Romance Was Born
Romance Was Born
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Romance Was Born is the Australian fashion house that behaves like an art practice. Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales founded it in Sydney in 2005, they draw every print by hand before a pattern piece is cut, and their work is now held in four national museum collections. Luxury Handbags carries the seasonal ready to wear, cut to Australian sizing, which runs level with UK sizing.
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How are items sourced and how long does it take?
Source through Blind Network — typically 7–14 days.
The Luxury Handbags editor’s guide to Romance Was Born
Plunkett and Sales met studying fashion at East Sydney Technical College. An internship with John Galliano at Dior was on the table, and they started their own label instead. The method has not changed since: a collection begins as a story, the artwork is drawn by hand, and the garment is cut around the print rather than the other way round. That order of operations is why a piece reads as a work in its own right, and why a print rarely returns once its run has sold.
The house is held in the costume and textile collections of the National Gallery of Australia, the Powerhouse Museum, the National Gallery of Victoria, and the South Australian Museum. In 2019 it showed internationally in Camp: Notes on Fashion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Its design studio sits inside the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. Past collaborators include May Gibbs, Linda Jackson, Jenny Kee, and Archibald Prize winner Del Kathryn Barton, alongside Disney, Marvel, Lego, and the Sydney Theatre Company. Cate Blanchett, Miley Cyrus, and Grimes have worn the label.
How to wear it
The print is the event, so let it lead. A single printed piece worn alone reads longer and calmer than the same print split across two, which is why the full circle dresses and the column skirts do so much work here. Keep the shoe simple and the jewellery small. When you want the print dressed down, denim and a flat sandal do it without argument. For a wedding, and for a gallery opening, a slim heel and one drop earring are enough.
Australian sizing, converted
Romance Was Born is cut to Australian sizing, which runs level with UK sizing. An Australian 10 is a UK 10 and a US 6. This is the label’s own published conversion.
| Letter | XS | S | M | L | XL | XXL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 |
| UK | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 |
| US | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
| EU | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 44 |
| Japan | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 |
Body measurements behind the chart, in centimetres: an Australian 8 is a 83 bust, 70 waist, 92 hip. An Australian 12 is a 93 bust, 80 waist, 102 hip.
Frequently asked questions
Is Romance Was Born a luxury brand?
It sits in the collectible end of Australian designer fashion rather than in European luxury. The signals are the museum holdings, the hand work, and the size of the runs.
Where is Romance Was Born made?
In Sydney for a large part of the range. The label works from its own design studio inside the Powerhouse Museum, and the hand cut, hand beaded and one off pieces are made there. Printed cotton and viscose styles are produced offshore, mainly in China, and some beading is done in India with a long standing partner studio.
What size should I order?
Your usual UK size. Australian sizing runs level with UK sizing on this label, so a UK 10 shopper orders a 10. The conversion table on this page covers US, EU and Japanese equivalents.
Which artists has Romance Was Born worked with?
May Gibbs, Linda Jackson, Jenny Kee, and Archibald Prize winner Del Kathryn Barton, plus Disney, Marvel, Lego, and the Sydney Theatre Company. The prints are drawn for the collection rather than licensed in, which is why a print rarely returns once its run sells through.
Does Luxury Handbags ship Romance Was Born internationally?
Yes. Luxury Handbags ships worldwide from its UAE and Australia hubs, which is the simplest route for buyers in the UK, Europe, the United States, and the Gulf. Most regions ship Delivered Duty Unpaid, so local duties and taxes fall due on import.
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✎ Editor’s edit: Styling Romance Was Born by Gemma Deeks →
A considered edit of romance was born — sourced through official channels and styled by our team.
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