It’s appropriate that, as we moved towards the more celebratory end of the week, Runway 6 at the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival turned things up a notch in the style stakes for winter ‘08. On show were the labels you turn to when the so-called need to ‘dress to impress’ imposes upon you. It was also time for the men to get a proper showing at the Festival, thus this show was presented by a collaboration of Men’s style and Madison mags, with an emphasis firmly on elegance and sex appeal.

It was all feminine frills fighting it out against tough leather during Bettina Liano’s section of the parade. Layers of ruffles in powder blue or white were turned into mini dresses, while gathered black leather also got the same treatment. Liano’s collection was playful yet mischievous, hinting at an angel-versus-devil split personality. Will you be the slightly dangerous chick in the skinny leather pants this year, or the sweet little thing in a soft white double-breasted peacoat?

Frisoni Finetti brought back a boxier style of masculine dressing at the designer’s showing. The silhouette was still fitted or tailored, yet never super-slim or skin-tight. The guys were also provided with their own modern, more refined, version of the leather biker jacket (those things are universal this season). A mohair sweater – black on top and grey at the bottom – was a snuggly highlight. Sticking to those tones (black and grey), the range could be worn by the everyday male who wants to add something just a little different to the standard issue jeans-and-tees wardrobe.

You know how there’s one dress in every woman’s closet that she puts on and just feels like a star? Joe Black could achieve the same for the guys looking for that special suit. The tailoring of Joe Black was second to none (which was fortunate as the designer is a tailor). Men’s suits were naturally the order of the day, and came in either a luxurious black sheen or traditional greys. Accompanied by tan driving gloves or the occasional oversized feathered or floral lapel pin, the suits made a statement. The styling of one regular grey suit with a scarf tucked half under the lapel, rather than any kind of tie, was clever yet accessible. A canary yellow jacket also made an impact, as did an ultra-modern snow-white overcoat.

It was back to the girls with Kerry Grima’s showing. Flashy star prints in night-sky purple on one dress broke up a mostly dark collection. The designer turned to the 1930s to create a formal and elegant version of the smoking jacket in black draped satin, to be worn over slinky, silky pants. Another silky confection was a tunic style dress with expansive sleeves – embellished with shiny studs like tiny stars against a black sky and cinched with a belt to provide form to the silhouette.

Morrissey played on the male theme of the evening by including a couple of slim-fit shirts with slim-line pant combinations toward the beginning of his showing. His latte coloured cocktail dress with a deep scoop neckline was simple and effective. An eye-popping orange (in a good way) showed up on a military-style trench and little satin tunic dress. If you can pull off vibrant colour, go for it this season and stand out from the pack. 

WA alumni One Fell Swoop played out their collection to the strains of a live performance of Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman”. A slightly puffed, sapphire blue skirt stole the show for this scribe simply based on the colour. Similar to Bettina Liano, frills and leather showed up together on a black babydoll dress. For guys, longer formal shorts were in, which means a slim silhouette paired with a shirt or even a vest.

Wayne Cooper’s usually sexy styles didn’t disappoint. Blocks of black (where would we be without it?), purple and bright pink were the designer’s chosen hues this season. An aubergine long-sleeved dress in satin that zipped all the way up the front was sporty, as was the black superhero – or should that be supervillain – -style leotard with an open studded neckline. A one-shouldered black dress is always a nice take on a classic, and the pink trench coat would make Barbie proud (she is a pretty stylish woman, after all).

A simple, bold, blue maxi-dress made White Suede’s showing stand out. A sheer, chiffon blouse in the same colour featured keyholes in the neckline and cuffs and was a flattering shape. A prim and proper (apart from the fact it was also quite sheer) boat-necked dress in watered down grey was in stark contrast to a bottle green leather jacket, which was paired with a miniskirt and a black, sparkly top.

There seemed to be a little something for everyone at this Runway showing, but it was certainly time to take the cue and start playing dress ups for big, wintry nights out. Let us also hope the boys get their own dedicated show once again next year due to the plethora of talented designers who now cater for the male set.

GALLERY: L'Oreal Paris Runway 6