TWO years ago she wowed fashion pundits at Oaks Day and the Melbourne Cup with her designs. Last year, it was Melbourne Spring Fashion Week.

Now, Grace Lillian Lee will give her hometown audience a taste of the style, glamour and vintage flair she has been dishing up on southern catwalks.

Grace is officially launching her label – Grace Lillian Lee – at An Affair to Remember in Cairns on March 31, a showcase of two collections and her new season racewear “tantalizers”.

The collections of evening, cocktail, swimwear and daywear are heavily influenced by her Far Northern roots – natural fabrics which imitate the shedding of a snake skin or the plaiting of a basket on Thursday Island.

She has also raided the racks of Animal Welfare’s op shop in Draper St – a favourite haunt of hers – to combine classic 1950s cocktail wear with her own 21st century millinery creations.

“We were going to go on a big vintage hunt around Cairns and went to Animal Welfare. They said take what you need, so I’ve got 12 vintage outfits and 12 of my hats,” Grace said.

“We’re going to auction one hat off with all the money going to Animal Welfare. There’s some beautiful cocktail dresses from the 1950s and fur jackets. It’s all very chic.”

Newly graduated with a Bachelor of Fashion Design from RMIT University in Melbourne, Grace is adding a Certificate IV in Micro Business Management to her CV while home in Cairns before heading back to Melbourne to develop her label.

“I’ve studied the creative side of it, but I wanted to understand the business side of the industry and write myself a business plan, so I have goals in life.”

>> An Affair to Remember is at Bar 8, Shangri La Hotel, Pier Marina on March 31. Doors open 6.30pm, show starts 7pm. The event is a fundraiser for the Relay for Life and entry is $5.

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