It's been a big year for Australian fashion: 2007 will be remembered as the year that boasted the re-emergence of the Australian supermodel, international fashion stars graced our shores and even politicians became fashion icons.Target hit the mark with customers by blurring the line between mass production and designer clothing. British designer and daughter of Beatle, Paul, Stella McCartney collaborated with the retail giant on a 42-piece range that sent shoppers into a frenzy. Women lined up outside stores hours before opening and once inside emptied the clothing racks in just 10 minutes. Some later returned their hastily-purchased clothes or offloaded items on internet auction site eBay at inflated prices. Months later Australian designer Josh Goot got in on the act, bringing his couture brand to retail racks with 12 pieces priced between $60 and $130. While he didn't ignite a bun fight like McCartney, the pair have paved the way for collaborations that could result in more designer labels, minus the hefty price tag.Too skinny beat out too young in Australia's most popular modelling contest. Australia's Next Top Model generated more interest than usual in its third series. The winner of the show, Alice Burdeu, was criticised for being too thin. The 185cm, willowy redhead weighed in at 58kg. The 19-year-old beat 16-year-old Stephanie Hart who was told while she was too young to match the models on the international circuit, she had commercial potential. Designer Alex Perry deemed Burdeu's made-for-couture look as "international material" and her appearance on the cover of Australian Vogue substantiated his claim.

A number of big Australian fashion names pulled out of Australian Fashion week this year, including Charlie Brown, Wayne Cooper and Akira Isowaga. Their absence emphasised the number of talented up-and-coming Australian designers including Josh Goot, Melanie Cutfield and Nevenka, who were all critics' picks. Ksubi made a sensational comeback after a two-year break, showing a collection of their signature skinny jeans, PVC creations and painted oversized T-shirts. Another noticeable gap at fashion week was sass&bide, which pulled out at the last minute after one half of the designer duo, Heidi Middleton, was diagnosed with breast cancer just hours after giving birth to her second child in February. Later in the year, sass&bide launched a boutique in Brisbane.Perth-born Gemma Ward, a Search for a Supermodel drop-out who was spotted by agency Vivien's Models, is fast becoming the biggest name on international catwalks. Ward is in high demand among top fashion houses including Gucci, Christian Dior, Anna Sui, Chanel and Alexander McQueen. This year, she was chosen to be on the cover of the first edition of Vogue India, alongside Bollywood actresses. The choice outraged the Indian fashion industry, who were angered by the use of a big name Anglo-Saxon model over an Indian model. In July, earning an estimated total of $3 million in the past 12 months, Forbes named her 10th in the list of the world's 15 top-earning models. Ward also made the cut for the 35th edition of the Pirelli calendar, with fellow Australian Catherine McNeil.