Australian Fashion Week AW2009/2010 - Aurelio Costarella

The lights are dimmed. Voices fade until there is no sound bar the click of cameras and stilettos. The warehouse has been left empty with only carefully placed gold circles on the concrete floor. A faint shadow of willowy limbs stands straight and confident at the end of the runway. Deep beats cascade into the room a little too heavy on the bass before the music becomes slightly softer and an exquisite creature comes into view. She is quietly seductive in a way that makes you almost forget about the clothes until you realise that this is the intention of Aurelio Costarella. The woman should be noticed first and foremost, no matter how beautiful the gown.

The thinking behind these extremely feminine clothes was light-hearted. The way in which these garments were constructed was not. The carefully hand moulded silhouettes wrap around the body so artistically and the ruffles are placed so elegantly that a few of the dresses actually take my breath away.

The collection is a mixture of earthy tones, bright bangles and metallic beading with immaculately stitched embroidery. There is a selection of teeny cocktails dresses not for the faint hearted and floor length gowns that billow softly with every step.
An interesting contrast between the femininity of the embellished fabrics and the little quirks of the clothing is apparent throughout the show. The low cut corsets are enough to make one blush which twists the glamour around on its heels and make the whole show feel a little more provocative and a little less sweet.

As I leave other shows, the striking impression left by this collection becomes more apparent. There was a certain charm about the interaction between the audience, the construction of the garments and by Costarella himself as he mingled with people who had come to marvel in his works of art. Although achieving simplicity in fashion is one of the toughest things to do, achieving the striking beauty and originality of Costaerella’s collection is just as tough and somehow a little more rewarding for both the designer and the very fortunate one who will eventually own one of the pieces of the season.