Guest Blog post by Alison Huguenet Alistair Trung’s latest collection is with us and I for one am always excited by the prospect of perusing his new designs. He is by far and away my favourite affordable designer and the pieces I have bought over the years remain the absolute staples of my wardrobe. Unless you have spent any time in Australia recently you may not have had the privilege of discovering one of Alistair Trung’s beautiful shops. Always a wonderland of textures, deep saturated hues and bold silhouettes, his attention to detail extends from the clothing to embrace the entire interior. Jewellery crafted from a variety of natural materials are heaped in chunky wooden bowls and looped strand over strand on necklace stands all waiting to be felt, tried on and desired. The atmosphere is relaxed; his staff are enthusiastic, helpful and genuinely enamoured of his designs. Trung dresses real people. His mission is to design clothing that is “trans-seasonal, trans-occasional, trans-age and trans-gender”. You are invited to play with his sensual fabrics and it is obvious how primary the feel of cloth on the body is to him. Joyous, freeing and experimental, he encourages you to twist, drape and knot clothing to suit your figure and your own aesthetic. Each new collection offers a chance not to change your wardrobe to reflect ‘this seasons’ latest trends but to enhance and develop it. On his website Trung states, “I am a cloth addict; I simply cannot imagine my life without it,” a sentiment I couldn’t agree with more, although having returned to the UK recently I’ve had to survive without his designs. However, I was recently thrilled to discover that 2017 marks the start of Trung’s online shop and I can’t wait until I don’t have to live without his wondrous creativity anymore. www.alistairtrung.com.au