Yes that’s right boys you’re not the only ones who watch the Brownlow. But I must admit that I do watch it for completely different reasons.

Every year in the football crazed month that is September, my girlfriends and I get together to watch the Brownlow red carpet to admire and ridicule the many dresses on display. As the fashion capital of Australia, the Brownlow is as much an event for the fashion and the girls than anything else.

 

The first dress to capture our attention was the eight month pregnant Renee Enright, wife of Geelong football player Corey Enright.

She wore a white, long sleeved, floor length dress with a lengthy split up the skirt to expose her thin legs. The fitted dress complemented her round belly beautifully. Her entire look was elegant and modest.

There were a few pregnant bellies on the red carpet but none were as stunning as Renee Enright.

The first dress to make us cringe was not so much from the look of the dress, but the movement. While Elise Swallow looked quite nice in a black silk number it was obvious that the bottom of the dress was too tight as she struggled to walk. The train following behind the dress was also a bit too much.

Of course nothing will ever out-do the infamous Brynee Edelsten, who never disappoints when it comes to horrific outfits. About to release her reality TV show ‘My bedazzled life,’ the wife of Geoffrey Edelsten donned a tight bodice of broken mirror pieces matched with a black tutu and black tights. She explained that the combination was ‘mirror barbie meets black swan’.

From one of the worst dresses of the red carpet to one of the best, there is nothing that can beat a vibrant red dress and Belinda Riverso wore it perfectly. The dress clung to her flattering figure as though it had been sewn on her from the start, with a lengthy skirt and sweetheart neckline that added elegance and grace to the show stopping number.

Another red dress that took our breath away was the beautifully designed long sleeve dress worn by Lauren Newman. My friends and I were shocked when she wasn’t named in the Swisse best dressed as the dress looked stunning on her slim and tall figure. The dress was a deep red lace pattern over the top of a nude cotton which gave it a modern yet classy look.

Another fashion icon that chose to go modern was none other then Rebecca Judd. Having been the winner of best dressed in the past, all eyes were on her instead of husband Chris as they walked the red carpet.

Her dress designed by Toni Maticevski, was floor length, high neck and long sleeved. The colour was white, with white shiny pieces of fabric protruding from the outlines of the dress. From a distance and on camera, the extra pieces of white fabric looked stylish, but up close they were plastic looking and a tad ugly. The back of the dress had a flattering oval shaped peep whole to complete the look.

Rebecca, providing advice for girls new to the red carpet, says ‘don’t take the critics too seriously, if you love your dress you love your dress’.

Along with Rebecca Judd in the nominations for Swisse best dressed was Brooke Kennedy. Wearing a greyish turquoise dress, she had me and my friends stumped as to what the critics saw that we didn’t.

The high neck of the dress was unflattering to her figure and the colour did nothing for her. The fabric looked heavy and troublesome, instead of elegant and stylish. The only thing that we liked about the dress was the flattering sleeves, but by then there was little that could save our opinion of this dress.

Last but certainly not least we could not continue without mentioning our favourite actress from Packed to the Rafters, Jessica McNamee. Wearing an elegant navy blue gown, that superbly brought out the colour of her eyes and accentuated her natural features, the television star fitted in perfectly with the fashion and glamour of the Brownlow red carpet. The cut-out straps, fitted bodice and pendulum skirt on top of a floor length straight skirt had us all falling in love with the dress’s design.

Overall, the girls had rocked the red carpet with the latest designs and styles. As with any red carpet there were both hits and misses, but the excitement and smiles they all wore were better then any dress.

And as for the boys, who could go wrong in a tux?

Sam McMeekin is a third-year Bachelor of Journalism student at La Trobe University and is one of upstart’s staff writers. You can follow her on Twitter: @sammcmeeks