It is always a wonderful thing to be a part of the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week. All the fantastic fashion gossip, the crazy fashionistas and the gorgeous back drop of Sydney. This year, the 15th anniversary saw a few interesting things happen, Simon Locke stepped down as managing director of IMG fashion for the Asia-Pacific, the two venue situation stayed in place and the bloggers took over.

A number of distinct trends emerged this week. White has made a definite comeback. Ocean blue can be seen on everything from dresses to tee shirts. Super high, gorgeous heels were everywhere. And a general feeling of girlyness prevailed.

There are some amazing independent fashion labels in Australia that show every year at RAFW. This year was no exception. There were also some amazing standout productions including:

Zambesi
This Kiwi label has always been on e of my favourites. This year their show was a return to their New Zealand roots. The female models had stoles that looked like sheep tossed over their fantastic ensembles and the males all wore straw hats. I have to say the mens collection was my favourite. The use of lace and linen, the tailoring and the overall shape was plainly to die for. Even though this show was my second show of the week, it was still the stand out mens show for me.

Gary Yang Collections
It’s no secret that Gary Yang is one of my favourite designers. I wore two of his fantastic dresses from his current collections this week. His Summer collection was a feast of pastel feminine creations. Every look was so gorgeous that they would make any girl feel like a princess. I love his use of silk, and his architectural background means that every garment is constructed with the utmost care.

Sally Koeswanto
This was my first encounter with Ms Koeswanto’s designs. I was blown away by the patterns and draping of each garment. There were animal prints with black fringe draping, black leather and harnesses. Absolute fierceness.

Miss Unkon
This production of total girlyness was the highlight of my week. I adored this designers collaboration with Levis and all the beautiful ruffles and flowers on both the jeans and her dresses. I could almost hear the sighs of pleasure from the audience as each piece came down the runway. Pastels and ruffles rule.

Roopa Pemmaraju
This was the first year that I attended the group swimwear show at RAFW. So, it was with much trepidation that I attended this show. I have to say I’m not a fan of Aussie swimwear but Roopa Pemmaraju absolutely made my Friday. Her beautiful kaftans were what every Aussie beach girl needs to go from the Beach to the Bar. I especially loved the beautiful hand beading and the texture of the silk. I was never big on caftans but these pieces made me want to own one.

What a great 15th anniversary for Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2010. And what a wonderful summer of fashion Australia has to look forward to.

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Featured Contributor: Lenya Jones

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