Ellery, Josh Goot, Dion Lee and Christopher Esber are among 10 Australian brands that have been picked up by prestigious etailer Moda Operandi, which allows customers to buy clothes direct from the runway rather than waiting months before they arrive in a store.

The round was led by new investors RRE Ventures with participation from existing investors New Enterprise Associates, New Atlantic Ventures and Conde Nast.

In November, the one year old startup will begin stocking in season merchandise for more immediate purchase and receipt.

Currently, customers have to wait between six weeks and five months to receive items they order from the site.

No one thought anyone would purchase luxury items online, but we help our customers feel comfortable by offering style advice through editorial content and personal stylists.

Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer Aslaug Magnusdottir says that the Moda will offer a modest amount of in season product with a very curated selection of brands to start.

The concept of the trunk shows is to make every single style on the runway available, so that if you saw it on the runway, you can come and buy it from us, Magnusdottir explains.

The in season product will be a curated selection based on information we get from our trunk shows.

Recognising that many runway designs either dont get taken up by retail buyers or, even if they do, take months to reach regular retail outlets, Moda Operandi gives designers and shoppers a speedy e commerce connection to trade in pieces that might never otherwise see the light of day.

That will continue to be a core part of our business, but we realize our customer shops both via pre order and in season.

Even if she buys a great deal off the runway, theres always the need for last minute purchases.

The move will also open up opportunities to reach new customers, namely those who dont feel comfortable pre ordering a piece of clothing four months ahead of time, or are seeking more instant gratification, she adds.

Magnusdottir says the company has already seen strong sales in English speaking countries including the US, Canada and the UK, and is pushing aggressively into Brazil and the Middle East.

The startup partnered with Vogue China in February, inviting readers to come and shop the site after reading about the runway collections in the magazine.

Moda hasnt yet launched a Chinese version of its website yet, but is working on translating its site into Mandarin and opening a warehouse in Asia to facilitate shipping in the region.

We asked Magnusdottir if the company had considered a brick and mortar play in China, given that ecommerce currently represents such a small fraction of business to consumer retail sales there.

We see it as an online play, though clearly the Chinese market in terms of online sales is not nearly as developed as the US market, she said.

But over the next five years its likely to catch up with the US and become even bigger in terms of size and luxury sales… And given the local problems with counterfeit product, there tends to be much more trust when it comes to international players.

Prior to its Series C, Moda raised $10 million in Series B funding almost a year ago to date.

Ellery, Josh Goot, Dion Lee and Christopher Esber are among 10 Australian brands that have been picked up by prestigious etailer Moda Operandi, which allows customers to buy clothes direct from the runway rather than waiting months before they arrive in a store.

The round was led by new investors RRE Ventures with participation from existing investors New Enterprise Associates, New Atlantic Ventures and Conde Nast.

In November, the one year old startup will begin stocking in season merchandise for more immediate purchase and receipt.

Currently, customers have to wait between six weeks and five months to receive items they order from the site.

No one thought anyone would purchase luxury items online, but we help our customers feel comfortable by offering style advice through editorial content and personal stylists.

Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer Aslaug Magnusdottir says that the Moda will offer a modest amount of in season product with a very curated selection of brands to start.

The concept of the trunk shows is to make every single style on the runway available, so that if you saw it on the runway, you can come and buy it from us, Magnusdottir explains.

The in season product will be a curated selection based on information we get from our trunk shows.

Designers always complain that though they build beautiful collections, their best pieces never see production because retail buyers font see a market for them.

That will continue to be a core part of our business, but we realize our customer shops both via pre order and in season.

Even if she buys a great deal off the runway, theres always the need for last minute purchases.

The move will also open up opportunities to reach new customers, namely those who dont feel comfortable pre ordering a piece of clothing four months ahead of time, or are seeking more instant gratification, she adds.

Magnusdottir says the company has already seen strong sales in English speaking countries including the US, Canada and the UK, and is pushing aggressively into Brazil and the Middle East.

The startup partnered with Vogue China in February, inviting readers to come and shop the site after reading about the runway collections in the magazine.

Moda hasnt yet launched a Chinese version of its website yet, but is working on translating its site into Mandarin and opening a warehouse in Asia to facilitate shipping in the region.

