Knott of InUnison. When questioned on the fact that they awarded the only two female editors first place, Robson and Tan declined to comment, muttering something about a booby prize.
Certain trends were also evident during the evening. For males, scruffiness seemed to be a recurring look, as was unkempt facial hair. Many also sported shoes from Number One Shoe Warehouse, which seems to be gaining momentum as more and more student journalists endorse their brand. Females seemed to enjoy looking pretty, and many wore strapless dresses, including Robson and Tan.
As modest beings, Robson and Tan thought it only fitting to award themselves a prize. The award for Retaining-the-ability-to-dress-well-despite-hanging-out-with-boys-who-taunt-and-mock-them-on-a-daily-basis was well-deserved by both, for their impeccable ability to coordinate outfits and simultaneously put up with inappropriate jokes.