Fashion Designers

See through clothing, shorter hem lines and contrasting colours. It’s all about fashion when we head into the hot sizzling season of summer here in Australia. The latest fashion trends and women’s seasonal styles are often defined by celebrities. And the fact of the matter is, celebrities are often dressed by renowned fashion designers.

So for the aspiring fashionistas who want to dress like the Kate Moss and Paris Hilton, perhaps it’s time to take a step back and see the bigger picture – the bigger picture of the entire fashion world. It’s all about taking ideas from the fashion designers and being unique and comfortable in your personal fashion sense.



Chanel is one of the best known and renowned fashion brands in the fashion and haute couture world. The brand started off with a no-nonsense approach to fashion. The designs were produced for women to feel comfortable and look dignified. This has since been transformed into a classic, tailored style. The trademark can be seen in Chanel’s read-to-wear range, where the tailored-at-the-waist cardigan jacket is most popular and most copied. The evening wear and formal collection of Chanel tends to have an understated sex appeal, not blatantly revealing, yet exudes luxury, feminism and delicateness.

Escada is known for its clean, sleek and sophisticated look. The Escada fashion collection, spearheaded by Margarethe Ley, is known for innovative fabric and colour combinations. This appeals to the slightly more daring and makes for unique fashion statements that stand out. Escada is all about creativity in fashion, and their use of the most updated technology in creating fashion is testament to that fact.

Prada wraps old-world Italian luxury into a new world fashion design. It is innovative yet classic, understated yet unique. Its upside down triangle symbol is now famous in the fashion circles and fashionistas sporting Prada accessories are indeed in a league of their own. Their fashion line for women have been created from a careful eye to detail and a deliberate study of fashion trends and styles.

Just a reminder! All of d'Italia's fabric is imported directly from Italy and comes from the same manufacturing houses that provide for designer labels like Prada, Gucci, Escada and Armani. d’Italia boasts a range of material and fabric that are often used for the creation of uniquely tailored evening wear, bridal wear and professional wear.

We're open six days a week, located at 61 Glenferrie Road, Malvern, Victoria. Australian tailor and seamstress services should be booked in advance (especially for wedding couture). More information can be found at: www.ditalia.com.au

Spring Racing Carnival 2008

Melbourne's Spring Racing Carnival 2008 has officially kicked off here in Australia! Thus starts a period of exciting horse races, betting frenzy and of course, beautiful fashion fiestas.

This year, d'Italia has been at the forefront of the fashion phenomenon . We've had the privilege of assisting many ladies with choosing the right fabric for the creation of unique and innovative race wear.



Looking back over the years, we are amazed at the various fashion trends that have surfaced, especially around the Spring Racing Carnival season. Since we hand-pick seasonal fabric every few weeks and import them directly from Europe, we are able to provide the up and coming fashionistas with the best in quality and design.

Summer Fashion!

Spring and summer are traditionally the seasons for bright colours and interesting designs in the fashion world. With local, fashion-centred events like the Melbourne Cup spring racing carnival and the Brownlow Awards, fashion designers certainly have their hands full.

As we continue to enjoy the bright, floral prints of spring, summer styles and fashion designs are in the works. This year’s summer styles are promoting silky satins and sheers against wispy fabrics and materials. The metallics which have been so popular this Spring will continue to be used in many designs throughout the summer months.



So what does this mean for us women? Whether you are looking forward to spring weddings, summer parties or Christmas celebrations, there is always a reason for a new piece of clothing! This year, with the many available designs, styles and colours that are in trend, having a dress tailor-made would be the best way to make the most of the beautiful fashion styles around.



Silk satins, dupions, voiles, georgettes and chiffons are perfect for wedding dresses and bridal wear. If you are planning on attending a wedding this spring and summer, having a dress made in these fabrics will have you looking and feeling great on that special day.

Silk satins and chiffon can also be interlaced to create the wispy fabric styles that are looking so trendy this summer. The materials are light and airy enough to provide comfort on warmer days. They can also be layered to create interesting colour combinations that will accentuate a pretty design.

