What's new at d'Italia? LOTS!!!

New Location – New Look!

For those of you who may have missed our last newsletter or have somehow not heard, we have moved diagonally opposite to our old address – to 62 Glenferrie Road, Malvern. The new shop is substantially larger than the old one was, which finally makes it possible to display our extended range of fabric, laces and trims. Response from customers has been wonderful...so thank you to all of you for your enthusiasm in coming in specially to have a look - and if you have yet to make it in, we look forward to your visit to show you around.

New Season Stock

Now that the weather has turned markedly colder – almost literally overnight! – we are prepared for customers who make us their destination in search of new season wools. We have a lovely selection of beautiful new wool suitings and coatings, in a range of weights, textures and colours. Clever, non-conventional tweeds and boucles are extremely fashionable in Europe, and we just happen to have some very smart pieces to choose from.

In contrast – believe it or not - racing season is on the horizon as well! In terms of lead time, racing customers start as early as this in order to secure their fabric and seamstresses. So in preparation, we have recently taken delivery of some amazing new designer silk prints and spring/summer suitings. The colours are generally feminine, pretty and bright, with designs more on the fun, contemporary side – including geometrics and paisleys (paisley is so Gucci!). Earthy animal prints are also high fashion in Europe (thanks to Cavalli) for evening/smart casual wear, so with this variety of styles in vogue there is an abundance of colours and designs here to suit every taste.

New Seamstresses/Tailors

We welcome on board three new additions to our existing referral team of expert makers – which means we can now boast a total of 13 amazing ladies with a broad range of technical expertise to refer customers to.

Two of them – Moira and April - actually work as a team, and prefer to consult customers by way of home visits, whereby they will go to your home for consultation and fittings. This is extremely useful for anyone who is strapped for time, as visits can be arranged outside usual business hours and customers’ travel time is completely eliminated. No extra fees are charged for this service. Moira and April are both highly qualified, technical seamstresses with more than 20 years experience in traditional custom making for Melbourne’s “high society”. This means that they are particularly trained and expert in traditional tailoring and hand-finishing techniques – qualities which are often sadly and clearly lacking in today’s generation of regular dressmakers (which d’Italia does not recommend!).

The third addition to our referral team is a renowned expert milliner and bridal couturier, Andrea. Andrea has accepted our request to take private referrals from d’Italia, as she relishes working with our fine silks and laces. Her work is exceptional, as Andrea is a self-confessed pedantic perfectionist. She is especially passionate about intricate hand-work and beading, in which case we will be reserving her for bridal and extremely formal garment creations.

We at d’Italia feel most privileged to add Moira, April and Andrea to our referral team, exclusive to our customers only.

Something Amazing to Look Out for… The Logies

Sunday night is Logies night, and we are thrilled to report that beautiful Rhonda Burchmore will be showing off her amazing figure in a custom-made couture gown created from one of our superb Valentino Red French d’Arquer laces.

Rhonda was most excited to find this stunning piece in our lace collection during a recent visit to our store. We helped her match a most divine complimentary shade of red silk satin for the underlay, and - having had a number of progress reports on the creation of the gown direct from her personal couturier – we are certain it is going to be an absolute show-stopper…! So, watch the Logies on Sunday night and also watch the magazines and papers on Monday. You won’t be able to miss Rhonda in our red lace!

Suzanna and Melissa look forward to your next visit, to personally assist you in the selection of the perfect style and fabric to suit your unique needs. So come in sometime soon, as there is always something new and amazing waiting – just for you - at d’Italia…