WITH a strong trend for androgynous dressing reverberating in fashion for fall/winter this season, director of marketing Gabrielle Tan and her team explored the gender-bending aesthetics and provocative role reversal in an inspiring "battle of the sexes" fashion feature in their bi-annual magazine.

  Models Alexa and Alexey kick up a challenge in masculine-feminine looks from Louis Vuitton, DKNY, Hugo Boss and Burberry but exude equal strength on the cover, wearing tailored looks from the fall/winter collection of ck Calvin Klein.   a well-cut trouser suit never goes out of style and this season, the latest from ck Calvin Klein for men and women reflects a powerful and linear study in minimalism with emphasis on precise cuts juxtaposing modern volume and form based on long and lean architectural proportions.   Key for the season is the androgynous tailoring seen in the women’s fabric-blocked jackets and outerwear, while a bold blood red three-piece men’s suit intensifies the gender-bending rules.   The Fall 2011 "new York Mods" collection by DKNY played on a similar linear and masculine tailoring note on women’s blazers and outerwear that were marked with colour and texture blocking, tux-edged detail in black or mixed up with leather racing jackets.   Super-skinny pants and new lean flare trousers complete the androgynous look which is softened with simple knits or silk blouses edged in piping.   The men’s collection, on the other hand, carries military inspirations into favourite American classics in authentic new York style, updated with a slimmer silhouette on single or double breasted jackets, the 3-in-1 nylon bomber parka and the ultra hip crombie.   The new season at the Gardens Mall also heralds the arrival of several new stores, including Australian accessories label, Oroton, handmade fashion jewellery Zsiska, Versace Jeans and home grown body-sculpting lingerie brand, Fleur.   Founded in 1938, Oroton is a trusted quality accessories brand made famous by its gold compact cases in the 1950s and pioneering metallic mesh bags of the 1970s.   It is Australia’s most enduring design house — with all Oroton products developed by a design team (headed by Creative Director Ana Maria Escobar) based in Sydney, using the best leathers, silks and customised Oroton hardware sourced from around the world.   Inspired by a design trip to Paris and a chance encounter with the beauty and timeless sensibility of Princess Caroline of Monaco, Escobar based her latest Winter 2011 collection on classic feminine lines crafted with a vintage feel in ladylike totes and elegant mini bags that are contrasted by texture through printed nylon, pony skin and glossy Italian resin.     Zsiska is an upbeat Dutch brand of colourful fashion jewellery that is handmade from a combination of resin with all sorts of quality material, such as 24k gold leaf and Swarovski crystals, while Fleur is an elegant intimate wear salon specialising in undergarments that hold and sculpt a woman’s body shape in the most effective yet comfortable way.   their bodysuits, for example, are free of boned frames, designed with a revolutionary body-sculpting system called the spider-web effect. a one-to-one consultation is available at the salon to discreetly determine your bra size, categorised in floral shapes of orchid, rose, peony, tulip or lily — hence its brand name Fleur or flower, in French.

Tags: ,