Wherever you are and whatever you are looking forward to this season, check out some designs and spoil yourself with a tailor made dress!

Project Runway Australia

So the first (and so far only) season of Project Runway Australia has ended. A big Congratulations goes to Julijana Grbac of Brisbane!

The show has been highly popular, with millions of local viewers tuning in weekly to see the next aspiring fashion designer get booted off the show. Project Runway Australia follows the very successful original Project Runway in America. Twelve contestants are chosen to compete for $100,000 that goes towards creating a collection for Melbourne Fashion Week, a six-page spread in Madison magazine and a car.

In Australia, the show was judged by Sarah Gale and Jayson Brunsdon. Gale, a fashion buyer and trend forecaster, is a regular speaker at the Melbourne School of Fashion. Renowned fashion designer Brunsdon has over a hundred shops around the world, and has dressed many celebrities including Linda Evangelista and Princess Mary.

Both of the hosts had good chemistry on the show, and their judging criteria complimented each other well. Gale critiqued based on the commercial viability of the designs, while Brunsdon gave his opinions based on the survivability of the design in today’s fashion world.

Being the first season in Australia, Project Runway is expected to create a second season following its great success locally.

d’Italia had the privilege of providing fabric to Petrova Hammond, one of the Top 3 Finalists of Project Runway Australia. Petrova used d’Italia’s material for some of her designs in the show. Hammond sourced a range of Prada metallic suiting from the shop, which she tailored into a slim-line pant and mini skirt for the show.

Her collection also showcased her talented use of colour combinations, where she used a purple/green mixture and an orange/charcoal arrangement of Gucci silk chiffon ombre material from d’Italia. Petrova's work on PRA was a crowd favourite, and she is renowned for unique designs and innovative use of colour.

d’Italia is currently displaying Petrova’s orange/charcoal silk combination in-store, and has a new and extensive range of summer and spring designs.

Suits and Professional Business Wear

Many a young woman often spends her first paycheque on work clothes, only to be disappointed with ill-fitting, low-quality business suits and office wear. Given the design of suits in general, it is often not easy to find a perfect fit in off-the-shelf clothing. Additionally, well tailored suits from designer labels like Armani, Hugo Boss, Versace and Prada are worth thousands of dollars.

Wearing a business suit is often inevitable for the working woman. But wearing a low-quality and unfashionable suit does not need to be the status quo for much longer. It is possible for a woman to be successful, stylish and smart.



Being Successful:
Being professional and dressing professionally are interrelated, and an ill-fitting suit often reflects poorly on the working woman. Tailored business suits can make a huge difference in the look of the woman. Having a suit made that shapes the body well and accentuates the figure is vital in bringing professionalism to a higher level.

Being Stylish:
Despite the widely-held notion that business suits are boring, fashion styles in suits do vary from season to season. Having a suit tailored can also help in keeping up to date on latest trends, while having the option and flexibility to tailor the design to one’s own style.

Being Smart:
Choosing the right fabric and material to make a suit is as important as the design and the fit. High quality fabric means that suits can be cleaned without fear of it shrinking or deforming in the wash. Good material also highlights the professionalism of the look of the suit. Choosing smartly when obtaining fabric for making a suit is vital.

*d'Italia's fabrics come from the same manufacturing houses that provide for designer labels like Prada, Gucci, Escada and Armani.

Wedding Fashion!

The most important aspect of the wedding is the bridal wear – the gown for the bride, dresses for the bridesmaid and mothers of the bride and groom, and the suits for the groom and bestmen. The number of fashion options available for wedding and bridal couture is endless, and the task of choosing the right styles can be daunting.

While off-the-shelf wedding dresses are often easy to find and purchase, the fit is rarely perfect. Therefore, the best advice for a bride-to-be is to have a dress tailor-made. Standard wedding dress materials include silk, chiffons, georgettes and laces (for accessories).

