The trend at L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Week last month blends Parisian chic with a dash of Japanese, while along the way there was the Duchess of York (née Sarah Ferguson) and Kylie Minogue. Margaret Ambrose reports with her overview of the Australian autumn–winter

PHOTOGRAPHED BY POPE

THIS PAGE: Alannah Hill transports audiences to a fictional pretty Paris—as opposed to the real one.

N MARCH, a new adjective was added to the English language: Frapanese. It was borne out of L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Week, and if Australia’s leading designers are anything to go by, it describes what all the chic chicks will be wearing this autumn–winter. French with a touch of Japanese.
   The gorgeously exotic Regent Theatre was the perfect setting for the showcase of Australian fashion, which came as closer to haute couture than any previous fashion festival. For the first time, the exquisite fabrics and feminine lines genuinely took centre-stage, above the usual guest list of soapie stars, footballers and their plastic girlfriends and politicians. There was the presence of royalty, A-list Hollywood stars and fashion journalists from around the globe, who can be forgiven for thinking they never actually left Paris Fashion Week. Even the war was represented.
   Fashion Week really began with drama and flamboyance, as Alannah Hill sent out her team of dancing girls in girly chiffon skirts, sleek woollen dresses, and chord coats, all decorated with Hill’s trademark silk and rich embroidery. Pretty little cardigans, pom-pom scarves and straight Dietrich-style pants also featured.
   The audience was transported to Pretty Paris (that is, not the real Paris) as models wearing soft berets and carrying white, fluffy miniature dogs sacheted down the catwalk to soulful, French ditties.
   Leona Edminston stepped back in time to post-World War II Paris with a collection of figure-hugging jersey and wool pencil skirts and dresses, and chic little variations on the beret. Akira was classic Akira and had the crowd gob-smacked with his fragile, flowing silk fabrics with a strong oriental influence.

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For the first time, the exquisite fabrics and feminine lines genuinely took centre-stage, above the usual guest list of soapie stars, footballers and their plastic girlfriends and politicians