Here comes the … Brownlow. Bridal looks rule as ‘queen’ Judd returns

The last time Dee Salmin wore the skirt she donned for Monday’s Brownlow red carpet, the radio presenter and podcaster was in high school.

“For my year 12 formal, I got a vintage dress off Etsy for $20, and I am a huge fan of upcycling, so I thought why not use that dress and turn it into a skirt for the Brownlow?” Salmin said.

Cementing their status as the AFL’s first couple of style, Salmin and her partner, Collingwood skipper Darcy Moore, led a Brownlow red carpet that was high on glamour, but mostly low on risks.

Pairing her lavender skirt with a halter top made of stained-glass shards by Melbourne designer Poppy Templeton, with additional jewels by Millie Savage, Salmin’s look evoked the spirit of French designer Christian Lacroix, whose bejewelled jacket, reportedly worth $US10,000 ($14,700) at the time, graced Anna Wintour’s first cover of Vogue, in 1988.

“It’s heavy, it’s definitely leaving a bit of a dent in my neck, but it’s so stunning, and I am so excited to wear it,” Salmin said of her top.

While many of the Brownlow gowns would retail for thousands of dollars – most are supplied by the designers free of charge in exchange for the publicity and marketing opportunities – Salmin was proud to show off her vintage finds, including her $30 shoes and vintage glass bag, which she sourced just two weeks ago.

Moore also tested the boundaries of the black-tie dress code, wearing a custom suit by Christian Kimber that included a green shirt-and-tie combination. “Darcy isn’t afraid of colour and wanted a bold way to colour-block with elegance,” Kimber said.

The Collingwood skipper’s fashion influence extended to other men at the Brownlow, including Western Bulldogs forward Cody Weightman, who took inspiration from Moore’s 2023 NGV Gala look with a lapel chain by Melbourne label Kitte, and captain Marcus Bontempelli, who championed a classic tuxedo by Hugo Boss.

Among the others in fashion-forward outfits were Paris Bishop, in a rose gold column dress with an off-shoulder puff sleeve by Alin Le’kal, and Nathan Buckley’s partner, Brodie Ryan, who led the charge on the many bridal-inspired looks in a Sean Rentero gown that she accessorised with a bird-shaped bag bought last week at a fundraising auction.

If straying from convention was one theme of the night, another trend that has gathered steam since the pandemic is the pre-red carpet photo shoot. Designed with social media in mind, suites at Crown Melbourne hosting teams of stylists, hair and make-up artists and professional photo and video studios began popping up from 10am on Monday.

The backstage action extended to hair and beauty including Josh Daicos having a last-minute haircut before stepping onto the red carpet with his fiancee, Annalise Dalins, who shimmied like a 1920s flapper girl at a speakeasy in Oglia-Loro Couture. Dalins also opted for a dramatic hair transformation during the afternoon, but it was all for show – the extensions were cut into her signature blonde bob.

Still, on a night short of showstoppers, it fell to the OG of the Brownlow red carpet, Rebecca Judd, to threaten to steal the show in a strapless pink gown by J’Aton that featured both a bubble hem and corsetry, two nods to international runway trends from the past year.

She said she had been working with J’Aton for about 16 years. “Red carpets, my wedding dress, Brownlows, Logies, you name it. It has always been them. They’re like family to me,” she said.

And the inspiration for the gown? “It was basically like, ‘What haven’t we done before?’”

In fact, it is 20 years exactly since Judd, when she was Rebecca Twigley, wore the red, plunging Ruth Tarvydas dress that put her on the map as a fashion identity.

“It’s great to see all the young girls coming through – I feel like an oldie being here,” she said, before disappearing inside.

With Nell Geraets

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