10 of Australia's top fashion designers gathered at The Country Trader for a feast hosted by InStyle magazine and top chef Justin North.


The Occasion: A 10th birthday lunch hosted by
InStyle at Sydney antiques gallery and events
venue, The Country Trader, PYD
Building; 02-9698-4661

 The Guests: Fashion designers Collette Dinnigan, Pamela
Easton & Lydia Pearson of Easton Pearson, Leona Edmiston, Nicola Finetti, Lisa
Ho, Akira Isogawa, Fleur Wood, and Nicky & Simone Zimmerman of Zimmerman.

 The Menu: A modern French feast, locally sourced and
prepared by chef and restauranteur Justin North of Becasse’.

 The Flowers: Cardinal red roses and hydrangeas

       “It’s not often that we actually get to sit together anymore
as designers,” says Collette Dinnigan. The style maker is sipping French
champagne in an intimate setting, surrounded by her peers,. “We all have the
same hectic schedules, so to take time out, and talk about things and bring
back memories is an absolute pleasure.”
       Dinnigan is apart of an elite group of Australian designers who have gathered
at Sydney’s rambling antiques emporium, the Country Trader, to mark 10 years of
InStyle – and their own contributions to the magazine over the last
decade – with a celebratory lunch. All agree it’s been difficult to synchronize
diaries, but the opportunity to catch up and reflect in this atmospheric
setting is a welcome one.
     Under the warm glow of gilt chandeliers, an 18th-century polished walnut table is
set with heavy crystal goblets, ornate plates and silver cutlery. Generous
swaths of blue velvet tied around classic novels, laid out as small gifts for
each guest, brighten the scene, as do the cardinal red roses arranged on the
marble-topped buffet nearby. Surveying the tableaux, Fleur Wood declares, “I
think it’s heaven. You feel like you’re in a French country manor.”
       The rustic-yet-refined setting is the ideal backdrop to the modern French fare
prepared by leading chef Justin North. Behind the scenes, North is putting
finishing touches to the feast, displaying an attention to detail that explains
why his Sydney CBD restaurants, Becasse’ and Etch, are counted among the city’s
finest.
        The 35 year old New Zealand native’s food philosophy is simple, centring on fresh,
seasonal produce that arrives at the table by way of sustainable farming practices.
“We try to buy directly from the producers rather than the middle men,” he explains. ”That
way, we get a good understanding about their farming methods and how
sustainable they are. It gives us respect for the product.” Today, the
designers will enjoy an entrée of organic vegetables with slow-cooked blue-eye
trevalla for their main course. “A piece of fish should smell like the ocean, “
North offers. “It should really sparkle.”
       Once the food is served, the guests recall experiences shared with InStyle since 2000.
Nicola Finetti remembers Cate Blanchett in one of his designs on the cover of the September
2004 edition. “To see somebody on such a level wear my clothes, that was a great time for me.
” It is just one example of the ever-growing recognition of great local design. “Our industry
has evolved,” says Lisa Ho. “It has really grown.”
       As glasses are topped up with the local wines North has selected to complement his
dishes, all make a congratulatory toast to InStyle. Pamela Easton leads the charge, exclaiming fondly,
 “I can’t remember a time when InStyle didn’t exist!”

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