Marchesa at AFF

YOU could tell a thing or two about the designers who were showing in the AFF tent by the way each fashion show's attendees were dressed ... and last Friday, it was all about red carpet glamour.

Gowns that had been extravagantly draped, decorated, nipped and tucked (the last two being processes that several wearers had obviously also applied to themselves) were the garb of the day, as were gem-encrusted clutches and other attention-grabbing details.

It was Marchesa night, after all - a night dedicated to celebrating the work of Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, the British designers who have become famous for their handworked red carpet creations since they started Marchesa (a name inspired by the 19th century eccentric aristocrat Marchesa Casiti) in 2004. And though the women were not present to take their bows after the Samsung-sponsored show last week, their spirit was quite apparent in the looks they sent floating down the runway.

Against an illuminated backdrop that glowed, in turn, lilac, cerulean, turquoise and coral, cherry-lipped models took to the catwalk in current and past-season frocks that had been specially selected for the Singapore show. There were full-length gowns and shorter cocktail looks; particularly memorable were a sweeping, silvery mint-green gown with a frothy chiffon hem and lush floral appliques that crept up the curves of the upper body; and a taffeta knee-length frock over whose bodice purple-and-ivory silk lilies, folded origami-style but looking remarkably realistic, bloomed.

The spectacular, somewhat theatrical style of Marchesa is no surprise when you consider the designers' background - Chapman trained as a costume designer, while Craig was a textile designer before the two women formed their partnership.

According to the duo themselves, however, their design leanings are to be attributed to something a bit simpler. As Ms Craig told The New York Times in an earlier interview: 'We make the kinds of dresses that we want to wear.'