Street Style: Opening Night Runway at Paypal Melbourne Fashion Festival 2026

Thirty, flirty, thriving. That’s the energy Paypal Melbourne Fashion Festival is taking into its third decade. Last night, festivalgoers gathered outside the Royal Exhibition Building for the opening night’s runways, where two distinct concepts were introduced to the week’s schedule. 

The Joywear runway saw designers Camilla, Fool, Gary Bigeni, By Josh Deane, Linda Jackson, Leo Lin, Nixi Killick, Reigner, Romance Was Born, Six x Pam, Vincent Li and Youkhana bring maximalist, colour-drenched collections onto the runway. Afterwards, the Melbourne Noir runway had designers Akira, Blair Archibald, Con Ilio, Et Al, Gail Sorronda, Hyphn, Joteo, Nicol & Ford and Strateas Carlucci x AFL embrace Melbourne’s affinity for black attire.  

Out on the fashion forecourt, revellers reflected these sartorial leanings. Some dialled up the saturation, playing with pattern-clashing and oversized silhouettes, while others chose to go more incognito, letting their subtle details speak for themselves. We’ll be back with more street style shots by Broadsheet photographer Meaghan Coles tomorrow.