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Alannah Hill @ Melbourne Fashion Festival 2003

By ROSIE MIREAUX

Melbourne's annual fashion festival brings together the best of the Australian design fraternity, and 2003 offered a glimpse of this winters ready-to-wear collections.

The verdict? Australian designers are very much on level ground with the European fashion houses... Who needs Paris when you have the L'Oreal Fashion Festival on your doorstep?

A Melbourne icon, Alannah Hill embodies this contemporary style, which the Euro's pride themselves with, yet at the same, there's a very distinct Australian approach to her clothes.

Alannah Hill's reputation for putting on a good show is almost legendary and she did not disappoint at this year's festival. Famous faces such as Heath Ledger were there, looking on in awe, as was girlfriend Naomi Watts. Alyssa Sutherland, the face of the 2003 L'Oreal Festival, made her presence felt on the catwalk, and got to wear some of the more vibrant and showy designs.

To begin with, the eclectic mixture of poodles, dancing girls, giant balloons, oversized scarves, more dancing girls and Chinese parasols - plus some very sheer clothing - would be more than enough to pique the interest of the average Aussie Joe, let alone the classic Alannah acolyte.

While the show was very entertaining, it was the ensembles that held centre stage. Lace and stretch tulle - with and without underwear - was in plentiful supply for casual, formal and lingerie.

As is Alannah Hill's style, it was teemed with anything from soft-knits and flirty georgette skirts to tailored suits, the end result being a versatile collaboration of fabric that was ultimately wearable.

Unlike her previous outings, sequins didn't dominate Hill's designs, though they were not completely devoid of the shiny little blighters either.

This year she relied more on texture than sparkle, the culmination of which was no less dazzling. Likewise, the theme of mixed textures played a large role in her parade.

She also showed off beautiful 1930s inspired suits, with skirts flowering out at the knee, in pink and brown wools, pants suits of brown pinstripe and pink velvet, all wanting to be touched as much as worn.

Alannah Hill's trademark colours were on show, consisting of soft reds, browns, sage green, dusty pinks, with hints crimson, ivory and blues of varying shades, not to mention light aqua in abundance.

While the crowd was responsive as ever to Hill's 2003 winter showings, perhaps more due to the dancers than anyone else, it was her creativity that really carried the show.

With such fresh and vibrant designs, her ready-to-wear collections will influence many this winter, and we can't wait to see what she's got planned for the spring.

Links
2003 L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival
2002 Melbourne Fashion Festival