The night after the Sunday flea market, I headed into the heart of Milan for an unforgettable runway show. One of my favourite Australian designers, Gail Sorronda, was one of the finalists for a designers award hosted by Vogue Italia. It was a fantastic event, each designer showcased 8 of their strongest looks, most of the models walked well, I got to meet up with Gail and oh, Anna Wintour walked past me. I was too stunned to get a proper photo of her…should have stopped her and asked for a photo…next time =)

Please excuse my ‘sans makeup’ look, I literally had to grab a bite after the markets, get changed and dash to the event.

This lady’s jacket has these amazing pockets (sorry can’t see very well). They are actually little jackets! Below are some of my favourite noir looks.

David Koma- this one is my favourite look. The knuckle duster ring is what caught my eye. Later I discovered that they are limited edition from MAWI and we may get some in for our customers! They come in silver and gold. Email us if you want one!

This is a sneak peak of Gail’s next Fall collection =) Stay tuned! You can see better shots of Gail’s models on her blog, photos taken by Vogue Italia. She even met Carine Roitfeld who described her MURMUR collection as ‘inspiring’! Gail’s garments are now stocked at Dolce & Gabbana’s new store Spiga2. I can proudly say that we stock 2 labels that Mr Dolce and Mr Gabanna stock- Gail Sorronda and Felder Felder! Oh and the Spiga2 store is amazing, a delight to visit and everything is to drool over. I have my eyes on a Peter Jensen printed silk dress.

Anna (US) and Francesca (Italy), I was shocked to see the Vogue editors right in front of me! Then Diane von Furstenberg walked past!

The magnificent Duomo di Milano, one of the largest Gothic-style cathedrals in the world, is breathtakingly magnificent. It took over 500 years to build and contains 200,000 sculptures and can seat 40,000 people. It is an incredible piece of religious architecture. I think it’s ironic that the designer’s award fashion show is held in front of the church as God is the best designer of them all. After all, He created everything that continues to inspire man.

Dress: Gail Sorronda (Gail noticed!), cape: Hiroko Koshino, belt and clutch vintage, ring: MAWI, shoes: Marc Jacobs

I adore this cape, gifted from my mother-in-law. She bought this a few decades ago and it’s still in such good shape (Ok so it’s a little wrinkled because I wore it on our 24 hour flight) and it is one of my most treasured garments. And this ‘Innocence’ dress by Gail. It’s the perfect LBD, it does not crease, it insulates well and has amazing demure details.

I firmly believe that buying designer pieces shouldn’t be just for the prestige of the brand, but for the fact that the garment was designed with an essence and a vision from its designer. If it’s well chosen, it will last many seasons and may even hold more sentimental value if the designer is someone you believe in and who is worthy of your support. You go Gail!