The fashion industry can be a fickle one, and designers can sometimes come and go faster than you can say couture. So when a brand celebrates a milestone, you get the feeling that they will have something special up their sleeve. On day one at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia (MBFWA), that designer was none other than the inimitable Aurelio Costarella, who was celebrating 30 years in the Australian fashion industry.
After his MBFWA debut in 2010, Costarella has become one of our favourite MBFWA regulars, and his Summer 2013/14 collection ‘Retrospect‘ only served to remind us why. Each look, as the collection’s namesake suggests, was a perfect balance of a reminder of past collections, and the fresh and new. Costarella cited art, music, light and dark as being among his sources of inspiration for the collection, with gun metal, black, cobalt, teal and champagne hues dominating the looks.
Known and adored for a trademark aesthetic of embellishments and detailing, each look embodied this theme, and the romantic silhouettes of the ready-to-wear and couture looks achieving a look of sophisticated chic. Models were adorned with lace and embellished headpieces that added a sense of dark drama to the look.
As always, Costarella played with luxe silks and tulles and incorporated drapings, metallics and sequins to his designs. Adding to the impact of the ethereal looks was a liver performance by Grace Woodroofe and a backdrop of artworks by Waldemar Kolbusz, both of whom Costarella look to the work of for inspiration.
Overall, the collection celebrated Costarella’s journey as a designer in a perfectly elegant manner.
Photos: Aurelio Costarella S/S 2014 Runway at MBFWA
Photos by Raynard Tan
