Fashion - Bachelors

What Lies Beneath

What Lies Beneath is an introspective reflection on how I have perceived femininity as a concept, feeling, and physical descriptor throughout my life. The collection aims to uncover the heavy patriarchal influence on my understanding of what it meant to be feminine when I was younger and acts as a visual documentation of the realisation of the influence of the male gaze over time. I aim to redefine femininity by showing that strength does not mean the absence of delicacy and empowerment does not only come from the presence of oversized suits. I aim for my viewers to reflect on the balance of fragility and strength. What Lies Beneath details the transformation from object to subject; my gaze is my own.

Phoebe Laird

What lies beneath

Phoebe Laird

Hi my name is Phoebe and I'm a womenswear fashion designer based in Brisbane. My design aesthetic channels a sense of bold femininity and aims to embrace hyper-femininity. My design purpose is to encourage women to embrace female liberation and empower them to be confident in the way they dress. My pieces document my experience with navigating a sense of femininity in a world full of male-dominated perceptions.