Paul Vasileff, the designer behind Australian couture label Paolo Sebastian, is known for creating beautifully crafted ethereal gowns in tulle and silk chiffon.

For his Fall/Winter 2018 collection, the designer looked again at the world of fairy tales and found inspiration in The Nutcracker, but while he continued to offer dreamy tea-length soft silhouettes in tulle and lace, for the first time he also added structured jackets and tailored coats richly embroidered with metallic thread.

Vasileff says he was inspired by the four realms in the tale (Land of the Dolls, Land of the Snowflakes, Land of the Flowers and Land of the Sweets), which he incorporated as delicate embroideries peppering his creations with small scenes from the ballet, from little tin soldiers or Clara’s happy ending with her Nutcraker prince to the final battle between the hero and the Mouse King. The ballet’s universe and various realms are recreated through snowflakes and crystal embellishments as well as flower embroideries all in a palette of glacier blue and frost white with a few accent of garnet, gold and black.

The designer also directly referenced the main characters so for example, his Clara dress is an evening gown in feather-light crinkle silk chiffon, which he had personally hand-draped from a single piece of chiffon, while the Mouse Queen dress is a hail-spot tulle garnet caped gown with rather sexy cut out embroideries on the side.

The slightly military theme, that referenced the story, extended to a beautiful white tulle mini-dress with corded embroidery.

Despite the clear narrative, the designer managed to avoid falling into the trap of designing ballet or fancy dress costumes, and instead created an elegant collection of gowns that will look great, even on the red carpet.

This was the third consecutive year Paolo Sebastian unveiled its collection during Couture Week on the sidelines of the official calendar. It can’t be long until the couture house is officially invited to join.