The Week Was In Fashion

Yes, folks it’s that breathlessly exciting time of year when ardent fashionistas blinkingly wake from winter hibernation, dust off the disillusionment of seeing once-shiny-and-new clothes crammed on to sale racks and start gleefully devouring Next Season’s Trends (yes… capitals: it’s that important).

Pushing us onwards and upwards towards a new season of manic shopping are our favourite, warring department stores, Myer and David Jones. Like identical twin sisters vying for the same man’s attention, we were treated to the best each had to offer in beauty, style, panache and general over-the-top great treatment.

First off the mark was DJs. Having gracefully recovered from last year’s messy break-up with CEO Mark McInnes, DJs was aiming for a delightful, scandal-free date with her admirers. And scandal-free and delightful it was… *yawn* Block colours, white teadresses, lace, and the odd bit of safari and animal print seemed to be the order of the day, with lashings of high-waisted, 50s style bikinis from Isola (Megan Gale's label) and some James Bond-inspired swimsuits from Jets thrown in for good measure.

While the sequins and beaded embellishments from Camilla and tribal queens from Romance Was Born provided points of interest, these were few and far between on a runway that was more about the faces (and breastfeeding breasts, let’s be honest) than the clothes.

Wearable? Absolutely. Exciting and pioneering… Perhaps less so. DJs is probably the girl you take home to meet mum, because you know she’ll look nice.

Having snatched sass & bide from DJs' wardrobe earlier this year, Myer sent a strong signal to her rival that she was ready to wage fashion-warfare. No more Miss Nice Girl, Myer dazzled with a cacophony of colour and gleaming beading that was wholly Australian in tone: burnt orange, warm pinks and dialed-up neutrals from sass & bide opened the show, with Myer’s face, Jennifer Hawkins, radiantly trotting down the runway in lively prints from her Cozi swimsuit collection.

Sharp loungewear, a bit of safari suiting for good measure and loads of silver beading ensured there will be no effort gliding from office to beach to cocktail hour in stand-out ensembles.

Myer's Spring/Summer 2012 is the girl you take home if your mum likes her girls sassy and vibrant.

In other fashion news: bright citrus tones appeared on the 2011 Teen Choice Award red carpet (big nod to Blake Lively, shake of the head to bumble-bee superhero Tyra Banks);

Kate Moss extended Mosstock celebrations from her wedding in the UK a few weeks ago to Splendour here in Oz to the cover of Vogue USA’s September issue;

Dianne Agron cut her hair and Christian Louboutin lost its battle with YSL over who owns red soles.