Ever wondered what industry buyers really think of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week (RAFW)? Here Roslyn Wright, head buyer for online boutique Frockaholics, offers her thoughts on the fifth and final day of RAFW 2011.
9:00am: After an absence of five years, Toni Maticevski is back and makes hearts stop at his spring/summer show this morning. This season sees references to Helmut Newton – strong simple shapes, bold and clear statements with texture being the focus. The general consensus is the collection is breathtaking. With a combination of sand wash silks, pleated chiffon, supple wool blends, sequin details, feathers and much more, Maticevski's return to RAFW has definitely been noticed.
10:00am: We pop into Alice McCall to follow up her delightful parade entitled 'The Dansant'. To quote McCall, her collection this season 'displays a soft palette with a great impact, tailoring her ever so youthful girl into a decadent modern Victorian Tea Dancer'. We love the pretty picnic dresses and the Dime A Dozen necklace made with moulded resin and designed by Alice's mother.
10:50am: At Lisa Maree's 'Under My Skin' swimwear and resort collection we watch models parade down the runway to 'I'm a slave for you'. The theme has us thinking animal kingdom as the range is full of alligator prints and snake skin with an array of crochet bikinis and colour blocking throughout the prints.
11:00am: We catch up with the Camilla and Marc girls. We acknowledge their gracious attention to guests at their parade and place an order on the Cruise 2011 collection. We particularly love the Supremacy Frock in black and admire the bold block colour statement pieces and the neon touches.
12:15pm: A visit to Flannel. Fabrics used include organic cotton, silk and lace appliqué combinations for daywear as well as a unique Japanese print. Worthy of a special mention is the ivory silk pin tuck-effect dress with soft raw edges, a sublime romantic concoction.
1:00pm: We drop by Hussy. Classic neutrals such as dove grey and dusty nude allow for a clean aesthetic highlighting complex detailing. Acid wash colours highlight and modernise the collection in lemoncello, emerald and electric pink. Provocative silhouettes accentuate the female curve with an accent of '70s Glamour. We especially loves the Dandelion Jumpsuit.
1:45pm: We race to check out a new little label for Frockaholics this summer called Marvin. Based in Melbourne, the label is a new collaboration by designers Melody Hasse and Liza Rowe who have very significant design experience. The collection is extremely wearable and features impeccable fits, exclusive digital prints and luxurious fabrics in rich colours, all while maintaining a highly competitive price tag.
2:30pm: We fit in one final buy on the way out of Sydney for some accessories. Collezione Alessandro's collection, designed and made in Italy, incorporates metal and leather belts perfect for all those summer frocks and jumpsuits along with colourful bauble necklaces and bracelets. There are beautiful hammered silver pendants on leather and silver chains. They perfectly complement the upcoming summer.
And so another marathon fashion week draws to a close. It has been a great team effort covering so many shows and buys. Like everyone else we are exhausted but its still with excitement that we have spotted emerging new talent, or indeed consolidated our relationship with existing established labels. Unfortunately we couldn't cover everyone....but hey we did have a good stab at it!