You needn’t be sitting at Crown Melbourne’s breakfast buffet to know there’s more than a few hangovers being nursed after last night’s Brownlow Medal.
Collingwood midfielder Nick Daicos took home the top gong, while his partner Arlette Amor won both best dressed and best Carolyn Bassett-Kennedy cosplay in her understated white Effie Kats gown.
Now that the bronzer has settled, these are the five Brownlow looks people can’t stop talking about the morning after.
1. Tayla Brown
A widely circulated dress from the Brownlow has been Tayla Brown’s embellished gown by bridal experts Cassandra Renee.
As the cheap-shot headlines tell you, the dress could have been created by an AI chatbot from a “Brownlow fashion” prompt: the racer back tank style left the sides wide open and left her back exposed, while the splits at the hem allowed for a flash of thigh.
But what’s lost here is how great Brown looked. Stylist Meggy Smith kept the beauty and accessories minimal to let the dress shine (literally), drawing comparisons to celebrities like Zoë Kravitz at the 2021 Met Gala.
2. Bailey Smith
Just like your perennially single louche uncle who always rocks up to the family function late, Bailey Smith waltzed onto the Brownlow red carpet just as it was wrapping up. Dressed in a bespoke YSG Tailors soft tan tuxedo with a peak lapel and oversized trouser, the Geelong midfielder chose to accessorise with a pair of reflective sunglasses.
You wouldn’t know it from Smith’s refusal to adhere to a designated schedule, but he was more than fashionably prepared for the event, having not one look to choose from, but three.
“We can have something nailed down in our first consultation, and within half an hour of me leaving the meeting Bailey will have sent me another two concepts,” says Ryan McIntyre, YSG Tailors co-founder and director. “Bailey definitely has input, but he’s not always 100 per cent sure what’s going to work,” McIntyre says. “He has to trust the process a little bit.”
3. Brooke Bailey
Brooke Bailey’s Oglia-Loro Couture look started with the hand-beaded fringe tulle fabric that shimmied as she entered the gala with partner, the recently retired Dion Prestia.
“I had a beautiful piece of hand-beaded tulle and Paul said, ‘I have someone who this is perfect for,’ says designer Sam Oglialoro, explaining the process of creating the sculpted, strapless gown with stylist, Paul Versace.
“It’s giving that whole era of the naked dress,” Versace adds.
4. Paris Bishop
Fresh off the plane from LA, model and partner to Essendon player Sam Durham Paris Bishop seemed to glow as she floated down the Brownlow red carpet in her custom Alin Le’Kal outfit. Styled by Lana Wilkinson, the champagne-hued corset and fishtail skirt featured hand-beaded crystal embellishments designed to accentuate her complexion.
“We wanted to have that little bit of an LA tizz through it, which I think suits the glow that she’s got going on,” says Le’Kal of the look that left a touch of skin exposed at Bishop’s lower back where the corset and skirt met.
“At the Brownlow, the girls can go a bit sexier than the Logies or other red carpets. I wanted to really do that well.”
5. Chloe Serong
Looking pretty in ombre pink, Chloe Serong opted for a striking Atalie Studios creation to accompany husband Fremantle Dockers star Caleb Serong.
The strapless gown was one of the more creative to walk the carpet, with an architectural neckline and rectangle cut-out at the chest. The beading embellishments were hand-dyed to resemble the inside of a dark fruit – say, like a pomegranate or blackberry.
“More people are looking for an escape into surrealism or fantasy through fashion,” says couturier Grace Presow. “So my approach to each design is very deeply strategic and imaginative.”
Juicy, indeed!
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