Kat Walker: Cheap chic's the go

Cheap chic's the go

It's official. The world is either in, or heading for, recession. As if we didn't know it already. But now the usage of a new dictionary definition has proved it. The word "recessionista" - meaning a person (usually female) who enjoys dressing fashionably on a budget - has gained currency so rapidly that it was recently declared word of the week on the Macmillan Dictionary website. According to the Global Language Monitor, it is also one of the top fashion buzz words of 2009, along with its sibling "chiconomics", a catch-all phrase covering the spending power and consumer habits of the fairer sex. Fear not however, experts say the good old "fashionista" is not dead, she's just watching her dollars for now.

Fake fur fun

Antipodeans continue to punch above their weight on the world stage, sometimes in unusual ways. Kiwi designer Kate Sylvester recently clinched the honour of being invited to create an outfit for cosmetic brand MAC's new 'Hello Kitty' collection. Her design - a "rose bomb" dress and fake pony skin jacket with a hood and kitty ears - went on show at a celebrity bash in New York and was later auctioned on eBay, with all proceeds going to the Big Apple's Fashion Institute of Technology. MAC communications manager Tatum Savage reportedly praised Sylvester's humour and wit, while the designer herself evidently had trouble keeping said wit under wraps. "The hardest part has not been able to say anything about it until now, because I know so many people who are Hello Kitty fans. I have been very discreet."

And speaking of discreet

Australia's most stylish fashion export, Yasmin Sewell, continues to fly the flag for Ocker designers. Interviewed by The Times Online last week the former Brown's Focus buying director put in a cool plug for a local apparel hero. When asked to describe a day in the fashion line of Yasmin Sewell the woman revered as a style icon replied: "I wear clothes from Braus, a Brazilian label, to pilates. Then it's high-waisted trousers or jeans by Acne, T-shirts by Balenciaga or Josh Goot, blazers from APC, and ankle boots." Sadly a short time later Sewell, who now runs her own fashion consultancy with clients including Liberties of London and Saba, revealed her worst fashion faux pas was a "cappuccino-coloured paisley printed tracksuit with matching hoody" in which she slouches around the home. "It looks like an old velour couch," she stated. Further proof you can take the girl out of Aussie but you can't take the Aussie out of the girl.