We asked Magnusdottir if the company had considered a brick and mortar play in China, given that ecommerce currently represents such a small fraction of business to consumer retail sales there.

We see it as an online play, though clearly the Chinese market in terms of online sales is not nearly as developed as the US market, she said.

But over the next five years its likely to catch up with the US and become even bigger in terms of size and luxury sales… And given the local problems with counterfeit product, there tends to be much more trust when it comes to international players.

Prior to its Series C, Moda raised $10 million in Series B funding almost a year ago to date.

Ellery, Josh Goot, Dion Lee and Christopher Esber are among 10 Australian brands that have been picked up by prestigious etailer Moda Operandi, which allows customers to buy clothes direct from the runway rather than waiting months before they arrive in a store.

The round was led by new investors RRE Ventures with participation from existing investors New Enterprise Associates, New Atlantic Ventures and Conde Nast.

In November, the one year old startup will begin stocking in season merchandise for more immediate purchase and receipt.

Currently, customers have to wait between six weeks and five months to receive items they order from the site.

No one thought anyone would purchase luxury items online, but we help our customers feel comfortable by offering style advice through editorial content and personal stylists.

Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer Aslaug Magnusdottir says that the Moda will offer a modest amount of in season product with a very curated selection of brands to start.

The concept of the trunk shows is to make every single style on the runway available, so that if you saw it on the runway, you can come and buy it from us, Magnusdottir explains.

The in season product will be a curated selection based on information we get from our trunk shows.

Designers always complain that though they build beautiful collections, their best pieces never see production because retail buyers font see a market for them.

That will continue to be a core part of our business, but we realize our customer shops both via pre order and in season.

Even if she buys a great deal off the runway, theres always the need for last minute purchases.

The move will also open up opportunities to reach new customers, namely those who dont feel comfortable pre ordering a piece of clothing four months ahead of time, or are seeking more instant gratification, she adds.

Magnusdottir says the company has already seen strong sales in English speaking countries including the US, Canada and the UK, and is pushing aggressively into Brazil and the Middle East.

The startup partnered with Vogue China in February, inviting readers to come and shop the site after reading about the runway collections in the magazine.

Moda hasnt yet launched a Chinese version of its website yet, but is working on translating its site into Mandarin and opening a warehouse in Asia to facilitate shipping in the region.

We asked Magnusdottir if the company had considered a brick and mortar play in China, given that ecommerce currently represents such a small fraction of business to consumer retail sales there.

We see it as an online play, though clearly the Chinese market in terms of online sales is not nearly as developed as the US market, she said.

But over the next five years its likely to catch up with the US and become even bigger in terms of size and luxury sales… And given the local problems with counterfeit product, there tends to be much more trust when it comes to international players.

Prior to its Series C, Moda raised $10 million in Series B funding almost a year ago to date.

As a male, we must admit we tend to pay a bit more attention to the models than to what they are modeling, and we’re far more interested in the fun filled afterparties than in the shows themselves.

Food Network Chef Chris Nirschel and we started our stroll down the partying catwalk a little late on Monday the 13th, by heading to the Stone Rose Bar for Betsey Johnson’s Betseymania runway show afterparty.

Upon entering, we made our way toward the open bar, which included bartenders dancing around in Johnson’s signature tutu’s, and we then engaged in some cryptic and convoluted conversation with Betsey which included a few fashion tips.

We shook off our glimpse into Betsey’s complex mind and headed for what some would call the toughest door in New York City, the Electric Room downstairs in the Dream Hotel for the Vs.

Fortunately for us, our good buddy Russell Simmons just happened to be standing right behind us and said, “He’s with us.”.

We immediately began chatting with the beautiful hostess, Helena Christensen.

It’s quite cramped, with more posers inside than actual notables, but the thought of being with just a few A listers as well as with a bunch of hot models packed into one tiny place can be very intriguing.

Bar Rafaeli, Erin Cullison, and Karina Bartkevica were just some of the beautiful Giraffes wandering about enjoying some great music and the endless bottle service.

Boardwalk Empire’s Michael Pitt and Joe Jonas were just two of the many notables in attendance.

Unfortunately, our rock star night came to an unexpected end due to overcrowding.

On the way out, Simmons invited us to his Rush HeArts Charity Luncheon he was hosting at the Plaza Hotel the following morning to help enrich the lives of young, less fortunate children by exposing them to the arts and giving them a place to be creative.

