FASHION stalwart Charlie Brown was feeling a little like an extra from the TV series Prison Break last week as she launched her new spring/summer collection outside the Fashion Week lock-up.
The event escapee - legendary for bringing international glamour to her fashion shows with a slew of big-name models including Sophie Dahl, Jerry Hall and Linda Evangelista - decided she could not bend over backwards'' far enough to suit organisers of the annual frock fest.
Instead, Brown launched her spring/summer '08 collection over a low-key lunch in Paddington.
Inspired by the fashion styles that you once nicked from your mother's wardrobe, Brown's Young Glamour, Old Money collection further solidifies her reputation as a designer of stylish mass-appeal fashion.
Floor-skimming patio dresses in a range of prints, from peacock designs to metallics, Mod-infused jungle prints and stark black and whites, are mixed with short flirty dresses, tops, pants and jackets in cotton sateens, silks and cotton jersey - fabric that sell well for me'', says the no-nonsense Brown.
This year's collection has been modelled to keen effect by Sophie Ward, sister of superstar model Gemma Ward.
Brown says she has happily traded the clamour of Fashion Week for the launch this Tuesday of her new Queen Victoria Building boutique.
Brown has been absent from the landmark building and shopping hub for about 15 years and sees the new opening as something of a homecoming.
IT might feel like you are wrestling a python, but designer Bron Lowenthal's 3m-long cross-cable Maxi scarf (which weighs in at 1kg) is a show-stopping winter accessory.
So much so that Collette Dinnigan featured the quirky scarves alongside Lowenthal's berets and traditional tweed flatcaps in her recent Paris fashion show.
London-based Tasmanian Lowenthal has had more success abroad than at home, selling her Lowie line in more than 60 stores worldwide, including Selfridges in London and Le Bon Marche in Paris.
She has only just secured distribution in Australia.
In keeping with this season's demand for '80s-inspired accessories, Lowie's collection features hand-knitted mohair and lace-trimmed arm-warmers and knee-high socks in muted tones of grey, black and cream as well as vintage-inspired berets and beanies, fingerless gloves and mittens.
For stockists, call 0414 314 396.
A GOOD denim skirt skates a fine line.
A little bit naughty is OK, but when you've bypassed grubby glam and are careening towards the trailer park it's time to grab a refit.
With an eye to creating a skirt for girls who want a little bit of grit without forsaking their morals, Sydney girl Debbie Paltos has styled her Debbie Does collection around the perennial denim skirt, focusing on a flattering cut and a hemline long enough to hide your undies.
Australian-made in Italian denim, the skirts are named after fashion-inspired women: black Bettie after '50s pin-up goddess Bettie Page, dark vintage-blue Iris after Jodie Foster's character in Taxi Driver, and mid-blue Leia, as in the Star Wars princess.
Debbie Does must be doing something right because it has just been picked up by one of Sydney's leading denim stores, DPO - the first Australian denim label to be stocked there. Call 0425 328 942.
SYDNEY is obsessed with seasonal styles, but one boutique fashion range is intent on transcending fickle fashion fads.
Sydney designers Victoria Richards and Jay Oates have launched CROS (Come Rain or Shine), featuring skirts, dresses, tops, Eastern-style pants and kaftans in light-weight cottons and silks.
The bohemian-inspired collection features simple designs that suit work or casual weekend wear.
The diffusion line is linked to a home-wares range that includes pretty hand-detailed towel skirts, picnic rugs made from vintage fabrics and beach rugs.
Call 0425 292 304 for stockists.
Melissa Hoyer is on leave, but weill be back next week to give her Fashion Week verdict
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