Portmans Fashion Workshop

The Portmans Fashion Workshop held at the Glasshouse store earlier this month was a chance to see their Autumn/Winter range of corporate and fun fashion wear, while having champagne and nibbles.

• Sweater dress - worn with leggings or opaque tights and ballet flats, or ankle boots and large tote.

• Shift and pinafore dress - they're just above the knee which is ideal for the office, worn with a roll neck, light wool knit or a pussy bow blouse, and

• Trench coat, belted high on the waist and a little more structured than previous years in a shorter 60's style. This is definitely a wardrobe staple but you may want to shop round for the ideal silhouette.

The colour palette for the the season is black and grey, with red, mustard and purple highlights. Patterned accents included tartan and leopard print and there's a touch of metallic in accessories as well.

Once again, layering is a big thing for winter, with leggings, skivvies, mini skirts, cropped jackets, etc there is a lot to play with as you explore the new proportions.

Also for the office worker, Portmans do a lot of great suiting with 2-3 different ones coming through each month leading up to winter. The fabrics are good quality and are sourced from France, Italy and Germany.

The Glasshouse, Miranda, Parramatta and Bondi Junction stores often run test lines, where you're more likely to pick-up limited editions.

They are also at Direct Factory Outlets at Homebush if you're looking for some great deals on summer items being cleared.

Whilst Portmans is definitely not high-end fashion, it certainly makes a great transition from the catwalk to very wearable pieces, with lots of street cred!