"These aren't real people. It'd be nice to see someone normal wear the clothes and maybe even have someone that is plus-size or a normal size woman out there," her friend Elena Muscat chimed in as Jodi Anasta and Rachael Finch worked the crowd.

Harris, a teacher's aide in her early 40s from Sydney's Eastwood, is a Myer One Gold member, as is Muscat, a secretary from Rosebery, also in her 40s. People that, by definition of the rewards program's terms and conditions, are the department store's highest spending customers – they make purchases worth $6000 or more every year.

It was their first time at the biannual collections launch. They made up an audience of 700 other gold and platinum customers who were invited to the event, a glittering soiree that is usually attended by celebrities of varying degrees of fame.

The inclusion of customers, similar to Givenchy's move at last year's New York Fashion Week, was the retailer's deputy chief Daniel Bracken's idea.

"We want to have an experiential relationship with our customers rather than just a transactional one," he says. "We were quite forensic about who attended and wanted to give the customers buying these brands a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Muscat and Harris, who has been a dedicated Myer customer for 21 years, were impressed with the show but won't be rushing to their suburban stores to pick up any of the new season looks.

"There was only a few things that I really liked for me. They're not really showing diversity," Muscat says.

Other gold card carrying customers like Carmen Bai of Mascot and Rei Huang from Caringbah, were planning to shop online for some of the looks, specifically the dresses from the retailer's newly acquired label - Oscar de la Renta - for the upcoming spring racing season.

While the majority of the front-row guests were "dressed" for the evening in Myer brands – such as By Johnny or Sass & Bide – the people who paid for their clothes sat in the bleachers. Many ensembles there were from Myer. A pink Ted Baker cape from the Sydney CBD store here, a Trent Nathan coat from the Macquarie Centre outlet there.

Before the show, as 300 VIPs sipped champagne and posed for cameras in a cordoned-off area, customers were shown to their tiered seats where doughnuts, espresso martinis in jars and goodie bags bursting with Saint Laurent lipsticks and raw, artisan chocolate were waiting.

"Basque is one of their major brands, like their everyday Myer brands, maybe they should showcase that as well," Harris said as she flicked through the show program that listed labels like Aje, Self Portrait and Pucci. "I buy a lot of Basque so don't think they should always have a high-end fashion show, maybe have the everyday fashion as well. I miss Lisa Ho and Nicola Finetti."

A highlight for the guests sitting in the stands was Alex Perry's elegant finale. But the styling, by fashion director Michael Azzollini, was more hysterical than high-fashion. There were chuckles in the nose-bleed section as models wearing Yeojin Bae dresses came down the catwalk accessorised with long ribbons tied to their wrists. The floral headdresses for the Oscar de le Renta exits baffled many.

"The flowers as a hat were pretty but where are you going to wear that? In the garden? Imagine the birds you'd attract," Harris said.

Nothing, not the clothes, not the live music, not familiar faces of various Bachelor contestants were as popular as Miss Universe 2004. Phones stowed away were quickly brought out as soon as Jennifer Hawkins took her turn on the runway.

"Jennifer Hawkins has the best body, because she's got a bit more meat on her," Muscat whispered as the leggy ambassador sashayed down the runway.

While some in the industry were surprised at the recent news Myer had re-signed Hawkins for an additional two years, the proof, according to Bracken is in the P&L: "What Jen wears, sells."