FABRIC magazine: Economy be damned, Aussie designer Collette Dinnigan made her name on the party frock and she’s sticking to it. She used floaty chiffons with indigo butterflies in floor-length, strapless and wrap silhouettes, and there were plenty of go-to evening wear, best in pale gold and silver, embellished with sequins and metallic lace and encrusted with jewels. While the pieces were eminently wearable, there is an expectation, especially in Paris, that ready-to-wear designers explore something more adventurous if not intelligent. Aside from some military references in the dome metal studs that was current enough to pick up the theme from Fall, there were a couple memorable pieces in black, a tank dress with a deconstructed lace peplum that has been cropping up since the Dior couture show and a black one-piece with slim lapels and belted with a silver sash, that seemed aware of something other than prettiness. By Bee-Shyuan Chang

Collette Dinnigan