‘Timeless elegance’: Australia’s top fashion designers reveal top summer fashion buys

Boldness will always win when you’re dressing for the holiday season. Here’s how to find your festive look, ahead of Vogue’s annual shopping event.

Designer Rebecca Vallance says red has been the go-to colourway across seasons this year

Festive season dressing can be a piece of cake – if you know the right silhouettes and fits to comfortably carry you through the busiest time of the year.

Designer Bianca Spender believes ‘festive’ dressing is a year-round mindset, and the right purchases will last far longer than December.

“I always look to pieces that can be styled in many ways and taken from day-to-night quite effortlessly by shifting small styling details like footwear or adding a bold lip,” Spender says. “Having an armour of elevated separates allows you to create so many different looks.”

Spender’s label is one of many leading fashion brands participating in Vogue American Express Fashion’s Night Out.

Rebecca Vallance will be part of Vogue American Express Fashion’s Night Out.

The shopping event, which takes place in Sydney’s CBD on October 17 will see one-day-only offers on fashion brands like Rebecca Vallance, Aje, Bassike, and countless other Australian and international brands, shoppable online from October 18 through Vogue.com.au.

The event, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, is “a very special celebration of shopping and fashion that originated out of a genuine desire to support Australian retailers and the fashion industry”, notes Vogue editorial director and publisher Edwina McCann.

It’s a perfect opportunity to shop mindfully before the madness of the holidays and get ahead of the trends that will dominate the year ahead.

Designer Rebecca Vallance – who’s long been known for her feminine cocktail dresses – already knows what customers will be coveting for 2025.

“Red has been the go-to colourway across seasons this year,” Vallance says, perhaps signalling an end to fashion’s ‘quiet luxury’ obsession and a renewed excitement for dressing to dazzle. “It’s all about timeless elegance this season,” she adds, citing her brand’s puff-sleeve dresses as a continued favourite among customers – and proof they’re an item you’ll never tire of.

Aje creative director Edwina Forest says their resort collection ‘Sol’ is inspired by summers spent at the beach.

Few do ‘resort’ dressing better than Australians, something local brand Aje is familiar with. Their resort collection, ‘Sol’, is inspired by summers spent by the beach, with an abundance of bright pink dresses, as well as blouses and trousers in vivid hues.

“The notion of nostalgia feels particularly relevant for the festive season, looking back to our most treasured moments through rose-tinted glasses we’re able to capture those warm and familiar feelings that are so intimately connected to this time,” says Aje creative director Edwina Forest.

Clothes with room to move are key for the festive season, but also a focal point of the spring/summer ’25 shows in Milan and Paris, where lightweight dresses and kaftans reigned supreme.

Bianca Spender says relaxed tailoring is a go-to for event season.

“Relaxed tailoring [is] a go-to for event season, whether this be vests with column skirts or elongating flared trousers and perfectly cut jackets,” says Bianca Spender, imploring the importance of choosing striking silhouettes that are also comfortable.

Clothes are one thing, but accessories and shoes are another. Of the shoes to shop, Bassike designer Deborah Sams notes that ballet flats – more comfortable than heeled shoes but continuing a dressed-up look – are the style to keep top-of-mind once November and December roll around.

Bassike says comfortable ballet flats can be paired with a slouchy tailored pant and a classic jersey top.

“I would wear them with a slouchy tailored pant and with one of [Bassike’s] classic yet elevated jersey tops,” she says.

These pieces, and more, can be purchased through Vogue American Express Fashion’s Night Out, while the in-person runway show at Pitt Street Mall can be streamed nationwide.

“This event and partnership support our unwavering backing of Australia’s phenomenal retail and fashion industry and the incredible people who contribute to it,” says Naysla Edwards, American Express Vice President of Brand, Marketing and Member Experience.

Vogue Fashion Night Out is coming up.

Even if boldness – bright colours, sequins and outré silhouettes – aren’t your forte, the holiday season provides every opportunity to dress up, and Australia’s leading designers are here to help you find your moment.

For information and special announcements, visit www.vogue.com.au/fno

Originally published as ‘Timeless elegance’: Australia’s top fashion designers reveal top summer fashion buys