The first thing most Melbournians think of when they hear the name ‘Lady’ is the clothing store’s precocious owner- the infinitely adorable Petrova Hammond, finalist from the first series of Australia’s Project Runway. But Petrova is so much more than her reality TV infamy; talented, precise, hardworking and tirelessly smiling, the tiny designer is all guts and gusto, and the delights she stocks in her store are a testament to her impeccable taste and attention to detail. Modelled on a dollhouse, the Lady store interior is embellished with lace, flowers, and all things girlie and whimsical.

Stocking labels such as Tristan Blair, State of Georgia, Sretsis and I Heard They Eat Cigarettes, Lady is perhaps best known for its eponymous label. Growing from Petrova’s unique vision since it’s Fashion Week debut on Project Runway, Lady is a label for… well… a lady. Featuring frills, florals and an array of silken textures, Lady breathes femininity to life with a bouquet of bursting colours and patterns. For winter 2010, Lady’s collection ‘The Collector’, is based on Petrova’s favourite book by the same name, and has a distinct sense of Blair Waldorf’s immaculate charm about it.

The novel, ‘The Collector’ tells the story of a butterfly collector who ‘collects’ an art student named Miranda, locking her away in his basement in a bid to convince the girl to love him. Over the course of her imprisonment Miranda is lavished upon by the collector, who grants her her every earthly desire, except one pivotal one- her freedom. Using a pastiche of tapestry fabric, velvet and lace, Lady re-imagines the beautiful, trapped young woman, and her prevailing, constant, uneasy restlessness.