Rosemount Australian Fashion Week - Day Three

Well here we are.....at the end of another exciting and very long day at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week! The day started nice and EARLY with a cup of hot water and lemon to cleanse the sytem and a gorgeous hot shower to wake the body and get us moving to our first stop in Surry Hills to view the new LifewithBird range for summer. Loved it! Luckily we stumbled across a great cafe called Bill's.... which turned into yummy Organic Scrambled Eggs on Sourdough Bread (Bill's specialty) for Princess D and a Bircher Muesli with Honey and Strawberries for Princess J. Delicious! Oh and of course coffees - soy cap and skinny cap! We later discovered that Bill Granger is a very well know restauranteur and people around the world have been known to wait 3 hours for a table at one of his restaurants. The Princesses sure know how to pick 'em - we can sniff out delicious food a mile away!

Next we took the long way back to RAFW central, as we had a little time for a spot of shopping....We couldn't let a spare moment pass us by...could we? Anyway Elissa Coleman for summer 10/11 was next and we loved it. Beautiful plain and printed silks in exquisite colours, we haven't even had a winter season yet and we are already looking forward to summer fashion! Crazy!

Our next parade was back at the OPT for the Men's and Women's Ready to Wear Collection. We got to view the debut collection from last year's Project Runway winner, Anthony Capon. It was a packed house and a great show by all the designers involved. We also got to see some gorgeous male models walking down the runway for a pleasant change!

Hunting down a seat and a quick snack was next on the agenda....this lead us to a chance meeting with another on-line boutique owner, Sarah from Beginning Boutique! We chatted for ages as we had a lot in common and many stories to share. We had plenty of time to chat as we were in the line-up for the Nookie parade which ran almost an hour late which seems to be a common occurence during any Fashion Week. It was a fantastic parade and well worth the wait! It was however a mad rush out of there to our next appointment to view the Rachel Gilbert range for summer. Absolutely stunning is all we will say about these gorgeous dresses which will add a glamourous touch to the designers we have available at Style Palace.

Our last stop for the day was to the Ivy Pool Club for the Nookie After Party. What a stunning venue on the 4th floor of 320 George St. It is centred around a huge turquoise coloured pool which looks absolutely amazing, a super stylish spot! Unfortunately instead of being thirsty we were hungry and lucky for us there was a sushi train on Level 1. All you can eat and we ate all we could!

Back to the Westin and here we are looking around our hotel room and wondering how we are going to pack all this stuff back into the same bags we brought them in! We are also laughing at the fact we haven't needed to wear even half of it! How does this happen when we had carefully planned and styled an outfit for each day? Our theory is fashion can't be planned all the time and your inspiration has to come to you spontaneously from within!

Enjoy the day's pics.....plenty more to come!

With love from your SP Princesses xx (obsessed with all things resembling designer clothes and shoes!) xx zzzzzz Princess D is snoring in style already! Sweet dreams.

Project Runway Australia judge, Sarah Gale chats to Style Palace - Part 2 ...

International fashionista, trend forecaster and Project Runway judge Sarah Gale chats to Style Palace about fabulous fashion, emerging trends and her thoughts on what makes a great designer. This is the second part of the interview - click here to see part one.

In her role as a judge on Arena’s hit reality show Project Runway, Sarah has the opportunity to mentor emerging designers and says the key to success as a designer is a strong signature style, an understanding of their market and the business savvy to build their brand in the competitive world of Australian fashion. Encouragingly Sarah says the Australian fashion industry has become more and more supportive of emerging designers as individualism in style has become more in vogue.

Sarah says that a burning desire to design and a passion for what they do will often be the characteristics that are immediately evident in an exciting new designer however working with designers through the show as they move through various challenges and present their designs will demonstrate their creativity and flair as well as how well their style fits that of their customer.

While Sarah says it’s difficult to pick a front runner for the winner of this season of Project Runway she says each designer has a very strong signature style. Like the winner of Season 1, Julie, this season’s winner will be chosen for the culmination of the strength of their style, demonstration of their commercial ability, their adaptability of the challenges to suit the market requirements and the creativity of their final collection.

