Finally, an Australian red carpet to make us proud

The Australian film industry matured decades ago, but our red carpet performance has lagged like a hangry toddler in the chocolate aisle at Coles. At the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards, held at the Hordern in Sydney, celebrities finally looked ready to sit at the grownups’ table.

Gone were the glowering stares suggesting actors and actresses would rather perform a nude love scene than pose for photographers in borrowed clothes. In their place was a readiness to celebrate international ready-to-wear and custom-made Australian clothing, along with the willingness to occasionally answer “who are you wearing?”

The shift in gears was a collective effort, rather than relying on the star power of the Hemsworths, with Chris putting down his Thor hammer and trading his usual Boss suit for razor sharp Italian tailoring from Etro. His actor wife Elsa Pataky wore a plunging gown from Melbourne designers J’Aton, adding a complementary Italian touch with jewels from Bulgari

“The gown was created around Elsa’s love of red,” says J’Aton co-founder Jacob Luppino. “With red being such a powerful colour we opted for a very tailored bold silhouette with classic couture elements paying homage to the heritage of the vintage Bulgari bracelet and added a twist in the dress for modernity,” says co-couturier Anthony Pittorino.

It wasn’t quite Liz Hurley’s safety-pin dress moment, but Love Me’s Bojana Novakovic in an embellished black Versace dress delivered unashamed glamour. Writer and director Nakkiah Lui, held her regal head high in pleated green Oscar de la Renta and a security guard’s worth of Cartier jewellery. Elvis’s Olivia de Jonge somehow emerged unscathed from metres of sheer fabric from Gucci.

The confident work of Australian stylists Jess Pecoraro, Donny Galella, Mikey Ayoubi and Zakk Allan is partly responsible for the red carpet upgrade but the posing prowess of actors from generation selfie helped.

Heartbreak High’s Bryn Champan-Parish in Gucci and Asher Yasbincek in Fendi know their angles without having to take photos with their arms outstretched.

Finding international labels for stars of all ages in Australia can be difficult. This week’s British Fashion Awards and People’s Choice Awards left slim pickings on the relatively modest sample racks of luxury labels’ local outposts. For Luppino and Pittorino at J’Aton, this is a good thing.