Sara Phillips is becoming a solid figure on the Australian fashion scene. Presenting only her third collection at RAFW, Phillips may not be the most innovative of the bunch, but she’s a keeper; a creator of timeless looks for easy, pretty, casual cool. With covetable staples like her signature peplum skirt reworked with different materials for each season or her dynamically layered cropped tops, Sara Phillips is a label of beautiful certainties and this year, Phillips came into her own as a designer. As her collection sauntered down a maze-like runway that was all front row, it was apparent that the young designer has become comfortable in her aesthetic, creating a collection that was confident and unwavering in its style.

With a Western, saloon feel, models in cowboy hats took to the runway to the sweet sounds of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’. Proving that nude and tan tones are here to stay, Sara Phillips based a whole collection on candy colours and sorbet shades. Key pieces included a blazer printed with a city skyline, pleated one shoulder dresses and skirts with intricately folded, origami-like ruffles. Dresses printed with a cloudy skyscape invoked the spirit of the desert, while high-waisted swimmers lent the collection a subtle retro edge.