Chitra Mangma's boutique stands in stark contrast with its neighbours - modest shops, unpretentious cafes, tiny groceries and grimy garages. Her salon is crammed with retro-hip clothes for women, classic designs sold under her Chitra's Closet label.

Chitra is one of Melbourne's leading designers. Her shop is tucked away on tiny Victoria Road, not far from the city's vibrant Brunswick neighbourhood. Clients who regularly visit her boutique are charmed by her designs' dainty, antique look.

Back in 1997, when Chitra was in her mid-30s, she quit her job as a Bangkok advertising executive and moved to Melbourne.

Ten years in the trade had provided enough stress for one lifetime, she reasoned, although she loved advertising.

"I enrolled at the Melbourne School of Fashion where my style of clothes raised interest among people there," Chitra recalls.

Her unique approach prompted a professor to suggest that she major in Design and Pattern Making. To pay for her schooling she worked in a restaurant six nights a week and later sold handcrafted necklaces that she designed.

"Seven years ago, the fashion business wasn't booming in Australia as it is today. I looked at those expensive, imported necklaces and was confident that I could do better," Chitra says.

She initially did her twist on the "Star Trek" look, using funky materials like fishing hooks. Her necklaces caught on and were sold at numerous Melbourne shops.

Some people told Chitra that her style was similar to Alannah Hill, the famous Australian designer, so she showed her pieces to Hill, who hired her as a trainee.

Chitra, meanwhile, moved into lacework, her first 20 pieces selling for more than A$7,000 (Bt202,000). She began to realise that her designs could fund her fashion degree.

"After the graduation, I applied for support from the Brunswick Business Incubator [an NGO that helps launch small companies] and set up my boutique in Brunswick," Chitra says.

She initially bought vintage clothes, carefully unstitching and redesigning them to create new outfits. Then she moved on to her own retro-designs.

Three months after opening her boutique, Chitra hosted her first fashion show. Using her advertising skills, she printed 500 postcards and distributed them everywhere she could think of.

On the day of the show, a long queue of people lined up at her boutique to see her designs. Many were previous customers - fashion designers, graphic artists, photographers, architects and artists.

Her boutique at the time was a small shop in the middle of nowhere. But it had gorgeous clothes and a funky air, and people liked what they saw.

It wasn't long before Chitra was being invited to fashion previews. She quickly became known as one of the country's hottest, new designers.

The exquisite, handcrafted details and exotic palette of Chitra's collections pay tribute to bygone eras, as well as her own cultural roots. Her fashion draws inspiration from her love of nostalgia and the styles of the 1920s and '30s.

 Fireside hues, such as burgundy, claret, purple and pine green, give colourful flashes to Chitra's evening dresses, suits and separates in wool and knits. Antique fabrics, applique, ribbon trim and resin buttons enhance the sophisticated look.

"I pay attention to designer icons like Christian Lacroix, Prada, Marc Jacobs and Yves St Laurent. But I'm also inspired by vintage black-and-white films predating 1900 and classic films from 1920s, 1930s and 1940s," she explains.

These influences are evident in her work. Her summer 2005 collection had a "Roman Holiday" theme, but was clearly designed for the modern woman. Among its offerings were sheer cropped shirts, flirty tailored shorts and Chitra's signature pastel suits.

"The type of woman who appreciates my designs loves the clothes that her mother or grandmother wore when they were young," Chitra says. "They enjoy romance and fantasy, and want everything in their life to be beautiful - whether it's a patterned teacup or a pretty skirt."

Her 2006 Winter collection was inspired by France's pre-World War II cinema and called "A Return to Romance". Each garment was meant to embody desire, courage and the enduring nature of love.

For Summer 2007, Chitra celebrates the ultimate "Garden Party", everything from '50s-style powder-pink floral tops and forest-green shorts to classically shaped jackets and skirts in tropical pinks and slinky silk blue.

Her designs turned heads. "There were more than 500 businesses in the fashion preview, and I was the designer profiled by the newspaper. I felt like I had won an Oscar."

Chitra wants to move on to the catwalks of Paris, but not until she's made her mark in Australia.

Meanwhile, she says her clothes are a bit radical for Thais. "Too off the wall" she says, even though they are "funky, but in a very genteel Asian way".

Chitra is about to launch her own website. And, she's getting ready to take a group of Australians to Thailand.

"It's good to show people my country, and to take them deep into my culture, fashion and art," she says. "It's kind of like being a fashion consultant and specialised tour operator at the same time."

Chitra is also dreaming about creating a fashion fiefdom of her own. It would be housed in a small office building and would have a tea room and a studio where women could knit and embroider.

It would be a shame if women didn't have time for those pursuits anymore, says Chitra, who would likely pedal to work on a bicycle, wearing the most feminine clothes imaginable, as she does now.

Vipasai Niyamabha

The Nation

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA