Fall 2007: Jayson Brunsdon
One of the collections that everyone seemed to be buzzing about, Jayson Brunsdon is an established Australian designer showing here for the first time. He counts Naomi Watts and Cate Blanchett among his customers, and judging by the sophisticated, elegant show he put on, I can see why. Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue was playing as the crowds poured in--and aside from Carolina Herrera's show on Monday, this was by far the most packed one I attended--and the models later strolled out to upbeat, classic jazz music. Brunsdon was inspired by artist Tamara de Lempicka's cubist portraits, and there was a definite Art Deco theme underlying many of the looks, such as this cubist-print silk drop-waist dress.


He might count Hollywood actresses among his clients, but almost all of this looks would flatter a range of body types, which makes his designs accessible, at least on an aesthetic level. I know at least 20 people who'd look amazing in this dress.


I was fascinated by this coat--it's merino wool with pleated organza overlay. The effect was like nothing I'd seen before. Very glamorous.


The middle section of the show had some straight-up fantastic party dresses with a ballerina-inspired look. How could you not go wrong in something like this?


The cubist pattern turned up again in several dresses in this gorgeous devoré silk fabric. I'm glad it looks as beautiful in the photograph as it does in person.


The last few dresses, in rather springy shades of green and blue, had these draped, bandage-like panels, kind of like they were falling apart, and the effect was breathtakingly beautiful. They were my favorite looks in the show by far.


With Australian actors winning tons of awards and now Australian designers like Jayson Brunsdon showing in the tents, it's clear that when it comes to creative fields like the arts and design, Australia is a force to be reckoned with. If Brunsdon sticks around for awhile, he might even give established American eveningwear designers like Reem Acra a run for their money. And I look forward to it.

No comments