McLean & Page- Manly: June 2011

Zimmermann "Halcyon Days" Spring Summer 2011/12

Nicky Zimmermann has your summer wardrobe all wrapped up. Her new collection, entitled Halcyon Days, was filled with beautiful pieces which are ideal for balmy days. The venue, vintage-car showroom The Classic Throttle Shop in North Sydney, was the ideal place to present the collection. We’ve come to expect vintage-style prints from Zimmermann and this season is no different. There were long dresses split to the upper thigh (a key trend from the international collections); ’70s-style jumpsuits; panelled smock-dresses; cut-out shirts; wide-legged linen pants; and printed slim-fit pants that were cropped at the ankle. The overall feeling was very craft-y: raw fabrics and desert tones contributed to the artisan feeling.

There was also a bohemian girl up on that runway, albeit a rather sophisticated one. The colour palette was fresh: white — and lots of it — along with neutral tones and pops of aqua. One of our favourite looks was a little white linen dress with a skater-style skirt and an exposed back. Zimmermann once said, “We just never understood why swimsuits and fashion had to be mutually exclusive,” and true to form there were plenty of swimsuits on show, effortlessly styled with the ready-to-wear pieces.

What was also gorgeous about the show was the girls. Up on the catwalk was the quintessential Aussie beauty — glowing skin, enviably long limbs and healthy-looking hair, which hairstylist Sophie Roberts loosely pulled back into a low knot. Models Ruby-Jean Wilson, Julia Nobis and Myf Shepherd were all cast in the show.

This show summed up RAFW this year, it was such a strong note to start the week with! We just couldn't get each of these to die for looks out of our heads - Count down for summer and we want on of each!!!!

*images & word Harper Bazaar Australia

Kirrily Johnston from high above Bondi..... Spring Summer 2011/12

The Kirrily Johnston show, held at Sydney-favourite Icebergs Dining Room and Bar in Bondi, shows that this designer knows her strengths. Desert tones (described by Johnston as dust, cinnamon and tamarillo) were perfectly juxtaposed with the location’s famous water views — perhaps one of the few times that a grey, moody beachscape wasn’t a disappointment.

Highlights were the pieces that mixed fabrics and textures, such as the knit tops with suede inserts and cotton apron-dresses with leather trims — yes, leather is a trend that’s still going strong, and it’s at Kirrily Johnston where it’s best executed. It’s the details that make the show, though: body jewellery sitting against a draped silk dress, and cross-over back features providing interest from all angles. Easy looks with a fashion edge; a tick in all the right boxes.

*images & words Harper's Bazaar Australia

http://www.harpersbazaar.com.au/rafw-ss-2011-2012-kirrily-johnston.htm?index=24

Karla Spetić Spring Summer 2011/12

Karla Spetić is reknowned for producing crisp variegated prints. Her last collection showed the calibre of her skills as a designer for taking us into the interior world of the Australian outback. She was inspired by interiors and furnishings and the illustrative quality of her prints on swim pieces and knee-length skirts made them almost anthropomorphic. At the slightest turn, they appear to dance and animate. Karla's great ability was to translate the visual silence that surrounds us everyday.

Fabric meets " Flannel" Spring Summer 2011/12

According to Flannel designer Kristy Lawrence, S/S 11-12 is all about leather and crochet. Her new collection, entitled La Sakura, started with a short film featuring a beautiful girl lolling about in her home. We imagine this is the girl who Lawrence has in mind when she designs: cool, with a nonchalant sense of style.

Today, we saw a lot of leather. Lawrence has imagined all of our staple items — A-line skirts, high-waisted shorts, slim-fit pants, tank tops — in camel, oxblood and watermelon-coloured leather. The oxblood looks were our favourite.

After countless luxe leather and velvet pieces passed before our eyes — wide-legged berry-coloured pants, anyone? — the collection took an oriental turn. Lawrence said she was inspired the Japanese cherry blossom print which “embodies the opulence of the 1930s France, informed by a refined Asian aesthetic”. The blossom print was presented in multiple ways, from fitted, cropped pants to halter-neck tops to light slip-dresses.

This is Lawrence’s second showing at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week and while we might have seen a lot of pyjama-style shirting and vests today, the designer has proved she has far more to offer than loungewear. She has created a salient brand which will appeal to all kinds of women, from those with classic looks to the fashion-forward. The whole collection felt organic and natural, reminding us what Australian fashion is all about — easy pieces in light, breezy fabrics.

We are saving up for: the fringed African-style leather miniskirt and the little oxblood leather dress!!! LOVE

*images & words Harper's Bazaar Australiahttp://www.harpersbazaar.com.au/runway/rafw-ss-2011-2012-flannel.htm

A decade of love for Lover

After a number of years away from the Fashion Week spotlight, the designing duo / real life partners were back this year and celebrating 10 years of the Lover label.

Keeping true to the classic Lover we all "love" so much; the show was filled with a multitude of lace and 70's inspired suiting. A palette of crisp white and nude, except for an electric hit of of red accented with black. There were butterfly shaped dresses, winged shirting and cigarette trousers.

Lace is definately what they do best - we have our eye on all those stunning dresses and little lace shorts matched back with smoking jackets.