Nicola Finetti unveiled his ambitious Spring 2009 Collection on the first day of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week. With nearly four dozen looks, the presentation seemed to have a little something for everyone. Perhaps that’s why the designer chose “Helter Skelter” for the opening of his runway presentation soundtrack, because the show felt as though it could be divided into smaller varied vignettes and themes. The designer who is known for being on the cutting edge of Australian fashion featured everything from bold prints and neon-bright colors to clever design details and accents.

When I get to the bottom
I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and turn
and I go for a ride
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Do you don't you want me to love you
I'm coming down fast but I'm miles above you
Tell me tell me come on tell me the answer
and you may be a lover but you ain't no dancer

Go helter skelter
helter skelter
helter skelter
Yeah, hu, hu

The program notes invited us into the Nicola Finetti world, describing his “venture into the unknown, putting a modern neoclassic twist on timeless pieces by embracing manipulated fabrics and technicolors. Mr. Finetti used tied tucks, grid-based patterns and three-dimensional designs—the lines and curves, disappear, appear or converge—the physical expressions of the fabrics acquiring extra hidden and semi-open dimensions. The collection is about discovering the hidden dimensions of clothing and the body.”

Citing globalization as his inspiration, the designer sought to create an elegant and seductive look that can be translated by any woman, anywhere in the world. Nicola Finetti wanted to redefine “the space between reality and fantasy as a place to explore, which would provide an untouched vision of clothing.” The Nicola Finetti Spring 2009 Statement expressed “a durable, elegant seductive chic with alluring gothic and romantic touches through the usage of innovative fabrications.”

It’s no wonder the designer has such a global perspective, given his multicultural background. His mother was Yugoslavian, his father was Italian; he studied architecture in Rome, and he lived in Argentina before immigrating to Australia. The designer imbues his collection with these life experiences. These influences inspire and inform his style and creative direction. He particularly finds strong inspiration in contrasts such as “north-south, white-black, constraint-freedom.” All these contradictions are expressed in his designs, surprising his audience from season to season and giving his creations the power to leave his customers breathless with their sensual modern form.

According to his biography, the eponymous label was launched in 1995. In 2003, the designer launched Nicola Finetti aXessory, followed closely by his diffusion line Bylon Flocks in 2006. He then teamed up with Fernando Frisoni, The Sun-Herald Urban Style columnist, to create the menswear line Frisoni Finetti in 2006. In 2002, Nicola Finetti’s work was exhibited at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney and has since been acquired for their permanent collection.

The cutting-edge designer used everything from origami folds, ruching, hidden tucks, and circle appliqués (that were sewn to create a pleating effect) to ikat prints, neon brights, and graduated bands of color. The designer created a new depth and perception of dimension, texture, and interest. What I estimate to be one of the largest collections of the week, the presentation featured multiple series (print, lbd, summer whites, neons) within the runway show. My favorite pieces included: an ikat print off-the-shoulder dress with cutaway sleeves in red and white; a strapless dress in a blue ikat with a flounce skirt and pleated back; a dress with graduated strips of color from the softest blue to the midnight indigo; a purple off-the-shoulder gown with sequined detailing; a white paneled short paired with an abstract graphic floral print top; the stunning black cocktail frock with a plunging neck of circle appliqués, and the white ruched bustier top with white tapered pant.

According to the company website, Nicola Finetti’s design philosophy is to create pieces for women who can show sensuality in a modern silhouette. “I appreciate dressing women who have the courage to be different,” says the man behind the label. “There is a liberty to dressing that now—more than ever—women can express their individuality, femininity, invention, and strength through my silhouette and use of fabrics.” Mr. Finetti believes every woman has a shameless beauty. “My aim is to give women the possibility to explore their inner self and embrace their femininity.”

For more information please visit, http://www.nicolafinetti.com/