The plaza outside the Royal Exhibition Building transforms in the first few weeks of March: it's fashion week, and the place swarms with pattern, colour and the selfie-hardened.

Beyond the runway, this year we saw plenty of ankle-grazing skirts in pleated metallics, a bounty of ruffles (a trend that's now in its upteenth season), outsized belts cinching waists, and designer bumbags in quilted green and monochrome check.

Cross-body statement bags came in varied forms – we counted one owl, one watermelon, a can of Coca-Cola and at least one record player – and ultra-skinny angular sunglasses reigned when the sun shone.

Broadsheet photographer Meaghan Coles was there to capture it.