Last fall saw a display of purples to liven up the usual expectant palette of blacks and grays that typically come with winter fashion. This year we saw an assortment of designers infuse some vibrant shades of orange instead. While some stuck to more subtle and lighter shades, others chose to overwhelm us for a more daring and intense effect. The boldness and unexpected plash in each collection was a welcome surprise amongst the nude shades and dull charcoals.

Focusing on one of our own, day one saw an Australian favourite sass & bide present her winter warrior. She had however changed dramatically with this collection: gone was the fierce and dark heavily embellished warrior. She had traded all things metal for an assortment of feathers and a tribal feel. She had tossed aside the fitted attire for more loose-fitting pieces, which saw a reliance on accessories and was an unusual change.  The bright (and kind of amazing) shoes sometimes took away from the outfit and if that didn’t momentarily distract you from her then the bizarre choice of headgear did. While the styles were nothing that took your breath away, the colours and busy prints did their job to make up for it. This seasons sass & bide girl was more in touch with her spiritual side: she gave reason to hang onto the feathered accessories one season longer.

Burberry was a pleasure to watch as they paraded their signature coats. Not only did they prove once again that every lady needs a Burberry as a winter staple, but they showed that the Burberry woman had many different looks to play with. The block colours leave room for you to spin your own sense of style.

Issa London worked the story well and her collection flowed fluently. Sure it’s getting cooler, but that didn’t stop her from effortlessly injecting sex into her pieces. Adding a cheeky cut-out with an addition of plunging neckline here or a discreet split there. Colder weather didn’t equate to to the creation of boring pieces in her case.

Holly Fulton, it seems you shunned the stereotypical colours everyone opted for and did your own thing. I could rant about each piece but instead I would like to say thank you for keeping me captivated with your story… The digital prints were gorgeous making the pieces busy enough to speak for themselves without calling upon the aid of accessories. The attention to detail and the balance of design vs. digital print worked seamlessly. Holly’s collection screamed luxury, which is everything one could want no matter what season the year.

And if you had assumed no one spared a thought for all the ladies yearning for light and delicate pieces with no regard for the temperature outside then think again. Antonio Berardi had the broadest collection so it was no surprise that his collection would have something that appealed to everyone.

by Christie Mekhael