To look good is to feel good, and so the right match of material and style is important. We strongly recommend a visit to some top-end bridal boutiques to try on different styles before visiting the fabric store, for the following reasons:

• to be sure that the style you had in mind does in fact suit your body shape
• in case you might see some other styles you had not considered, which you should try on in case you end up liking them better
• to compare the feel of different types of fabrics, such as soft, flowing crepe satins or stiffer, firmer dupion or duchess satins
• to literally move - and we mean MOVE!- around in the styles to be sure you will be comfortable sitting, dancing, getting in and out of cars, etc...this is most important
• to experience what it is like to wear different lengths of trains, as you may decide afterwards that you would prefer not to have one at all
• to see what different shades of traditional bridal colours actually look like on your skin - such as white, silk white, ivory, champagne, oyster, etc.

Hubpages

A great website for sharing information and creating simple, individual websites is Hubpages.

Check out a few I've made:

• Looking Fashionably Unique
• Melbourne Cup Fashion
• How To Dress In Style This Spring
• Advice on Wedding Dresses and Bridal Fashion

Remember to leave comments and answer the poll!

Fashionable, Unique and Trendy

In a world that is continually changing and moving at a rapid pace, one can only do so much to keep up with latest trends. From weddings to seasonal fashion periods like Australia’s Melbourne Cup Spring Racing Carnival, designs are constantly changing. In the fashion world, a style could be “in” for a period of time that lasts anywhere between a few years and a couple of months. The only constant about this world is that there is no constant!

Being unique can be a challenge. Therein lays a very fine line between standing out fashionably and being plain weird. So how can one ensure that being fashionably unique does not result in jeers, rolling of eyes and harsh criticism from the fashion world?

1. Be confident in yourself.
Let’s face it. Even A-list celebrities get criticised in the media every single day. Lindsay Lohan’s dress might be the talk of the town tonight, but tomorrow, if she puts on a daggy pair of jeans, she will still be slammed by the Hollywood fashion police.
Being confident can make up to 50% of the attractiveness of a person. How you carry yourself is almost equivalent to what you are wearing, if you pull it off with grace, posture and cool self-assuredness.

2. Check out trends and tailor them to your own style
Keeping an eye on trends in the fashion world does not necessarily mean having to buy every piece of designer wear that comes out in the market. If you find a design or style that you like, tailor it!
Dressmaking is not a very expensive or time-consuming thing to do. Tailored clothing ensures your uniqueness and gives you the opportunity to wear a piece of clothing that best fits your body, style and comfort.

3. Wear quality fabric
The quality of the clothing you wear plays a vital role in comfort, look and movability. Wearing all-natural types of fabric can assist in warming up winter nights, cooling down summer afternoons, and give you the freedom to move freely. Fabric like pure silk, wool and chiffon also reduces static and when made properly, falls on the body better. Remember, looking good is also about feeling good.

Facts About Silk

How does Italian silk differ from normal silk?

Italian silk is traditionally softer and shinier than silk produced from other countries. This can be attributed to the use of more advanced technology from the Europeans in the production of silk fabric. Additionally, the Italians customarily weave silk to produce fabrics that are used for European clothing manufacturers. Other countries tend to mass-produce silk to export to world markets.



Why is pure Italian silk better than other types of clothing fabric?

1. The cloth flows and sits better around your body
2. The cloth doesn’t create static electricity
3. The cloth always feels softer than synthetic fibre.


What is Italian silk mainly used for?
Italian silk is mainly used for luxury clothing brands. Most European designer brands prefer to use Italian silk.




Where do d’Italia’s products come from?

d’Italia’s silk fabric is imported to Australia directly from Europe. It comes from the same manufacturers who produce for designer labels like Armani, Gucci and Escada. New fabric is imported every season, to ensure that the latest designs are available in store.

d’Italia’s French lace is exclusively from top French lines, and is made-to-order. It comes only in small 4-5m lengths. All products that are beaded are hand-made.

Melbourne Cup Fashion

It is the race that stops a nation - the horse race AND the race to be the best dressed fashionista on the field.


The Melbourne Cup has traditionally been an “urban fashion parade”. It is an event where attendees arrive decked out in their most fashionable (and sometimes outrageously so) clothes. Top-of-the-range designer dresses and suits, exotic costumes, thousand-dollar hats and fascinators, diamond-encrusted stilettos... From celebrities to your next door neighbour, everyone is dressed to be noticed.

