Good Day Mate! ... Australia Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2007

While Australia is wrapped in a blanket of winter sans heavy snow, just in certain parts of Down Under, international style mavens, fashion buyers, celebrities and local fashionistas aren't deterred by the cold weather as the Australian Fashion Week which has just kicked off at the Circular Quay, Sydney on the 30th of April and wraps up today, Friday 4th of April 2007.

Presented by IMG International, the Rosemount Australia Fashion Week 2007 will not only showcase styles and upcoming collections for the forthcoming season of Spring/Summer 2007-08 that starts in September from both emerging and established Australian designers that have stamped their mark in the international fashion and accessory designing scene, international designers from the Asia-Pacific region as well will partake in this 5-day event.

From the renowned names of Milk and Honey, Alice McCall, Nicola Finetti, and Camilla and Marc to the new and emerging designers such as AnnieWho, Amar, Bambam Cloth, Gina Kim and Piper Lane just to name a few, the Australia Fashion Week 2007 will definitely turn Down Under as well as Sydney as one of Asia-Pacific's hottest fashion hub apart from the readily established cities of Hong Kong, Korea, and Singapore.

17 designers made their first catwalk presentation on Monday, starting with Kit Willow and followed by an off-site runway show staged by duo Camilla and Marc.
Boudoir sexiness is the theme of Kit Willow's collection for next Australian summer. Racy lingeries in white, black, and dual tones of the said colors, plus a sexy coat with matching hat in leopard print, and evening dresses are what Kit Willow fans could expect come September.

At the Camilla and Marc show, working palette of white, gray, gold, blue, and some black is used with a touch of red and brown in this new ready-to-wear collection.

Conventional yet wearable, there are more dresses than separates with stunning pieces like white darted dress with drawstring hoodie, satin white mini dress with lace bust and matching jacket with long puffed sleeves, and dirt silk shantung capped sleeve top with black oversized pants just to name a few. In other words, the 60's mod influence is apparent in this collection.

On the next day at 8.00 p.m., another Aussie label Fashionassassin debuted their Spring/Summer 2007-08 collection for men and women at the Cargo Hall.

Using laidback casual as the concept of the collection, Fashionassasin drew its inspiration from life at the sunny yet hip Australian seaside with lots of tank tops, cargo shorts, tees with witty captions, muscle tees with red capped sleeves and checkered shirts or men.

For ladies, expect lots of off-shoulder dresses in pink, printed dresses with v-neck in brown and purple, red camisole with black hot pants and printed dress with round plunging neckline.

Though names like Alanna Hill or Collette Dinigan aren't making their appearances at the Fashion Week, today's event will be dedicated only to the new and uprising talents in the Australian as well as Asia-Pacific fashion industry.

Known as the New Generation Group Collection show, most of the designers' show will take place at the Cargo Hall while Lee Mathews and Marnie Skillings are presenting their collection at The Opt and Romance Was Born at The Studio.

Amar for example, is a brand whose collections are likely to transcend borders, cultures and guises. Founded by Kerri Raymond and Michael Adam from Melbourne in 2003, their collection is an infusion of senses of styles and fun.

Emphasizing on natural fibers and exclusive prints combined with their deepest love in high-quality fabrics has resulted a loyal following from fashion-conscious women from around the world. Their collections can be found in top-notch boutiques in Korea, China, Singapore and even Europe.

The question is - will these fabulous creations of the Aussie designers make their way to the shelves of Malaysian multi-brand boutiques? Only time will tell.

*Photos by Vogue UK and Amar.