The models shone, Bellarine fashion rocked – and a good time was had by all!

A full house in the View Room at the Portarlington Golf Club was treated to a wonderful night as four local fashion houses combined forces to put on Port’s first catwalk parade.

Event organiser and host Sonja Di Pietro said the night had been wonderfully received by all involved and that she hoped it would be the first of more to come.

“The stores and their teams should be really proud of the effort they put into showcasing their wares, especially to a sell-out crowd at our first attempt,” Sonja said.

“It was a great opportunity for a predominantly female audience to have a night out together for the first time in a long while – and I think it was really well received by all.”

Sonja, the manager at Stockdale & Leggo Bellarine on Newcombe St, had another goal on her mind through the evening, too.

“I am delighted to let everyone who came along know that we managed to raise $2300 for the Epworth Hospital’s women’s health programs – a great cause dear to many of our hearts,” Sonja said.

“The feedback we had from participants and the crowd was extremely positive and I hope to continue to achieve wonderful things together as a community.”
The four boutiques - Just Next Door, Kouture by the Sea, Montana’s Fashion and Accessories and Kita Ku – each put up an impressive array of spring and summer concepts for the upcoming season.

“And the way the models showed it off was absolutely brilliant,” Sonja said.
“The way they strutted their stuff along the red carpet was so much fun and I really think the audience loved their enthusiasm and willingness to have a good time. The emphasis of the night was really to just have fun after a challenging few years.”

Stockdale and Leggo Bellarine director Daniel Lamanna paid tribute to Sonja’s efforts.

“She’s a great representative in our community and you can see her passion to bring people together really shine through on nights like that,” Daniel said.