The cream of the crop

Queensland designers have taken top honours at the Delfin Australian Fashion Design Awards. Jill Pullen reports from the Gold Coast.
More than 1300 fashion industry elite packed the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre last month to witness the much anticipated live telecast of the annual Delfin Australian Fashion Design Awards on November 11.
Companies represented at the awards, which were the pinnacle of the 10-day National Retail Association (NRA) Australian Fashion Design Festival presented by Pacific Fair, spanned a broad section of the Australian TCF industry.
The crowd was dominated by fashion designers, but also included retailers, manufacturers, students, corporate business sponsors and government representatives.
"This year's awards were our biggest and most successful ever," said NRA director of events and marketing Donna Caley.
"With its enormous retail, consumer and tourist markets, the Gold Coast provides the ideal location to ensure the event develops and grows into an event which will attract national and international attention."
Approximately 54 finalist entries from around Australia hit the catwalk on the night, a field which was narrowed down from more than 300 entries which competed in preliminary judging heats held at Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast in early November.
But despite the diversity of entries from across the nation, it was local designers who dominated the finals, making up approximately 87 per cent of the field.
The most nominated finalists in this year's awards were Queensland-based designers Brad Webb - for his labels Darb and Darb Bridal Couture - and Michelle Rotheram - for her self-titled and M.R Junior labels - with four finalist entries each.
Scooping the award pool on the night, Webb walked away with two statuettes, winning both the Supreme and bridal award categories, while Rotheram, who five months ago opened the doors to her first fashion boutique called Fashion Stylish Emporium at Chevron Island, took out the Fashions on the Field category for her cute 50s style floral frock.
For Rotheram, the awards have topped off a hugely successful year. In August she won the Supreme, Fashions on the Field, eveningwear and childrenswear categories at the Sotherton Fashion Design Awards in Gladstone.
"It's the first time I have entered these awards, so it has been really exciting for me," said Rotheram.
"Since [the telecast] I have been inundated with radio, television and magazine interviews, so it has been terrific exposure for my label."
Looking into the New Year, Rotheram will showcase her latest collections at the Magic Millions horse racing event on the Gold Coast in January, and plans to open a childrenswear boutique for her funky kidswear label M.R Junior.
It was the sixth win for Burleigh Heads swimwear designer Gillian Marriage and her label Riot, taking out the swim-surf category. She beat Tweed Coast finalist Maree Elizabeth Coates and her Pirette collection, along with two other designers from Queensland and Victoria.
Other state winners on the night included Victoria's Helen Manuell who took out the couture category for her label Manuell & Moore and Andrew Roche who won the cutting edge category for his label Roche.
Western Australia, New South Wales and South Australia were unrepresented in the finals.
Among other highlights on the night, the telecast also featured the Australian Designer Showcase, which involved a select group of iconic Australian fashion designers who presented their catwalk interpretations of the showcase theme "White Hot".
Designers included Easton Pearson, Akira, Jayson Brunsdon, Alex Perry, Lisa Ho, Rebecca Davies and Bettina Liano together with the Awards' Hall of Fame members Keri Craig, Daniel Lightfoot, Anthony Leigh Dower and Richard de Chazal.
Broadcast live throughout Queensland, the event was hosted by Channel Nine celebrities Jamie Durie, Natalie Gruzlewski, Jillian Whiting and Australian couture designer Alex Perry, along with guest host media personality Kate Fischer and roving reporter Miranda Deakin. International pop sensation Tina Cousins headlined the awards' entertainment program.
The final will be replayed nationally on the Nine Network on January 14, 2006.

:The princess bride
The elegance of the classic princess bride stood out from the pack at the awards with Brisbane-based designer Brad Webb taking out the coveted bridal and Supreme Award categories.
Webb's winning entry, worn by former Miss World Sarah Davies, was a standout winner to this year's judges - Michael Pherous, chairman, NRA Fashion Advisory committee; Sydney fashion designer Matthew Eager and editor of Follow magazine, Mark Vassallo.
The winning gown featured a shimmering fitted bodice encrusted with hundreds of Swarovski crystals which merged into a full-hoop skirt made from some of the world's finest lace and silk organza.
Webb's label first became an Australian Fashion Design Awards name when he took out the bridalwear category in 1997. The latest coup is Webb's fourth win in the bridal category, but his first win in the Supreme Award category.
"It has been a long time since a bridal entry has won the Supreme award so I feel very honored to have won it," said Webb.

:And the winners are...
Supreme Award: Darb Bridal Couture by Brad Webb, Brisbane.
Award for Fashion Excellence: Carla Zampatti.
Innovation: Red Cordial by Zina Sciacca, Brisbane.
Rising Star: Saywell by Sonya Saywell, Broadbeach, Queensland.
Bridal: Darb bridal Couture by Brad Webb, Brisbane.
Couture: Manuell & Moore by Helen Manuell, Armadale, Victoria.
Lifestyle Collections: Talulah by Kelli Wharton, Paddington, Queensland.
Menswear: Always Habit by Daniel Alexander Crooke, Fortitude Valley, Queensland.
Fashions on the Field: Michelle Rotheram by Michelle Rotheram, Paradise Waters, Queensland.
Childrenswear: Stretch Out by Elizabeth Fatseas, Coorparoo, Queensland.
Swim-Surf: Riot by Gillian Marriage, Burleigh Heads, Queensland.
Cutting Egde: Roche by Andrew Roche, Toorak, Victoria.
Student Designs: Tullia Jack, Moreton Institute of TAFE.