When I first met Caroline Hili in 2014, I was not only blown away by her model good looks but by her inherent sense of style. Here was a woman who did not only understand clothes but, more importantly, how they worked with her own body as well as with the physiques of others.

On seeing her collection last year, I was struck by her sense of elegant playfulness and this year’s hotly anticipated offering, while considered to be risqué by some, was no different in spirit.

Hili understands the different facets of a woman’s mood and described her collection as primarily being motivated by her dreams: “They are an expression of my current state of mind, my thoughts, my desires and anxieties. As fearless and free as me.”

Keeping the tagline of her latest spring/summer 2016 collection in mind, it is not for nothing that Hili’s thoughts turned to other fearless, flight bound creatures while she was designing her collection.

By using birds as the foundation of her collection, she was not only able to create dresses which floated, but her magnificent creations were also responsible for dictating her dreamy choice of venue.

Making use of the Barrakka lift to bring her designs down to the audience seated below, coupled with exquisite lighting and make-up, it was almost as if we were watching birds descend from the heavens clad in magnificent plumage.

Mostly adopting white, blue and silver hues, the clothes were given a soft, ethereal aura reminiscent of the clouds and sky. However, Hili also offered a couple of harder-edged black leather pieces and my absolute favourite: a standout piece in red which glowed next to its lighter counterparts and had my inner vamp dancing the can-can.

Equally eye-catching was the finale dress, which consisted of a black fringe tube-top and billowing net skirt confected out of black and midnight blue tulle, embodying a modern Midnight in Paris princess moment.

The most striking quality of this collection is the way in which one can see the designer herself working, playing and creating worthy snapshot moments. The models were essentially transformed by the dresses they were wearing.

You could almost see them living out the designer’s dream scenarios whether at a cafe, walking through a crowded street to go to work, dancing the night away or even going to a ball. Hili’s collection was imbued with the kind of magic that originally made me fall in love with fashion – a collection for dreamers who want to believe that a dress can enhance a moment and make it that much sweeter.

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