Fashion Week always promises to be an exciting affair for me; after all, it was the main reason I got into writing in the first place. This year’s edition, however, offered a little bit more glitz and glam than usual and the air was positively electric for some of the shows. Here, I will be taking a closer look at who is going to stay in the audience’s mind long after the glitter settles. By Anna-Marie Galea

Photos%3A Bernard Polidano

Ritienne Zammit

Ritienne Zammit was one of the first designers I ever interviewed many moons ago and she remains a firm favourite thanks to her ability to bring something different to each and every collection.

This year’s collection simply entitled VIVA! was a wonderful blend of modern design (crop tops and fanny packs abounded) with ecclesiastical imagery and iconography. Giving each and every model the opportunity to become saint-like for a few minutes, everything from the gold bobby pinned hair to the jewellery made in collaboration with Yana’s Jewellery was feast-astic!

Photos: Bernard Polidano

Marco Parascandalo

I think it’s safe to say that no one brings in the crowds like the PARASCANDALO brand. Ever since he started out five years ago, people have always queued and crowded to see his collections and with good reason too, because Marco remains the undisputed streetwear king.

While he usually showcases a number of winter pieces during fashion week, this year his mammoth collection included pieces for both summer as well as the colder seasons and custom-made jewellery. My favourite piece of the night? A showstopping red mesh and fringe party dress that would have made Josephine Baker cry.

Photos%3A Bernard Polidano

Jason Grech

There are makers of pretty dresses that girls love to dance and dream in and then there are Jason Grech’s creations. Beautifully cut and gorgeously put together, his dresses are so special that you can see their effect on the models’ faces. Not only was his ‘Dancing in Portugal’ collection full of vibrant pieces made for the perfect night out, with a gold metallic dress with a train standing out as my personal favourite, but his bridal collection was nothing short of a love letter to romance.

Truly no one was happier than me that he chose to show in Malta again this year!

Photos%3A Steven Muliett

Danyl Azzopardi

This is one of the two newcomers I will be writing about today. It’s not often that a newbie leaves the kind of effect that Danyl did but you can mark my words: this young one is set to be a star. Not only was it obvious that he had given his segment in the new designer category a lot of thought when it came to the mood he set, but the execution of his debut streetwear collection was vibrant and cutting edge.

Even the fact that he gave each of his looks a name and there was meaning behind each and every one gave his collection a depth that many of his more seasoned peers don’t have. Suffice to say, I’m really looking forward to the next one.

Photos%3A Bernard Polidano

Drew Warhurst

New to Fashion Week but not new to the fashion scene, Drew Warhurst offered a bit of a punk rock princess vibe with his layers of tulle over shorts or leotards, his crystal-encrusted jackets and his hemlines which were raised at the front and long at the back. Although there were quite a few outfits to choose from, my firm favourite remains the dress fashion influencer of the year Sarah Zerafa wore on the first day of fashion week, a black corseted number with ruffled bra cups and a full circle skirt.

Photos: Steven Muliett

Natasha Polidano

The second new designer who stood out from all the rest is Natasha Polidano, who took frills to the next level using a palette of purples, pinks and yellow. Her dreamy, frothy pieces caused quite a stir on the catwalk, where you could see everyone scrambling for their phone to take photos or videos the minute the music started.

Although the sheer, lightweight material she used for her pieces is usually notoriously hard to work with, Natasha pulled it off with great skill. I can’t wait to see how she will evolve given how high she has already set her own bar.

See you all next year!