From cringe to couture: How Brownlow fashion found its way

When 21-year-old Caitlin Cameron found out she’d be attending her first Brownlow Medal in 2020, she had a week to find a dress.

Cameron had only been dating Brisbane Lions player Charlie Cameron for nine months and was still a university student at the time. She’d never attended an event of that magnitude, let alone had a stylist or couturier on speed dial.

“I raced out to James Street in Brisbane with my mum and just bought something off the rack,” says Cameron, now 28 years old and married to Charlie. She wore a Michelle Mason black one-shoulder silk-satin gown with a crystal-embellished trim. “I love it, but it was definitely the fanciest thing I owned at the time.”

The Brownlow is a big night for the AFL, and an even bigger night for the cottage industry of designers, stylists, hair and make-up artists, spray tanners, social media managers and WAGs, who usually only have a few weeks to rustle together a look that will hopefully be remembered for all the right reasons.

Brownlow fashion today would be unrecognisable to the era that considered Tania Buckley risque for her jewel-encrusted G-string gown, and has come a long way since Brynn Edelsten’s dare-to-bare antics of the mid-2000s.

These days, a stylist is a prerequisite – and god forbid if your gown isn’t custom.

“The Brownlow has totally evolved and taken a quantum leap in the last few years,” says fashion stylist Ken Thompson. “There’s a new confidence to the Brownlow that has kicked it from prom to the lush and sophisticated awards gala that it warrants.”

This will be podcast host and author Felicity Harley’s 14th time attending the Brownlow with husband and AFL chief operating officer Tom Harley.

“The spotlight blares a whole lot brighter these days,” says Harley, who credits social media and stylist Lana Wilkinson for raising the fashion stakes. “When Lana came on the scene, the themes turned more trend-based, built around colours and styles.”

It’s also a big moment for local couturiers who have scant opportunities to showcase their skill, says Melbourne-based couturier Zian Assaad. “We don’t have many events happen here in Australia, so the Brownlow was our opportunity to present our work publicly,” says Assaad, who has been working with Brownlow attendees for 20 years and will dress Cameron and sports presenter Rebecca Maddern at this year’s event.

Plus, a new generation of players embracing their own love of fashion means it’s not only the girls who get to have some fun.

“The guys are looking better than ever and have totally embraced the opportunity to break out of the shorts cocoon for the evening and master the joy of evening dapper,” says Thompson.

This year, Cameron has focused on feeling her best, attending the Brownlow six weeks postpartum. With her husband playing in Saturday’s grand final and not flying to Melbourne until later in the week, she won’t be at Crown tonight but will attend the Lions’ function in Brisbane wearing a custom gown by Assaad, styled by Meggy Smith.

“I’ve gone from one end to the other,” she laughs. “It’s really exciting when it does all come together.”

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