Frock up with flair as Wayne Cooper hits Cairns.

Fashion designer Wayne Cooper’s sharp tongue and quick wit have earned him a reputation as the bad boy of Aussie couture.

They have also secured his position as one of the country’s most entertaining style critics, as demonstrated by his regular appearance as judge, commentator and television personality throughout the years.

With audacious comments such as “your bottom looks like a sack of spanners” to his credit, there’s no doubt about his off-the-cuff ability to tell it like it is.

Despite appearances, there’s far more to this straight-shooting entrepreneur than curt remarks alone. As an entertaining conversation with the London-born designer reveals, there’s a multitude of loyalties lurking beneath the surface of his nonchalant facade. Honesty, it seems, is just one of them. When asked what he thought of misguided socialite Paris Hilton’s highly publicised interest in his couture range, the cheeky East Ender is loath to mince words.

“She was a bit precocious,” he says of the heiress and her request to feature in one of his shows.

“I don’t particularly dig the woman … she drives me insane. (But) it’s good for publicity, a bit o’ fun.”

Wayne says Paris’s selection from his range was limited to anything “short, tight and pink”, something he probably wouldn’t recommend for Therese Rein, aka Mrs Kevin Rudd.

Wayne was quoted recently by a Sunday newspaper as saying the PM’s wife needed to rethink her wardrobe: “If you are in the public eye, you do need to be conscious of what you wear. She is a larger lady so it’s a trickier situation to look good from all camera angles.”

In his defence, Wayne says the remarks were not so much proffered as they were coaxed from him.

“Someone rang me and bugged me at the beach and I just said: ‘Look, she just needs a new stylist. I tend not to make comments much anymore, it adds too much grief,” he explains.

Fortunately he thinks there’s little chance of bumping into our First Lady at any upcoming events: “Not where we go,” he says.

The light-hearted banter serves as useful insight into the machinations of this creative genius, a man once reported as listing mediocre people among his least favourite things, something the founder of one the country’s most successful fashion empires has proven he’s not. Before arriving in Australia, Wayne completed a law degree in England and attended bar school. It’s a move he admits was based on his academic intelligence rather than any genuine interest in the field.

“I just did it ’cos I was good at school, I was working part-time in fashion the whole time and preferred that,” he says.

After packing up his things and “zooming around” the world, eventually landing in Oz, Wayne decided to pursue his fashion interest, studying at East Sydney Technical College and later launching a series of his own labels. And he hasn’t looked back.

He is now the proud owner of a worldwide business with up-market boutiques throughout the country, not to mention his breakthrough Wayne by Wayne Cooper range available in department stores. He also has recently launched the Wayne Jnr by Wayne Cooper children’s range, inspired by his own two daughters Jude and Ruby, and is working on the return of his once popular menswear collection. Although he’s understandably reluctant to divulge too much personal information, chatting with Wayne does reveal a clear sense of balance in his ideals.

The shrewd designer appears to possess a talent for being serious while not taking himself too seriously and striving for perfection in his work without forfeiting time with family and friends.

Many may not remember, but Wayne, his wife Sarah Marsh and their two daughters were in Bali in October, 2005, when a series of bombs went off at Jimbaran Beach. As reported at the time, Wayne and his family, who had stopped at a restaurant for lunch, were seated only metres from the site of the first explosion. Wayne had stepped inside to order the family’s meals while Sarah had taken the children to the beach. The family narrowly evaded the blast, but could not escape the aftermath.

“We were two tables away. I carried a lot of people off (the beach), I was covered in blood. I saw some people dead. I pulled people out. It was horrific,” Wayne explains in a brief moment of poignancy.

Asked if that experience has contributed to his choice to be father and husband foremost and fashion designer second, the answer is surprisingly “no”. “It hasn’t particularly changed my life. It’s more a question of how to deal with that and not make that take over your life or affect your life,” he says.

As for being a committed husband and father amid the craziness of high-end fashion, television and celebrity parties, Wayne says having children alters a man’s perspective.

“I was never into kids at all. You have kids and it changes everything,” he says of becoming a dad. “I love my family and they’re a good release from this (work). It’s good to get away and hang out with them.”

Wayne says he limits his social commitments to one major event a week. “That’s the max I want to do anything like that,” he insists. “I used to go to a lot more when I started off. You’re brand building, you’re a lot younger, always out and doing everything but now you’ve got children you prioritise things.”

Wayne says his most recent weekly commitment was a Myer party at Studio 54 in Sydney where he hung with Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’s Carlson Kressley.

On a regular weekend, when he’s not jetting about the country for judging commitments or filming shows such as Australia’s Next Top Model or the Aussie version of Trinny and Susannah’s What Not to Wear, Wayne says he watches his girls play netball or spends time at the beach.

He later reveals that his personal stretch of sand is that of exclusive Sydney suburb Tamarama, or “Glamarama” as it is commonly referred to because of the long list of celebrities who reside there.

Often criticised for his blunt approach, Wayne’s penchant for brashness is a trait that seems to stem from an inherent sense of frankness rather than a desire to wound or offend, especially when it comes to women. Wayne is renowned for his appreciation of the female form and for creating garments to accentuate its finest features, as demonstrated by Aussie beauties and supporters of his high-end collections such as Jennifer Hawkins, Sonia Kruger and the Minogue sisters.

He’s also known for his unreserved disdain for those who flout the basic laws of fashion and openly criticises the likes of Britney Spears and Rachel Hunter for their “terrible” taste in clothes. His advice to women is simply this: “Look at yourself in the mirror, wear clothes to suit your body shape and don’t be a slave to trends.”

And to those who fear fashion. “I think you’re always making statements about fashion regardless of what you do,” Wayne says. “If you’re trying to blend in, you’re making an anti-fashion statement. You become a wallflower and then you lose your self-esteem. Fashion is meant to be fun, (you’ve) just got to check in the mirror. I think with the internet and TV these days everyone should have a fair sense of what’s right and wrong. Knowledge is inspiration.”

Wayne Cooper is in Cairns tomorrow for Eye on Fashion at Hilton Cairns and hopes to return for Essence, an Eye on Fashion, later in the year where he expects to see local women glam it up in saturated colours and elegant prints. “It’s always hot up there so (opt for) beautiful party frocks and gorgeous cocktail dresses. Indulge in colour. You live in Far North Queensland. Think movement and texture,” he says.

Meet Wayne Cooper at Eye on Fashion tomorrow at Six Degrees Bar, Hilton Cairns, from 5.30pm. Entry is free.

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