The two most influential fashion weeks are Paris Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week, which are both semiannual events.

We were enjoying some friendly chit chat with the always sweet Kristin Chenoweth just before the Naeem Khan runway show, and in walked a very unexpected and unlikely guest, nice guy Matt Damon.

It was amusing watching the young girls working behind the scenes try to contain themselves in his presence, doing their best to “act casual” as if he wasn’t actually in the room.

Damon seemed to really enjoy the show, bopping and rocking to the Led Zeppelin tunes, and was then quickly whisked away by security at the shows end.

Latest innovations in dress designs are showcased by renowned fashion designers during these fashion weeks, and all these latest collections are covered in magazines such as designerzcentral and Vogue.

Also in attendance: Maria Menounos, The Bachelor’s Rachel Truehart, Chef Chris Nirschel and Vanity Fair’s George Wayne, who seemed to be everywhere we went.

Guests enjoyed a great runway show, cocktails and music spun by DJ Alexandra Richards.

We rounded out the week on Thursday, where we had the unexpected pleasure of sitting front row with Journey guitarist Neal Schon, Michaele Salahi and fellow celebrity scooper Rob Shuter.

We were all there to support Derek Warburton’s Bottomless Closet Fashion Show at the Empire Hotel in New York City on the final night of our fun filled N.

The low key rocker was very cool, modest and soft spoken, while Michaele was sweet and very gracious to all of the guests.

The fashion event benefited Bottomless Closet New York City which provides much needed clothing and support to some very nice ladies who may have fallen on hard times to help get them back in the workforce.

We all enjoyed watching these ladies strut their stuff on the catwalk, and like most runway shows, it was over before we knew it.

It was a great week of fashion fun with a great finish, and at the end of the night we all said our goodbyes and went our ”Separate Ways.

London Fashion Week is almost at an end (well, bar that whole menswear part) and to celebrate, we’ve got moving pictures of super hot Rosie Huntington Whiteley, Alexa Chung and Yasmin Le Bon sharing their autumn/winter ’12 trend tip offs.

The two most influential fashion weeks are Paris Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week, which are both semiannual events.

The London based fashion house made headlines when it posted photos of every look from its Spring/Summer 2012 collection on Twitter seconds before they appeared on the catwalk.

A priority of his, Mr Bryant said in a phone interview, is to negotiate a deal with a fashion house so Ms.

The initiative generated a huge amount of interest on Twitter — so much so that both “#Burberry” and “Christopher Bailey” trended worldwide on the platform.

ET on Friday, Tommy Hilfiger will stage its own Twitter Model Walk at its mens Fall 2012 show.

The company is pushing its shoe line for autumn, and as such, will release images of the shoes on Twitter as they hit the runway.

Followers can enter for a chance to win a pair by retweeting an image with the hashtag #TommyRunwayShoes, or by filling out a form on Facebook, where the US fashion label will also be livestreaming video footage of its show.

Elsewhere, Rebecca Minkoff is planning to debut pieces from her collection on Twitter a full 30 minutes before they appear on the runway.

Additional backstage footage will appear on the designers Twitter and Instagram accounts, and the full show will stream live on YouTube at 3 p.m.

Perhaps most creatively, Diane von Furstenberg has teamed up with iPhone video app Viddy to shoot and distribute 15- to 30 second videos rather than photos of looks backstage.

Even though her DIY videos appear to be a hit with fans, Del Rey admits that shes not too pleased.

Kate Sroczynski, senior director of digital at DVF, says that Viddy is a way for the brand to push the Tweetwalk concept to the next level.

The short timeframes and direct to Facebook posting capabilities give DVF a way to deliver a Twitter esque experience while reaching the brands more engaged fan base on Facebook, she explains.

The decision to debut looks on social media channels alongside and, in some cases, ahead of their appearance on the runway points to the growing prioritization of the online consumer audience at shows.

New York Fashion Week, once a roped off series of events for media and buyers, has become a global public spectacle, thanks to the advent of livestreaming and other online distribution channels.

The most prominent fashion weeks are held in the four fashion capitals of the world: New York City, London, Milan, and Paris.

