Ruth Tarvydas unveils Miss Universe Australia's dress

PERTH fashion designer-to-the-stars Ruth Tarvydas has unveiled the dress that Australia's Miss Universe Rachael Finch will wear at the international contest.  There wasn't a corkscrew hat in sight as Rachael Finch unveiled the national costume she will wear when she takes on beauties from around the world at the international pageant in the Bahamas next month.  Instead there was glamour, sequins and the pre-requisite knicker-flashing that seems to come with wearing an evening gown by top WA designer Ruth Tarvydas, the woman behind Rebecca Twigley's headline-grabbing red carpet moment at the Brownlows in 2004, and Jessica Bratich's spotlight stealing arrival at the Allan Border Medal Count in February.  A Tarvydas dress can put a girl on the map, a fact that does not seem to have been lost on Finch. "My goodness that woman is magnificent," the beauty queen told reporters before the unveiling. Faced with the difficult task of coming up with a costume that defines Australia's national identity, Tarvydas seems to have decided that Australians are, well, basically sexy.


Her Sunset Over the Opera House creation featured a silver sequined bodice; a leg-revealing skirt in shades of tangerine, melon and pink; flashes of flesh and a lace-up back. The headpiece was made by her good friend, WA milliner Tania Tehan.

So strategically placed was the fabric that Finch almost had a Bratich-style wardrobe malfunction when she alighted the stairs onto a catwalk set up in Tarvydas' hip King St boutique to show off the dress to A-list party-goers who had gathered there for a drink and a perve.

The mid-week gathering got underway just after 7pm as guests walked the red carpet into the boutique. Among the crowd were businessman Troy Barbagallo and his girlfriend Sophia Ugliati.

Barbagallo and business partner Greg Erksine are understood to have recently been granted the rights to stage the Miss Universe Australia heats in Victoria and South Australia as well as WA.

Miss Universe Australia national director Deborah Miller also flew in from the east coast for the night.

Other red carpet regulars among the crowd included millionaire and Perth Glory owner Tony Sage, Perth Fashion Festvial director Mariella Harvey Hanrahan (who accessorised her black dress with a custom-made STM clutch purse) and her daughter Lauren; Adultshop owner Malcolm Day and his fiance Bree Maddox, radio personality Em Rusciano, Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi and businessman Wayne Teo.

Rebecca Twigley, partner of Chris Judd, provided the first fashion moment of the night when she alighted from a chaffeur-driven car in an emerald-green, strapless Tarvydas gown.

It was a moment not to be missed -- and it wasn't. Twigley got out of the car twice. The second time for the television cameras.

Tarvydas, wearing one of her own designs -- a black floor-length dress with matching long gloves -- greeted the model, who joined the shoulder-to-shoulder throng inside.

But not all of the action was inside the party. Outside, Channel Seven Today Tonight  reporter Mark Gibson recorded some of his report for the camera.

"Today Tonight has exclusive access to this AAA event," Gibson was telling the camera. "So come with me."

All of which provided a light-hearted moment from Channel Seven colleague Rick Ardon, who strolled toward him calling out "Can I come too?"

Top Perth model Nicole McKendry and Jade Lovelock provided window dressing, spending the night posing beautifully in the window in a peacock-blue Tarvydas gown.

More glamour came in the form of the seven Miss Universe Australia WA finalists who put on a catwalk show of Tarvydas' new summer collection.

The range contained the designer's trademark sexy dresses, long and short, in colours from purple to black, cream and red. The show was slinky dresses, sequins, feathers and frizzy hair.

Finch, the star of the night, arrived in a luxury red sports car and handled the red carpet and press like a pro.

"I still wake up every day thinking I can't believe this is me," she said.

The unveiling of the national costume in Perth was probably the worst-kept secret in the city yesterday. It was also a change on previous plans, which had the dress being unveiled in Melbourne next month.

Sydney designer Jayson Brunsdon designed last year's national costume, but came under fire for his boomerang breastplate design.

Wendy Caccetta, Perth Confidential

Source:  http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,25721982-5005398,00.html

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