With a name like Aurelio Costarella, the Aussie designer really had no choice but to be fabulous. SUPER fabulous. I’m talking Rihanna fabulous. His clothes have adorned some of the most beautiful women in the world from Alexis Bledel to Jennifer Hawkins and of course resident good girl gone bad, Rihanna. Today, Costarella demonstrated why he is one of Australia’s most sought-after designers in a parade of luxurious evening gowns and spunky party dresses.

The models were literally neck high in flowers as ornate rosettes hemmed their graceful necklines. Beautiful, sparkly strips of embellishments clasped onto their shoulders and their tiny waists were rendered even smaller by some amazing leather corsets.

In the case of fun, party dresses, the hemlines were generally executed with an assertive ruffle or two or with a bubble pouffe ; my favourite was a nude-coloured ruffled item with a beige corset- simple yet stunning.

Of course, most people had been holding their breaths for the stunning evening gowns and boy, were they gorgeous. Backless seemed to be the way to go and rhinestones were kept on the ‘dl’ with sparkly straps although Costarella certainly did not hold back on the sequins. In fact, at one point, he sent a sequined floor length knockout all enveloped in a plush caramel fur bolero, another hot accessory of the night.

However, in my humble opinion, nothing could beat the spectacular sandy-coloured floor length beauty with a deep plunging cowl back and flower corsage on the shoulder strap. The simplicity of the fabric reminded me of vast, desert expanses and the addition of the flowers created a neatly balanced aesthetic.

Of course, the greatest crowd pleaser was saved until the very end with a dusky asymmetrical gown comprised of ruffles and crimped fabric. As if the defile had not been visually amazing enough, Costarella, ever the showman, released silver confetti into the air, and the show ended on an almost magical tone as the glammed up gorgeous models paraded through the silver and retreated backstage.

Visit our Flickr site for images of the full runway collection. We update our galleries every few hours! : http://www.flickr.com/photos/designerdirection/

Review by: Kelly Jin
Header Image: Vogue.com.au
Photography: Edward Hor