Traditionally resort shows are about transporting the front row to far off destinations, creating a spirit of travel and adventure but at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia the creative duo Romance Was Born went one step further by travelling in time.

The Gothic pile Carthona, on the very tip of Darling Point with Sydney Harbour lapping at its front lawn, was the set for a wild party that channelled the divine decadence of the ‘20s through the bedazzled filter of Liberace. So far, so standard for designers Luke Sales and Anna Plunkett who have given us Doilies and Pearls, Renaissance Dinosaurs and Mushroom Magic in the past.

These fanciful themes have prompted some spectators to contemplate whether costumes translate to commercial success, but such thoughts only get in the way of unrivalled creativity. No one should ever prevent a dazzling bombardment containing a velvet suit with sequinned cigarettes, gloves and stockinged feet, a harlequin dress with lace squares and ruffles that even Liberace might have found excessive and shawl-collared trouser suits with brocaded blue flowers.

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Romance Was Born Resort 2017
Credit: Getty Images

Piano print gloves and dresses were fortunately where the Liberace theme ground to a halt. The incredible make up by Linda Jefferyes and hair by Alan White was reminiscent of fashion muse Luisa Casati rather than the Las Vegas showman whose pompadour may have been too close to Donald Trump’s hair don’t. Hats formed in collaboration with Helen Kaminski added to the drama.

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Romance Was Born Resort 2017
Credit: Getty Images

Liberace was Romance’s perfect muse because this was all about the meeting of talent and showmanship. It was fun rather than fast fashion. No wonder Daphne Guinness bonded with the designers on her recent Sydney sojourn, Miley Cyrus is a fan and Paris-based stylist Catherine Baba contemplated jumping in the harbour after the show to celebrate its success (she didn’t – she was wearing Romance Was Born after all). This is one show that must go on and on.

See more looks from the Romance Was Born Resort 2017 show. 

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Romance Was Born Resort 2017
Credit: Getty Images