Sweet summer lovin'
In the hood
In a season marked by a return to the sweet '60s - think billowing smocks, thigh-skimming minis and babydoll tunics - the street-smart hoodie still managed to sneak its way into even the most effeminate of collections. Designer duo Ginger and Smart toyed with a colourful, geometric version while siblings Camilla and Marc kept the look strictly modern with a sleek (and cropped) white hoodie.
Big bloomin' summer
It's almost like reinventing the wheel each and every season, but when you have a theme as commercially popular as the flower, it's difficult to ignore demand. With this in mind, designers such as Jayson Brunsdon and Nicola Finetti decided to ramp it up for spring/summer 2007, sending large, detailed and spectacular blooms down the runway. Black or white, multi-coloured or sequined, the only rule seemed to be 'the bigger, the better'.
Geometrics
While polka dots and nautical stripes made a consecutive return to the runway - and judging by their prolific use among many up-and-comers, they're not likely to leave anytime soon - established names such as Tina Kalivas and Alice McCall also worked their way through the rubic's cube; lacing their collections with bright and bold geometric patterns. The trend was more subtly echoed in the collection of Ginger and Smart who opted for a muted navy blue, lime, pale blue and white octagon print hoodie instead.
All that glitters
Maybe its a hangover from the recent '80s revival, but sequins and metallics were seen shimmering in nearly every spring/summer collection this year. Last season it was gold, the season before it was silver, this time, it was all in, anything goes, left right and centre. Whether it was sequins splattered over entire dresses or subtle metallics in accessories (Kirrily Johnston offset a fluro green dress with a sleek, wide pewter belt) it made its stamp one way or another.
Rockin' n rollin'
Can Australia really handle black leather jackets in summer? Our designers seem to think so. As rock and roll made yet another appearance on the spring/summer runways - with skinny silhouettes, sharp and dark metallic blazers and a monochromatic smattering of chunky accessories - designer labels such as Frissoni Finetti took it one step further, sending out snug-fitting bomber jackets for the warmer season.
Do my hips look big in this?
Just when women were hailing the end of "the waist" - the cynched, elasticised and belted sort seen in pencil skirts, tailored suits and dresses - local designers decided to focus their attention on another x-and-y-chromosome sore spot - the hips. Rather than skimming them all together, icons such as Marnie Skillings and icons-in-the-making such as Gail Sorronda decided to blow them out of proportion with hustler style skirts and dresses. Fashion critics and buyers lapped it up, all the while wondering what next? Puffed derrières?