This article first appeared at www.15secs.com

If LMFF is Melbourne’s premier fashion event, LiveStyle is its grungy younger sibling. Starting with a VIP affair on Friday night, the popup shopping precinct certainly had no trouble cleaning out my wallet within minutes of arriving. Featuring about 50 boutique stores and designers including Diesel, Ed Hardy, Cactus Jam, State of Georgia and Bettina Liano, the Peninsula function space at Central Pier was buzzing with the sound of credit cards being swiped – no doubt with thanks to k-rudd and his stimulus payouts.

In addition to the shopping, workshops and runway shows were on offer. Haircare, Beauty and Style were showcased by Toni&Guy, Jemma cosmetics and MX, while the runway shows highlighted some of the trends for the coming seasons.

Metallics continue to be big, with both male and female outfits featuring plenty of sparkle and shine. The boys were all rugged up in a range of knits (but thank you to the model that was shirtless in the yellow cardi at the Bray Steve Alan show – you might have been cold but not from where I was sitting!) while the girls wore sheer fabrics that seemed an odd choice for Winter until you throw on a leather jacket and the fashionista in me won out – who cares about being cold when you look that good? I did question some of the checks and tartan patterns, one such shirt style reminded me way too much of Italian restaurant tablecloths! Stud detail, oddly placed zippers and embellishments added interest to a range of pieces, and clearly fringing hasn’t gone away just yet (damn!).

For its first effort, LiveStyle delivered on its promise of fashion and music on show. The casual party atmosphere gives the fashion set a new opportunity to express their individuality and find a bargain in the process. And who is going to say no to that? See you at the checkout next year