The first Melbourne Cup race was held in 1861. In its early days, the annual races were the very few places where upper-class society and the lower ranks met and socialised. The first Fashions on the Field competition was started more than forty years ago, as a publicity tool to attract more females to the racetracks. The races have now evolved to a full-fledged fashion fiesta, with international celebrities attending to judge the Fashions on the Field competitions.

The competitions are hotly contested every year – and it’s no surprise why. This year’s grand prize is a SAAB Convertible for a year, and two return trips to Dubai, flying Business Class with Emirates Airlines. The Melbourne Cup indeed involves much more than just a simple horse race.

To keep up with the culture of dressing to be seen, most racegoers have their clothing tailor-made. Australia boasts a range of tailors and seamstresses who specialise in racewear.

The Melbourne Cup Day Design Award – which honours the most outstanding racewear design – is a highly competitive and exclusive affair. It is an invitation-only event, and judging criteria include originality of style, matching of accessories, and appropriateness of the outfit to the weather, individual, and trends.



d’Italia has been a key partner to many Melbourne Cup fashionistas over the years. We have been providing Australian racegoers and award-winning seamstresses with high-quality, exclusive fabric for the creation of eye-catching Cup dresses.

The store currently offers an extensive range of designer fabric for racewear, from bright, bold prints to sleek, toned-down silk. A dressmaker referral service is also available for racegoers who have not found their own seamstress or tailor.

Our staff regularly work the fashion circles in Australia, and consistently provide ideal recommendations for the best fit and originality.

d’Italia is located at 61, Glenferrie Road, Malvern. More information can be found at www.ditalia.com.au.

Looking Slim and Attractive

Here's some good news for all those women out there who are in excruciating pain and muscle ache!

Did you know that women all over the world spend thousands of dollars every year on diets, weight-loss plans, and exercise programs? Up to 70% of the women in the world are not satisfied with their bodies, and the majority are desperate to shed kilos and look slimmer.



So why do millions of women want a body that less than 1% of the population can attain (and not without their fair share of starvation and exercise torture)? The answer is simple. Because that small minority of women who seem to have the “perfect figure” are models. Women who flaunt their bodies, wear the latest designer clothing, and show off millions of dollars worth of products as their career. Models simply look good because it is their job to do so. They are paid to be human clothes hangers.

For us ordinary women going about our daily grind in offices, homes and shops, looking good and feeling great should not be hard things to achieve. If models look good because of the clothes that they wear, then perhaps we should stop obsessing about that extra gram of fat, and start looking at how we can dress well, look good, and feel great.



Good clothing is made of fabric that is natural and comfortable against the skin. Good clothing consists of designs and styles that complement your body shape and your skin tone. Good clothing often needs to be tailored and not bought off the shelf.

The latest designs in the haute couture world can be copied and custom-made to suit your own looks and body shape. It is not necessary to spend thousands of dollars to purchase a piece of clothing that a model wore, just for the sake of trying to look like her. It is important for a woman to recognise the positive points of her own body, and tailor-make clothing that complements that.

We at d'Italia recommend that women find designs that interest them, and then ask for advice on the best types of fabric that could utilise the style and complement her own body. d’Italia has in store a range of all-natural Italian silk and French lace that has been used by some of Australia’s best dressmakers, to create unique designs for women of all ages, sizes and shapes. The shop also offers an optional referral service to seamstresses.




Call d’Italia for an appointment today to discuss how you can tailor-make a dress, suit or gown that best complements your body. d’Italia is located at 61, Glenferrie Road, Malvern (Melbourne, Australia). For appointments, call 03-9509 4633. More information can be found at www.ditalia.com.au.

Welcome to d'Italia!

d'Italia's blog is finally up and running!

We'll be posting regular updates on the latest stock in store, as well as happenings in the fashion and textile industry, and tips on dressmaking and seasonal fashion styles.

Do leave comments to give us feedback, and visit our website www.ditalia.com.au for more information on products and services available.