Men’s 400m runner Sean Wroe cut some Zoolander moves on the catwalk in Melbourne as he modelled the men’s uniform – a grey corded cotton suit over an orange short-sleeved shirt.

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A silver tie and grey slip-on shoes without socks completed the outfit. Olympic swimmer Leisel Jones showed off the women’s outfit, a deep green shirt under a grey jacket with three-quarter sleeves and a matching wrap-around skirt.

The competition uniforms were a more traditional green and gold. Canberra Institute of Technology senior fashion lecturer Steven Wright said the formal outfits were ‘‘dire’’. ‘‘They’re trying to push for a casual, laid back sophistication but it doesn’t really come through,’’ he said.

‘‘You’ve got the orange shortsleeved shirt with the silver tie and a green logo on it. It looks more to me like a used-car salesman. ‘‘Pants that are too shiny, a shirt that’s too bright – it definitely looks like they’re trying too hard.’’

Shop Handmade owners Julie Nichols and Rachel Evagelou were also unimpressed, declaring the outfits were so bad they were lost for words ‘‘for the first time ever’’.

‘‘Where does that [orange shirt] come from – long walks on the beach at sunset perhaps?’’ they asked.

The director of Elite Models, Kim Allison, was a little less critical of the outfits, though she did give the casual shorts a thumbs-down. ‘‘Everything else is okay – it’s sharp and snappy. It’s better than those subdued khaki green and olive that we usually have – the army colours. I love the skirt that [Leisel Jones] is wearing.’’ Wright also had a kind word for the women’s outfit.

‘‘I can understand that they’re trying to push for an Asian influence with the women’s wear – the kimono style top and the wraparound skirt. And that’s kind of an exciting contemporary Australian thing.’’