ALEXIA ‘MISS ALEXIA’ PETSINIS, (pictured above, right) REPORTS FROM THE LAUNCH
LA VIDA EST CHULA! (Life is cool!) Melbourne welcomed The Strand’s coolest new resident as Spanish fashion giant Desigual officially opened the doors of its first Australian store last night. Clashing prints? Explosive colours? “GO FOR IT!” says Desigual, the brand enticing a broad demographic of hipsters with a punchy collection just in time for our party season.
Whoever said you shouldn’t put pink and red together? Desigual abides by no such fashion ‘rules’, offering loyal consumers in more than 100 countries a liberating alternative to minimalism and monochrome. Under the management of Edwards Imports in Australia, the brand caters for a variety of styles through both its core range and its recent collection By Mr. Christian Lacroix.
“The collaboration between Desigual and Christian Lacroix has produced a slightly more sophisticated and formal looking collection,” said Tim O’Rourke (pictured, centre, below), manager of Desigual Australia for Edwards Imports. “The colours are darker, and the garments have a rich, more Baroque influence to them.”
Complete with a ceiling of hand-tied Spanish glass bottles, Desigual’s shiny new store exhibits an artist’s palette registered in the brand’s classic shift and cowl-neck dress styles and light-weight overcoats. A wall-to-wall edit of the latest bags, scarves and accessories may induce an optical frenzy. It’s ‘get-happy’ gear, perfect for summer, all condensed into one joyous space that will take you off on a vacación (if only fleeting).
Guests gathered to celebrate the store’s opening, gently bobbing to smooth Lambada tunes, Sangrias in hand. Leggy models pranced around in tunic dresses of purple and azure blue, slipping from one outfit into the next (all in front of guests mind you!) in a cheeky testament to the versatility of Desigual’s classic styles and cuts. How could you not smile? No matter in which country it appears, Desigual translates to the same thing: effortless fun.
“I first discovered the brand through my Mum; I wear all of her Desigual dresses,” confided one of many blogger-guests. “It’s amazing how they [Desigual] do colour in a way that suits so many different age groups.”
The brand challenges the idea that colour should only be worn by a specific age group and incorporates refreshing washes of lime and beige in looser fitting blouse and skirt styles suited those who prefer more subdued aesthetics.
Desigual, in my opinion, is Australia’s much needed antidote to a certain vision of fashion that appears a little…grey, grey and grey. With stores set to open in Sydney next year, the brand reinvigorates our love for colour and print, reminding us that we can use fashion as an expression of pure joy and emotion. After all, life’s a FIESTA…we had better dress for the occasion!
To discover more about Desigual’s range, click here
Miss Alexia, pictured, top of page, right, with blogger Tiffany Newman, both dressed by Desigual.
