It wasn’t meant to be the most opulent, elegant, luxurious show of the week. No, that honour was supposed to go to Myer’s Runway Deluxe show, with its host of swanky, international labels and inflated attendance price. But the fourth L’Oreal Paris Runway show unleashed its own guns of glamour a day earlier than Myer, lining up Gwendolynne, Nicola Finetti and Aurelio Costarella, among others, for one lavish display of fabulous frocks.

Opening with a tiered, pleated chiffon gown with a jet-beaded belt, capelet and matching headpiece, Gwendolynne invited us into her beautiful world, where women are ladies and know how to present themselves with grace, poise and style. Liquid silks, French laces and superfine tulles were aplenty, appearing in distinctly 20s-inspired designs which ranged from knee-length cocktail frocks to serious floor-sweeping gowns. While most colours revolved around monochrome hues of ebony, ivory and dusky grey, Gwendolynne’s finale was a deep scarlet satin dress, accessorised with Richard Nylon’s floral appliquéd shoulder piece and sparkling, crescent-shaped headwear. Stunning.

The fantasy element died a little with the arrival of Mad Cortes – not that this was a negative, as the practicality factor jumped up a notch in this collection. Like the previous range, silk was in demand though juxtaposed against coarser fabrics, such as an unusual marbled woollen felt that held its shape in boxy jacket silhouettes. Dark velvet and a magnified black and white check blended into the wintry palette, while the closing electric blue silk dress provided a shock of colour, despite being mostly obscured by an oatmeal coat and black scarf. Cheeky.

In a show dominated by current or previous Myer-sponsored labels, Fleur Wood seemed to be the odd one out. Part of the David Jones stable, she started – rather than closed – her show with a bright, buttercup yellow dress. It featured a frilled, tiered front and was worn over slate grey leggings. That same cheery colour appeared throughout the collection (usually in the form of a pussybow blouse), but was not the lone bold hue, with chartreuse green and a watery blue print there to keep it company amongst the milk, cream and rust. No black in sight. Daring.

But wait – what’s this? Nicola Finetti also opened his segment with an eye-catching colour, this time a deep tangerine. And, heavens above, it wasn’t silk! It was, in fact, an oversized knit dress which slimmed down dramatically in the sleeves. Rest assured, the silk did follow – as did the feature of the season: the frill. It manifested in several dresses, cascading down the front and creating cape-like shoulders; sneakily starting life as frilled cap sleeves but playing a starring role at centre back; and adding parallel panels of softness in a tight, stretch-satin dress. The final three frocks reached new proportions, as metres of charcoal tulle were bundled into ruffled frill tiers, a balloon hemline and a babydoll trapeze silhouette. Delicate, but edgy.

Design Award finalist Thurley looked like it was trying to take a tougher route, but its soft, sweet nature shone through. Substituting summer’s antique lace for a chunkier, crocheted version, it also employed leather, wool and a boucle knit to rough up the delicate elements. True, Thurley’s signature, innocent silk-and-lace dresses were still present, but one garment in particular looked more grown-up than the rest: a black silk satin frock, segmented with crocheted panels of lace to expose glimpses of flesh around the décolletage and torso. Sexy.

Nevenka must have a psychic link to Fleur Wood and Nicola Finetti, for designer Rosemary Masic used similar tones to their star colours in one single dress. Essentially a loose-fitting black sheath, it featured embroidered shoulders and a hemline split into buttercup gold and tangerine red. That buttercup also appeared in a long-sleeved frock, this time with a bow-tied neckline, a patterned hem and worn with fuchsia stockings (surprisingly, they worked). While block colours stood out, prints played a starring role in the Nevenka wardrobe, with colours from light aqua through to black and brown appearing in the graphical fabrics. But perhaps the best piece of collection subscribed to none of these ingredients, for it was the bottle-green, high-waisted, pencil-thin leather skirt that caught our attention immediately. Perfect.

Speaking of perfection, WA’s semi-couturier Ray Costarella closed the show with breathtaking garments from his label, Aurelio Costarella. Shown earlier this year in New York, Costarella’s collection encompasses a kind of magic rarely seen on catwalks these days. Like Gwendolynne, he uses beautiful, delicate fabrics in form-flattering designs with terribly intricate detailing. Gossamer-like layers of chiffon, corseted satin bodices, and fully-beaded boleros were all in his bag of tricks, but perhaps the most magical garment of all was Costarella’s little black dress: a simple, slim-strapped design, the entire piece was decorated with leather paillettes, which ranged in size from 10c circles (at the neckline), to plum-sized portions (at the hem). And yes, Costarella’s staff cut them all out by hand. Poor buggers.

PHOTO GALLERY: L'Oreal Paris Runway 4