Nicola Finetti
Lots of ruffles, feathers, paneling and colour. The woman is definitely back with more body con dresses and strong shoulders. The finale included five long gowns, the first white and very wedding worthy for the modern bride. Soundtrack was great with some remixed M.I.A. Jennifer Hawkins sat front row with a slew of starlets.

Dion Lee
The most highly anticipated show of the week was held in a Kings Cross car park. This was significant since Dion Lee's collection was inspired by sculptures of crushed car pieces by US artist John Chamberlain. An absolutely stellar debut solo show from the 23 year old who does all his pattern-making himself. Lee graduated from Sydney Institute of Technology in 2007 but displayed a maturity well beyond his years with carefully structured and sculptured jackets, tops and dresses. Currently only stocked in two stores Australia wide, expect to see and hear a lot more from Dion Lee. With another two more days of RAFW to go, almost everyone you speak to has already concluded that this is their favourite show.

Zimmermann
Despite the blackout halting proceedings for a short time, Zimmermann went on to show a coveted collection. This is one brand that continues to capitalise on its Aussie summer, resort style feel with bright and bold swimwear and floral prints. Sleeveless jackets, loose pants and jumpsuits are what this summer will be made of and we like it.

Saint Augustine Academy
The stand out from the Ready To Wear Men's and Women's Group show was without a doubt Saint Augustine Academy doing classic high school geek chic the way it should be done. Lots of clean and lean suits, some with a Thom Browne feel with the ankles exposed and bow ties. Loved the tuxedo jacket with shorts. Colour palette extended mainly to black, white, cream and grey. Photo credit: Victoria Rika-Heke

Illionaire
Emma Balfour kicked things off again, this time in a black and white graphic print swimsuit (a little similar to Zimmermann no?). The look and feel was again very 80s with frills, fingerless gloves and a gold jumpsuit. The finale was fab with gold confetti showering down on the fashion pack.

Ant!podium
Real people as models including transvestites. Why? “Because they have brains. It’s an interesting concept for fashion” was the response from designer Geoffrey J. Finch. Despite the huge attention the models received, the clothes did get a look in too. Nothing too groundbreaking but included lots of prints, denim, sheer tops and pants and sleeveless dresses. There was even jewellery fashioned from tampons. This was one show that had it all.

Aurelio Costarella
A show with no seats in The Cargo Theatre. We all stood, every one of us. Harper's Bazaar crew and Grazia and Marie Claire editors were side by side. Terry Biviano's friend was a true gentleman letting me stand in front of him so I could see. Aching feet and craning necks watched 12 sublime "Morphosis" goddess dresses and gowns glide slowly down the runway. Models then remained on the floor creating a live installation of the collection. Second time we saw the vibrant tangerine orange, first time was at Nicola Finetti on Monday night. Costarella's nomadic yet ethereal collection was one of a few clear favourites. There are actually 50 styles in total so looking forward to seeing the rest.

Dhini & Gail Sorronda
A combined show, no doubt to save some bucks, commenced with a lone drummer girl heralding the start of Dhini's "New World Order" featuring 16 marching band inspired looks in navy, pale blue, white, grey, mustard and black. The Balmain shoulder made yet another appearance on the jackets. Also lots of fluidity and draping in the tops and dresses. Gail Sorronda came next with "Invasive Exotics" which was in her signature style, black and white. It combined sheer dresses, paneling, draping and bubble skirts with detailing such as feathers, tassels and gold zippers. Ripped leggings were reminiscent of Rodarte. A little black widow and corpse bride mixed with French maid.

Jayson Brunsdon
Back to classic, ladylike elegance for Jayson Brunsdon who returned graciously to the catwalk while fighting cancer. Showing in salon style, the show was inspired by an dedicated to his mother Dorothy who sat front row with his father. This was true Jayson Brunsdon modern glamour with an old world feel. Beautiful halter tops,soft trenches, silk taffeta gowns, high waisted 40s shorts with shirts all with lots of tied bows. Colours were mainly white, copper and brown with some shades of pastel green and pink.

Kirrily Johnston
Foraying into menswear for the first time, Kirrily Johnston showed a lot of her usual fluid draping on both men and women. Gold and tangerine were highlights. Long and short dresses, singlets, long flowy jackets. Beautiful jewellery pieces. Felt a bit nomadic like last year's show.

Willow
A decadent installation of models perched in trees like birds. "Creatures" was shown at Carthona House in Darling Point and was followed by a sumptuous dinner for 80 guests. Black and gold tops, feathers, prints, ruffles, sequins, draping, sheer panels and tangerine again.

Romance Was Born
Wow, where do you start with a label like Romance Was Born.... the Australian equivalent of John Galliano?! Showing offsite at the Sydney Theatre Company themed as Atlantis in all its underwater glory, even the shoes were customised by hand and adorned with shells, you didn't know quite to expect. But Luke Sales and Anna Plunkett delivered a creative, innovative and refreshing collection which included some wearable (ivory blouses, lace trousers, sleeveless dresses) and moved progressively to some not so wearable (knitted octopus head piece case in point) items. Applauded for their originality, Cate Blanchett recently said Romance was one of her favourite labels.

Fashion Design Studio TAFE NSW
A mixed bag starting with frills, cut-out panels, asymmetrical hems in mainly blacks and greys from Soeli Pedrozo to leather, sequins, prints, cropped jackets and strapless dresses from Rachel Sherwood's then Seema Pun's high voltage pinks, mustards and greys in dresses, slim pants, vests and short skirts and finally Christian Lines' menswear with jersey t-shirts, tights, funnel necks, hoods, poo-catcher pants, jackets and et look macs. Seema Pun was a stand-out especially for her great use of colour which was a rare feature in these Spring Summer collections.

Gary Bigeni
Sticking to his trademark basic pieces, Gary Bigeni's collection was a mix of jackets, long sleeve dresses, over-sized dresses, high waisted slim pants, twisted t-shirts and singlets and jumpers in jersey, spandex, merino wool, cotton and silk and mainly all black except for a some small injections of aqua, lilac and grey. Again lots of fluidity and draping so nothing too exciting or new but all very wearable and transeasonal. Opening and closing the show was Myf Shepherd.

Sass & Bide
A fashion week show with no fashion. Well when you're Sass & Bide, you can do whatever you want, especially when it is your 10th anniversary. With not so sponsor friendly French bubbly flowing in an Alexandria warehouse, the fashion pack was treated to an exhibition of artwork by ten of Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton's celebrity chums (amongst them Kate Moss and Mischa Barton) around the theme "Shine". The artwork will be auctioned to raise funds for the Shine Collective which was created by the pair in partnership with Barnardo’s which helps physically and mentally abused children in Australia and the UK. Photo credit: Getty Images.

Magdalena Velevska
Showing soft drapey pieces in orange, plum, grey and blue with a burnt orange and some floral prints, this was a refined collection from newcomer Magdalena Velevska who previously designed for Lisa Ho and Third Millennium. The strong shoulder was back as was the 40s silhouette but Velevska worked this better than most during the week.

The Cassette Society
Models featured crystal eyebrows and slick back hair and sci-fi long plaits all came from inspiration of erotic futurism, youthful revolt and the femme fatal in The Cassette Society's "That Heroine's Electric" show.

Fernando Frisoni
Debuting at RAFW last year under the now defunct FrisoniFinetti label (designed in collaboration with Nicola Finetti), Fernando Frisoni is now going it alone and showed his first women's capsule collection. The show was opened by a child. Simple black, white and beige pieces which included dresses, shorts, vests and leggings.