From the word go the clothing on the catwalk had everyone’s undivided attention. So daring, colourful, and totally over the top! A collection aimed at the young, creative and arty fashionista who wants to stand out in a crowd.

The ensembles were deliciously vibrant and even psychedelic at times. A strong flavour of 70’s fashion ran throughout the collection and I was surprised by how much I loved it. I’m not usually enamored with the modern earthy interpretation of 70’s hippie styling, but pop those same silhouettes into rich fabrics and bright happy colours and it completely changes the mood.

Custo Barcelona represented every colour in his collection: neon pink, purple, fuchsia, turquoise, citron, bright orange, all sorts of blues and greens and hints of pastel shades too. You name the colour and I’m sure we saw it. There was an extreme mix of patterns too. Bold stripes were worn with tie dye, brocade, ditsy florals and patchwork. Throw in lace, feather trims, beading, piping and bows and you’ve got a lot of energy in one outfit.

Silhouettes were both form fitting and voluminous. In true 70’s style there were bell bottoms, empire cuts, maxi dresses, hoods, halter necks and tunics. But true to what we’re seeing in the 00’s there were loads of raised hemlines, short-shorts, cropped tailored jackets, leggings and harem pants.

Even though each outfit was a million things going on at once, it somehow worked. I’m a less-is-more kind of a style gal, but found each outfit flattering and festive. The matching shoes and handbags were equally divine, as were the sunglasses and hairstyles of the models.

The ensembles were a little out there, but this range was really fun to watch from start to finish. And if you were to match one of his collection items with a pair of jeans and great shoes, it would probably become a lot more wearable in real life.

My feet were still sore from yesterday’s unexpected shoe challenge with my much loved red Kate Spade pumps, so the only shoes that I could comfortably manage were my low heeled, nude Fidji mary janes. Thank goodness I brought them along.

It rained most of the day and was a little nippy too, so I opted for a smart casual outfit. This also worked best with the Fidjis. After a necessary colour fix for Day 3, I opted for a neutral outfit of black, cream and denim with a bright handbag. I matched straight leg jeans with a denim shirt, a sharp shouldered black boyfriend blazer, delicate layers of vintage pearls and Ms. Valentino. I also chose my more strict looking specs. I quite like a strict, no-nonsense look from time to time.

The denim on denim trend is quite the acquired taste, but one I do fancy and enjoy wearing. Greg loved this outfit too. I’m beginning to think that he prefers me in neutrals! He said I looked like an experienced fashion executive who didn’t need to prove anything. I understood what he meant 100% because the flavour of this practical outfit reminds of what I would wear as a fashion buyer in more casual situations. My better half’s commentary on my daily fashion week outfits are becoming the best part of the day!

I sat in the front row for this show and had just about the best seat in the house. To say that my show experience was fabulous is an understatement. Greg had an excellent position at the end of the runway and was able to get full length shots of the models outfits. We felt like Fashion Week royalty.

First, a confession: I only recently found out that Thuy is pronounced “Two-ee”  and not “Thigh”. Never too old to learn I guess! We covered Thuy’s show in February’s Fashion Week and I loved the Fall ensembles in that collection. The Spring collection was just as fab, making it my second favorite show thus far.

The colours were right up my alley and I’m already seeing a common palette for Spring 2011: lots of off-white, beige, light grey and tan matched with brights like deep purple, citron, coral and tomato red. Overall, there has been very little back. Don’t know if that’s good or bad. I’m going to go with good!

Thuy’s Spring collection was a mixture of retro glam and crisp modern fun. I saw design elements of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s working in close harmony with very “now” items like harem pants and cage heels. The designer showed short flirty full circle skirts, which are breezy and  feminine albeit a little hard to wear. There were form fitting, colour blocked mini dresses aplenty, together with more voluminous sack styles and slip dresses — many with curved hems and exposed back zippers.

My favorite part of Thuy’s collection was her assortment of cheeky, boxy, cropped jackets. After a few season’s of longish boyfriend blazers, I’m ready to wear my jackets a little shorter. I loved the deep purple jacket shown on the model below. It had a back flounce and buckle detail that was absolutely divine, while the front was tailored. I want one of those now. I also loved the  unstructured 40’s inspired shimmery coral jacket that looks like something Grace Kelly would wear. I’ll take one of those too.

The fabrics were AMAZING and I could see them all up close. Along with all sorts of soft flowing silks and chiffons, Thuy showed what looked like rigid basket linens, shimmery satins and glittery square weaves. The show stopper was incredible. It was a multi coloured mod dress made up of three dimensional ribboned and sequined daisies. What a happy and fun frock. I couldn’t help but smile as the model came down the runway wearing that outfit.

All in all, a personally inspiring collection. I adored the colours, the voluminous styling, the retro flavour and the touch of glamour. I wonder how many of you will be rethinking harem pants by the time Spring comes around. I will definitely be looking for a second pair in a lighter colour.

This is the first time that I’ve seen this collection and the name of the label is cool in itself. “Mik Cire” is the designer Eric Kim’s name spelled backwards.

This show had an usually high percentage of men in the audience because it was a menswear fashion show. I don’t know which was more entertaining, the runway show, or the style of its attendees. It was extremely fun watching the men stroll through to their seats in their creative, avant-garde and daring outfits. One of the fit looking gents in the audience was covered in body art from the waist up, so he merely attached a pair of braces to his slacks and that was that. His colourful naked body was his top.

I really enjoyed Eric Kim’s collection. It was full off cropped harem pants and clamdiggers — definitely not a mainstream look but completely wearable for hip and fashion forward blokes. Tapered elbow length sleeved T’s, sleek leather jackets, waistcoats, and beanies were strong.The feeling of the outfits were both casual and tailored. Love that look on men! The palette of the collection was great too: black, grey, off white, olive and deep red.

I can easily see Eric Kim’s styles being adapted to mainstream fashion. I’m not going to get Greg into knee length harem pants, but he happily wears fairly refined knee length shorts. A great look.