I first discovered designer Lisa Ho during a visit to Sydney in the summer of 2000. Near the intersection of Oxford and Queen Streets is where you’ll find her flagship boutique in Sydney’s famed Paddington shopping district. Naturally, as this was my first time attending Rosemount Australia Fashion Week, Lisa Ho was on my short list of must-see presentations! The petite powerhouse certainly did not disappoint, when she unveiled her lovely new collection, ushering out 37 looks to Blondie’s “Sunday Girl.” The comprehensive line offered pieces for the perfect weekend getaway, with delicate separates for a relaxing stroll, swimwear for sunbathing by the pool, and goddess gowns for a romantic dinner beneath a moonlight sky.

I know a girl from a lonely street
Cold as ice cream but still as sweet
Dry your eyes Sunday girl
Hey, I saw your guy with a different girl
Looks like he's in another world
Run and hide Sunday girl

Hurry up, hurry up and wait
I stay awake all week and still I wait
I got the blues, please come see
What your loving means to me

According to her biography, Lisa Ho has been at the forefront of the Australian fashion industry for the past 25 years. Like many of Australia’s fashion designers, fresh out of college in 1982, Ms. Ho started her career at a Sydney market. Her designs quickly brought her retail attention and helped form the eponymous label. Lisa Ho has continued to build into one of the most recognized brands in Australia and has a strong celebrity following with signature pieces being worn by Ivanka Trump, Sarah Wynter, Elle MacPherson, Sophie Monk, Olivia Newton-John and Jennifer Lopez. The designer travels widely, quietly watching the way people go about their lives and the changes in the world they’re moving in. And it’s always done through a designer’s eye. “I think if you’re a designer you look at all forms of design—art, television, music—everything influences you,” notes the designer. Today Lisa Ho has culminated in a national signature store base of ten, an exclusive department store arrangement with Australian department store retailer, David Jones and representation in over 250 boutiques, both locally and internationally.

Lightly constructed fabrics of cotton, jersey, linen, lace, satin, chiffon, georgette and habotai silk gave way to a forgiving silhouette of layered looks, cut away jackets, parachute dresses, fisherman pants, draped necklines, and one-shoulder gowns. The  predominantly neutral palette was built on a foundation of pearl, white, nut, tar, midnight, petrol, and charcoal, highlighted by a smattering of silver, lilac, violet, kelly green, pink, and cranberry. Ms. Ho’s brilliant use of prints with a modernist’s eye were some of the loveliest I’d seen all week—her smoke print conjured of an air of mystery with provocative swirls, the floral fusion print bloomed with a painterly brushstroke of romance, a strobe print outshone the typical geometric with a variegated twist, an electric print was slightly blurred like a faded snapshot, her matrix print delivered a bold infusion of bright colors; and my favorite, the bubble print had a floating affect like some kind of wicked champagne cocktail confection.

One of the trends I enjoy most in contemporary fashion is taking an extraordinary item and making it feel everyday and more accessible; another is elevating a basic with embellishment, fabrication, tailoring, i.e. an embroidered singlet (what the Australians call a tank), a tailored cargo pant in silk, or a boyfriend suit with frilly blouse. We need our clothes to be multi-functional, to serve us across categories and on a myriad of occasions, pieces that are versatile enough to be dressed up or down. Lisa Ho did this effortlessly; interpreting her day-to-night aesthetic with easy pieces that felt luxurious without ever being over the top. My favorite selections from the Lisa Ho Spring 2009 Collection included: a dark grape parachute dress; the lilac silk-cotton ruffled dress; a pearly cotton duster coat; the silver silk linen dress; a cotton boyfriend jacket atop a bubble print slinky cupra singlet and white bamboo blend pant; the black and white floral fusion print dress; a Kelly green stretch silk gown; and a smoke print silk strapless gown.

Australian fashion is very different from what I’m accustomed to seeing on the fashion capital runways of New York, London, Milan, and Paris. There is an ease and lightness in the fabrication, construction, and color palette. There is also a much heavier influence from the beach, street wear, and resort categories. The design direction reflects a more relaxed pace, where most people live near the beach, ocean, or the mountains. It’s reminiscent of the leisurely lifestyles embraced by Californians and Floridians stateside with moderate temperatures year-round and more outdoor activities, demanding well-placed layers that are never overly structured.

This philosophy is also shaped by lighter fabrications and a greater use of colors and prints than one would expect to see along the northeastern seaboard where black, grey, tweeds and a generally more conservative and traditional approach to fashion is favored. Surrounded by family and friends backstage, what struck me most about Ms. Ho was that with all the buzz and post-show frenzy, when you might expect one to be overcome with emotion, elation, and excitement—she was composed; completely calm, cool, and collected. And in Lisa Ho’s case, that confidence is well-earned, because this blended presentation of swimwear, ready to wear separates, and evening gowns offered one-stop shopping for her customer!

For additional information, please visit, http://www.lisaho.com/
 

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