When not buying for clients or mentoring emerging designers where does this jet-setting fashionista like to shop? Sarah says she relishes the chance to enjoy a shopping experience for herself and loves to enjoy her time of browsing the shops with girlfriends. With her busy schedule Sarah also loves the convenience of online shopping and applauds the commitment of boutiques such as Style Palace who support Australian fashion.

Melbourne based Sarah spends much of her life in the worlds largest and most vibrant city centres so when given the opportunity she loves to take the opportunity to get close to nature cherishes walking in the bush as one of her favoured past times. And, with so much travel as part her day to day life Sarah prefers to holiday closer to home, with the relaxed atmosphere of Queensland’s Port Douglas and the remote Kakadu National Park among her favourite holiday destinations.

For this busy mother of two, life is a whirlwind of the glamour of the fashion world and international travel, the dedication and commitment to making her business a success and her passion for nurturing the future of Australian fashion.

Style Palace expects to see a lot more of Sarah Gale in the years to come!

For fans of Project Runway, Arena’s hit reality series has now strutted onto the smallest screen thanks to 3 mobile. Fashionistas can catch their favourite Project Runway episodes, weekly designs, highlights and previews on 3’s mobile TV the day after broadcast - from as little as 50c on 3’s Mobile TV. There’s no excuse to be a fashion victim with commentary and critique available from Leigh Buchanan at www.three.com.au/runway

Project Runway Australia judge, Sarah Gale chats to Style Palace ...

International fashionista, trend forecaster and Project Runway judge Sarah Gale chats to Style Palace about fabulous fashion, emerging trends and her thoughts on what makes a great designer. This is the first of a two part interview - check back soon to see the second part of the interview.

Following a successful career as a buyer for some of Australia’s leading fashion labels, Sarah opened shop as an independent fashion consultant over two years ago and has not looked back. Today, Sarah travels the world, from the USA and Japan to the UK and Europe, identifying the latest in fashion trends, as a range buyer and consultant.

Through her work, Sarah’s focus and passion is introducing international trends to the Australian consumer, specifically looking at what’s coming onto the market in high-end fashion and how and when these trends will best adapt to the Australian market. If you’ve bought an item of clothing in Australian retail stores lately, Sarah has probably put it there.

Sarah is passionate about the future of Australian fashion and has seen the buying public become more and more open to new trends over the past five years, resulting in an exciting blend of styles emerging.

In the coming seasons Sarah anticipates we will see more architectural elegance in Australian fashion as basic shapes and silhouettes take on a new dimension. Blending with the feminine feel we have seen in past years Sarah anticipates the introduction of a more androgynous strength in women’s clothing. Sarah describes the coming trend as ‘Jungle Goddess’ – and expects to see a stunning strength of character with strong, powerful lines blending with feminine dimensions.

Sarah envisions a style where a basic shift dress will no longer be just that but rather a surprising blend of diverse styles. Expect to see the introduction of strong lines in shoulders and seams contrasting with nips, tucks and curves to create feminine shapes.

When it comes to the fashionista tag Sarah believes being a true fashionista is not about buying the latest from top designers but rather creating your own individual blend from a range of different styles - which becomes your signature style, your own personal statement.

A passionate supporter of individualism in fashion, Sarah believes ‘individualism is the new black’. Sharing her excitement for the future of Australian fashion, Sarah looks forward to seeing more blended styles and unique pieces as consumers become more and more open to ‘newness’ and designers are encouraged to explore their signature style. This heralds exciting times ahead for Australia fashionistas!

For fans of Project Runway, Arena’s hit reality series has now strutted onto the smallest screen thanks to 3 mobile. Fashionistas can catch their favourite Project Runway episodes, weekly designs, highlights and previews on 3’s mobile TV the day after broadcast - from as little as 50c on 3’s Mobile TV. There’s no excuse to be a fashion victim with commentary and critique available from Leigh Buchanan at www.three.com.au/runway