ABOVE LEFT: Inspired by Jennifer Nicholson’s time in Spain: the asymmetric fringe dress. TOP: Chambray separates, inspired by Capri. CENTRE: Dress with kickpleats. ABOVE: A strong south Pacific inspiration for the wave dress.

   Inspired by Nicholson’s time in Hawaii, "South Pacific" blends ocean, beach, wetsuit and surfer motifs into dresses with sexy ruffles, wave-prints, hot colours and diamante details that hint of mythic mermaids, sandy beaches and hot tropical nights.
   "Spanish Lullaby" evokes Spain and everything from the movie classic, Blood and Sand, starring Rita Hayworth and Tyrone Powers. Fringy dresses, skirts and pants topped by Chanel-inspired boléro jackets mix neutrals with silky sea foam green and pearly pink. "Capri" is the Italian version of relaxed separates in soft neutral hues of chambray with clooney lace details. Check out her vintage-style blouses!
   "Broadway" features the hottest designs in neon brights. Motorcycle jackets of colour-blocked metallic leather are paired with indigo denim pants with sequin accents or an asymmetrical skirt done in beige silk dupioni sparked with vertical ribbon stripes and pompoms.
   While this collection takes world travellers around the globe and back home, it’s the glamour gowns that finish off this fashion collection. The "Petit Four Gown" collection is so scrumptious that you want to box a dozen and take them all home. These silken confections are in an array of colours like Mango Crème, Strawberry Mousse, Raspberry Soufflé, and Sour Apple and reflect lines and details seen in the sexiest dresses from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s. Retro-done in fabulously sexy fabrics, these dresses are unique interpretations of vintage design meeting new-millennium style: it’s almost impossible to not scoop up two or these of these sensual gowns.
   We pressed Jennifer Nicholson for her favourite designs from this collection and she told us that she loves the Courrèges-inspired butterfly suit (this was her first design for spring 2003); the wet suit dress with the vertical sequins and kick pleat; the Chanel-inspired jacket done in Kelly green and draped chains; the wave-print ’40s-retro-style gown in the shorter length and the fringed pants. ‘The pants are my favourite. They are fun and they just seem to make you want to go dance.’
   The work of creating a new line or new collection isn’t exactly just a slam dunk. The hard parts for Nicholson involve eliminating designs. ‘The editing process is not as fun, but it’s worth it. The only way I can do it, is to just put some (designs) on the back burner. There are the occasional ideas that get eliminated due to problems of translation. It’s a case of my patternmaker saying it’s not going to work or the design just doesn’t turn out as well as I had planned. Usually I can find a way to make things work if I try.’

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