Global Roaming

Five days. One hundred designers. Sixty shows. Assia Benmedjdoub dissects the most important trends of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week spring/summer 2008.

Neutral Nomad
Depending on which numbers man you believe, there are anywhere between 30 to 45 million nomads roaming the globe. Thanks to Kirrily Johnston, Friedrich Gray and Frisoni Finetti, there'll probably be a hell of a lot more once the spring/summer season kicks in. The three designers led a concerted charge into modern nomadism, ditching traditional prints and embellishments for neutral tones and layered jerseys. Clean shades of crème, grey, black and pale camel were offset with gold accents and tough, worked leathers. Draping is essential here - be it in the form of a billowing harem pant or a loosely rouched tee.

Doosh Doosh Denim 
Many industry commentators bemoan that modern fashion is for the young - make no allusions, this trend is for those who spent the '80s in their diapers. Faded denims, whether cropped and high-waisted or fringed and vested, made an appearance at Tina Kalivas, Zimmermann and newcomers Bec & Bridge. Kalivas, who did an about turn on her dark and geometric spring/summer 2007 collection, even brought out a denim blouse complete with exaggerated shoulder pads.

Easy Walker
Call it the compromise. After enduring several tug-of-war seasons between strict suiting and soft bohemian styling, key womenswear designers decided to take the middle road for spring/summer 2008. Lisa Ho, Silence is Golden and even the ethereal Akira Isogawa sent out traditional suiting combinations with decidedly relaxed silhouettes. Wasp waists were loosened with silk/linen sports jackets, spray-on pants were instead sent billowing around the ankles and formal shirting was replaced with unstructured singlets or, in the case of Silence is Golden, nothing at all.

Eastern Promises
Trend forecasters have long predicted the resurgence of richly textured ethnic fashions. Remember how they inspired a generation of modern Masai's in the '70s? Rather than roaming the Northern Hemisphere for some sartorial inspiration, Australian designers looked to their Asian neighbours this time around. Akira Isogawa and Easton Pearson flaunted some heavily adorned obis, Mad Cortes went for a subtle floral print while Romance Was Born covered a simple sun dress in rich Asian panelling. There's no room for achromatic types here: colours range from bright field greens to hot sunburnt reds and azure blues.

The New Gothic
Back in the days when music critics could legitimately drop the words "death metal" in a review, gothic fashion was typically black, depressing and very much on the fringe. Fast forward a decade or two and the "neo-goth" is very much about elaborate silhouettes, luxurious fabrics and textured embellishments. No collection reflected this more than that of Konstantina Mittas, whose severe bat-like sleeves and opulent silks prompted a wave of dropped jaws across the front row.  Michelle Jank's floor-length grey gown, which featured a flock of black birds throughout, also hit the mark. Daphne Guinness would approve.

Structured Sheer
Peek-a-boo textiles have long been on the fashion radar - no more so than in the last several spring/summer collections. This year, however, designers made a concerted shift away from delicate silks and slips to stronger, structured shapes. Sheer A-line skirts and dresses featured heavily at youthwear label Antipodium while designer Jayson Brunsdon kept the mood feminine with shapely ivory coats and blouses.

By Assia Benmedjdoub