So seems to be the thought process of several prominent US fashion labels during New York Fashion Week, all of which are planning their own takes on the Tweetwalk Burberry debuted at its womenswear show in September 2011.

Fashion label Diane von Furstenberg is teaming up with mobile video app Viddy to stage a near live, behind the scenes experience during New York Fashion Week.

Sroczynski says she and her team were inspired by the Tweetwalk Burberry staged last September, during which the London based fashion house shared photos of each look on Twitter moments before they hit the runway.

The initiative generated a huge amount of interest on Twitter — so much so that both “#Burberry” and “Christopher Bailey” trended worldwide on the platform.

ET on Friday, Tommy Hilfiger will stage its own Twitter Model Walk at its mens Fall 2012 show.

The company is pushing its shoe line for autumn, and as such, will release images of the shoes on Twitter as they hit the runway.

Followers can enter for a chance to win a pair by retweeting an image with the hashtag #TommyRunwayShoes, or by filling out a form on Facebook, where the US fashion label will also be livestreaming video footage of its show.

Elsewhere, Rebecca Minkoff is planning to debut pieces from her collection on Twitter a full 30 minutes before they appear on the runway.

Additional backstage footage will appear on the designers Twitter and Instagram accounts, and the full show will stream live on YouTube at 3 p.m.

Perhaps most creatively, Diane von Furstenberg has teamed up with iPhone video app Viddy to shoot and distribute 15- to 30 second videos rather than photos of looks backstage.

Staffers from DVF and its social media marketing agency will be using the iPhone app, which is often described as Instagram for video, to shoot 15- to 30 second clips that will populate a designated tab on DVFs Facebook page.

Since the tab isnt compatible on mobile, the company will be posting some videos to its Facebook Wall and to Twitter.

Kate Sroczynski, senior director of digital at DVF, says that Viddy is a way for the brand to push the Tweetwalk concept to the next level.

Viddys ease of use and short timeframes give the brand a way to deliver a Twitter esque experience through video on Facebook, Sroczynski explains.

The decision to debut looks on social media channels alongside and, in some cases, ahead of their appearance on the runway points to the growing prioritization of the online consumer audience at shows.

New York Fashion Week, once a roped off series of events for media and buyers, has become a global public spectacle, thanks to the advent of livestreaming and other online distribution channels.

The two most influential fashion weeks are Paris Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week, which are both semiannual events.

Portuguese-born Felipe Oliveira Baptista worked at labels including Max Mara and Cerruti, founded his namesake label in 2003 and in 2010 was named Creative Director of Lacoste.

Designer runway collections can often seem out of touch with the needs of real women, but they can also be a great place to source fresh fashion inspiration.

” Lacoste’s Spring 2012 runway collection was almost 80 percent womens, a marked shift for the brand.

Baptista played with the label’s French heritage, sportswear roots and tailoring, churning out wearable must-haves including perfectly cut sleeveless shifts, parkas and full length jersey gowns.

With a keen understanding of the way that urban power women want to dress, both at work and on the weekend, Baptista shared some style rules women should live by.

A wardrobe of great basics can go a long way.

Baptista suggests that every woman should own “a good coat, a parka, a timeless trench, jeans that flatter, a black dress and, of course, a Lacoste polo.

” Those few things can be a great base on which to add jewelry, fashion-forward shoes and a colorful handbag.

Look to the Runway for Inspiration:Designer runway collections can often seem out of touch with the needs of real women, but they can also be a great place to source fresh fashion inspiration.

Color-blocking was a key trend on Lacoste’s Spring 2012 runway, and Baptista suggests looking for “wearable neutral versions of the trend.

” Instead of pairing red, green and blue pieces together, which might be too loud for the office, opt for grey, nude and white separates to get the look.

The womens fashion mistake that makes Baptista shudder.

Getting older doesnt mean you have to sacrifice your personal style, but it does mean you should probably trade in the leather miniskirt for a razor sharp pencil skirt.

The easiest way to take your look from day to night Baptista says is “popping on a pair of heels.

” Store a classic pair of black pumps in your desk drawer, so you are always cocktail party ready.

When designing, Baptista thinks of a woman “who wants fuss-free, desirable and comfortable clothes.

” Not surprising sentiments from the Paris-based designer—French women are renowned for having perfected easygoing elegance, or as Baptista often says, joie de vivre.