The week–long event may have lacked the pomp and pageantry of catwalk shows in the fashion capitals of Milan, Paris and London but it somehow managed to serve its main goal — to bring buyers to see the collections and perhaps, close a deal or two.

Sheer talent, creativity and some surprises made up for the ho–hum mood at the Play Den and Chamber, the two venues inside The Arts House at the Old Parliament which failed to pack in audiences except during the fashion presentations of the HOW label from Hong Kong, Daniel Yam & iS of Singapore and Khoon Hooi of Malaysia.

Romance and femininity flowed down the runway all week long, interpreted in flamenco ruffles, hourglass silhouettes, corsets, playful bows and tassels, floral prints, voluminous and flirty skirts in luxurious fabrics of satin, velvet, silk, chiffon and organza.

Most of the designers worked on the "tulip" skirt, a take on the puffball which bounced on the catwalks of Paris last year, and incorporated sexy details such as tiered ruffles, ruching and flounces down the skirt.

For the invited foreign designers, the fashion week was an opportunity to showcase local color from their respective countries, blending traditional with contemporary.

Deepika Gehani, a designer from India, defined royal elegance via opulent fabrics and textures that speak well of this country’s vibrant textile and fashion industry.

Deepika believes that fashion should be effortless yet regal. Thus she presented velvet jackets in varying lengths thrown over silk knit pants, traditional Indian gold lace, zardozi, beads and metal studs on supple coats and shrugs, worn with draped and styled trousers and Jodhpuri pants.

Touches of gold and shimmery trimmings featured prominently in this collection while elephant motifs inspired the traditional weaves of India sporadically merged with Deepika’s elegant creations.

Turkey, the official partner country of the Singapore Fashion Week, sent in designers from the Ankara Olgunlasma Institute especially for the show.

Established in 1958, the foundation staunchly supports traditional art and handicraft which is an important component of Turkish culture.

For the SFW05, Ankara Olgunlasma Institute presented a colorful collection of traditional Turkish motifs embroidered with different shades of gold and silver gilded threads, and hand dyed silk.

A rich palette of emerald green, aubergine, orange, fuschia, red and aquamarine brought to life tunic dresses, wrap skirts and figure–skimming gowns heavily embellished with beads, sequins and feathers.

Designer Truong Thanh Long of the Vietnamese label ICON was high on inspiration and looked to the clouds for his black and white evening gowns and short dresses with voluminous ruffled skirts.

"I’ve always been known for romantic clothes. This time, I am inspired by the clouds, the changing of its color from white to black. I used a lot of ruffles, satin and tulle to create volume…which is an allusion for clouds," said Truong who joined SFW05 for the first time.

However, not everyone was in the mood for romance.

Singaporean label Nicholas played with traditional masculine fabrics and tailored cuts for his autumn/winter 2006 collection, keeping ruffles and frills to a minimum.

Instead of squeezing women into little black dresses and wrapping them in tons of fabric, designer Nic Wong presented a wearable collection of slim and drainpipe pants, capris, suits, jackets, cropped boleros, puff–sleeved blouses and long sleeves with ruffle details.

Never afraid to cross fashion boundaries, Wong put men on skirts while the girls sashayed down the catwalk in deconstructed clothes in a variety of fabrics and prints imaginable — pinstripes, tweed, plaid and houndstooth.

Nonetheless, Wong is a lover of women and thus used pleats and tucks to emphasize the feminine form. Long gowns have subtle hints of Victorian and Romantic influences while pants are worn with wide waist sash belt.

"It’s more about dressing up for work," explained Wong, referring to his collection.

"I don’t follow trends. Black is in and so are most of my clothes…but I didn’t intentionally use black. I just wanted to highlight the contrast between my Pink and Black labels," added Wong who first started with his retro–style Pink Label in April 2004.

On a military trail were SPY Henry Lau of Hong Kong and Perfect in Black by Singaporean designer Anthea Chan.

The Russian Royal, along with military and national graphics, were the dress code for SPY’s Men’s Fall/Winter collection.

For the ladies, Lau’s inspiration can be traced to the Russian Palace and Russian folk, using lots of fur to keep everyone warm for the cold spells ahead.

Anthea Chan’s fashion army marched down the catwalk in velvet vests with bold buttons, long tailored coats with nipped–in waist, ruffled tux shirts, slim trousers and pants that had rivets on the side.

Perhaps, it’s Thai designers Saksit Pisalasupongs and Phisit Jongnarangsin of the Tube Gallery who drew the most contracts, cashing in on Bangkok’s exciting fashion scene to come up with a collection that’s both romantic and sexy, kitsch and fun.

Since the collection is for next summer, the two designers used airy fabrics of chiffon, cotton, cotton muslin and Thai silk.

"The colors and motifs are what you see in Bangkok — temples, elephants and traditional Thai prints. Most of our clothes are for mixing and matching. For us, black is boring so we used it very minimally," said the young Saksit Pisalasupongs who returned at the SFW05 for the third time.

(Photos courtesy of Singapore Fashion Week. Log on to www.singaporefashionweek.com.sg)