Memoirs of a Mystic Memory ... Rachel Gilbert A/W 2009 Collection

There were times where season cycles boggled my mind. As we know, when people who live up in the Northern Hemisphere are basking in the summer sun, the situation goes vice versa in the Southern one – winter with occasional snow.

Since most of the designer brands are based in cities close to the Northern half of the world, it means the clothes and accessories designed are made according to its seasonal requirement. The same fact also applies to the southern one. But at times, I just can’t imagine what it would look like to wear Fendi fur coat in Sydney on December, when summer reaches its peak and a Collette Dinnigan’s tank top in Paris, when, you know how the city’s climate is within the same month, right? Frigid to death I assume!

Well, like what they say, those were the days. Today, despite the different continent and climate that we lived, it is good to know that the fashion scene has been streamlined, befitting the global market, which is often predominated by trends set by the Northern Hemisphere lot. Now lets leave the season story behind as I want to share with you my new online discovery from Down Under. Lo and behold, Rachel Gilbert.

Either in London, New York or her homeland Australia, the name Rachel Gilbert needs no further introductions anymore. Rachel, notable for her liberal use of luxury fabrics and embellishments in creating her evening dresses, received her education in fashion designing at the prestigious Whitehouse Institute of Design.

She then built her portfolio by working with Australian fashion designers Lisa Ho and Morrissey as womenswear designer. In addition, Rachel also moved to New York where she became the head designer of Chick, the fashion label conceived by Nicky Hilton.

In 2007, Rachel started out her own self-named fashion empire and caught the attention of the fashion authorities worldwide, which soon led to the brand being retailed in more than 50 locations around Australia and the world! For the upcoming fall/winter 2009 (which I believe is commencing now in Southern Hemisphere), the mood is about rejoicing the mystical times immemorial in fashion timeline thus its title – The Memoirs of a Mystic Memory.

Combining silhouettes of every era in the modern fashion history, the melange has resulted into a collection of fabulous daywear and evening garbs. Hemline trimmed into sharp triangular shapes with embroidered detailing, lending a sort of boho 70’s feel while sequins and other sorts of embellishments thrive throughout the collection while fringed flapper dresses are set to steal the party’s attention. There’s also a hint of 80’s, which can be seen on the mini-dress with ruched long sleeves and detailed hem and neckline.

On the necklines, chunky faceted square-cut crystals beautifully are used to beautify the area while butterfly wings sleeves are made elongated and roomy, reminding me of Japanese kimono. And oh, talking about colours, the colour palette is absolutely stunning and tempting too with clever mixture of black and white, gleaming gold and shining silver, a dash of royal purple, a stroke of grey sky and the autumnal shade of persimmon.

Rachel Gilbert’s fall/winter 2009 ready-to-wear collection is available now at selected multi-brand boutiques around Australia, London, United States and also on the web at net-a-porter.com and Le Black Book.

*Photos courtesy of Rachel Gilbert Sydney

Rachel Gilbert Sydney – Milk Bar, Shop 4, 157 Curlewis Street, Bondi Beach, 2026 NSW, Australia.