Romance Was Born: 'Renaissance Dinosaur', SS2010/11

Last night, The University of Sydney’s majestic MacLaurin Hall was the holding pen for Romance Was Born’s ‘Renaissance Dinosaur’ SS2010/11 spectacular. In the best kind of theatre, a trail of tinkling, thudding, and galloping ivories lured guests up the neo-Gothic staircase and into the venue. On the landing, we were met by a pianist in friar robes and a Venetian mask. A horned technicolour furry toy lounged on the grand piano lid, much like Michelle Pfeiffer in ‘The Fabulous Baker Boys’.

As the crowd surged inside, the room began wheezing with animal calls, grunts, and rumbles that built to a prehistoric hysteria. The scene was a moss-laden Eden of ferns and palms, dripping with vines. The runway was a glittering volcanic wonderland, laden with crystals, incense sticks, tiny insects, and a Late Cretaceous Period up-sized tortoise.

Jurassic foot-stomps stormed the walls and rafters, and then the show was ON.

And how to describe this riotous rumpus? Let’s try for some bullet points:

* Rainbow-coloured fairy-floss hair plumed sky high with headpieces of horns, chunky crystals, diamante hairnets, feathers, fans, and smatterings of Pandora charms.

* Necks were appliqued with a funereal rhinestone-studded lace. Nails were not nails, they were talons.

* The somehow lovechild of Princess Amidala and a Gothic Geisha strutted with an armoury of artificial fingernails embedded in her chestpiece.

* A floaty violin-print tunic and trouser set was made to waltz to its own tune.

* Raquel Welch’s ‘One Million Years BC’ met Toucan Sam in a deliciously lurid jungle-print bolero and shorts set.

* A gold-flecked knight of the Crusades heralded a bride-zilla riding on the shoulders of her groom.

And, the outfit that blew the roof right off that hall …

* The human volcano.

It was a BLAST.








Photo courtesy of vogue.com.au (final photograph only, all other photographs taken by Jaye Carcary).

x Samone and Jaye