PURE, unadulterated and simply sensational theatre came to Australian Fashion week as Romance Was Born took over one of Sydney’s most magical homes to unveil their resort fashion collection.

Carthona, the stately home in salubrious Darling Point and owned by Roslyn and Tony Oxley was the perfect backdrop for a collection full of Liberace-inspired clothes that had more theatre on them than a Broadway show and more detail on them than a Las Vegas revue.

The collection, called Whispering Angel, was explained like this: ‘a host of heavenly angels on a wing and prayer to deliver us a secret celestial correspondence from yesteryear’. Right. On.

The Romance design pair and best mates — Luke Sales and Anna Plunkett — used starlets of the silver screen and particularly Liberace as their design influence.

“Liberace is the bravura for the entire collection,” said Luke.

“His over the top and lavish lifestyle and opulent costumes, all rhinestone encrusted and festooned with feathers encapsulate the inspiration that shapes this season.”

The design pair, who also dressed fashion supremo Daphne Guiness who was in Sydney for the opening of the Isabella Blow exhibit, once had the chance to work with John Galliano but preferred to make Australia their base camp.

No matter where they are based, the pair continue to create incredibly intricate pieces that both stun and impress the industry and their legion of fans.

While not always, well, ‘wearable’, what you get with Romance was Born, is pure fantasy fashion with every piece making a serious statement. And how refreshing to see their creativity not thwarted, particularly in a marketplace crowded by fast and obviously bland fashion.

Cate Blanchett has been a long-time admirer and wearer of Romance, her crocheted dress worn to an event in Melbourne, dividing self-anointed arbiters all around the world.

Ms Blanchett also has worked with the pair on theatre productions in Australia.

THE VERDICT: Romance is a design name that masterly fuses art with clothes. OTT? Indeed. Memorable? Absolutely. And that’s what we all need to see, even to take our minds off the reality of our every day lives.

As the designers say themselves ‘too much of a good thing is wonderful’.