"Understated glamor" and "timeless elegance" may seem like words that fashion editors love to throw around, but in the case of Helen O'Connor's label, such monikers couldn't be more fitting. Founded in 2006, Thurley has steadily built the kind of buzz emerging designers dream of, with everyone from Vogue to online powerhouse Net-a-Porter sitting up and taking notice. And with the Spring/Summer 2008 collection now in stores, the Melbourne-based designer continues to cement her status as the latest Aussie sensation poised to make a big splash Stateside.

Although her label is barely two years old, O'Connor is no fashion industry newbie. Quietly building a name for herself Down Under well before launching her line, she was the first participant in Scanlon & Theodore's mentorship program, honing her design skills with the Australian institution before jetting off on a scholarship to New York's FIT. Indeed, it is her cosmopolitan outlook and prodigious travels that help Thurley stand out from the pack, creating her penchant for culling fabrics and textiles from exotic locales.

Dubbed "A Sophisticated and Edgy Elegance," O'Connor's new collection continues in the tradition set forth in earlier work, featuring the designer's trademark feminine flair in the form of Victorian lace, sumptuous silk and chic evening silhouettes. Despite the subdued, often classic nature of her aesthetic, O'Connor is not one to adhere to convention; rather than relying on splashy florals and bright accents for the label's spring output, instead she has chosen to work within her now-signature neutral palate of charcoal gray, cream and black.

Standout pieces include the Twiggy dress, the epitome of sexy restraint with its peek-a-boo diaphanous layers, and the unabashedly girly Baroque lace-front dress. Sure to be a favorite of South Beach socialites and downtown party girls alike, Thurley is set to join the ranks of fellow Aussie cult labels sass & bide and Sretsis—and as any fashionista worth her vintage Alaia knows, that's not bad company to keep.

Thurley is available online at www.net-a-porter.com.

- Nayda Freire

Similar Topics:Emerging Designer, fashion, shopping, Spring 2008

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