The Sydney Morning Herald
· collected 2026-09-22 · by Courtney Thompson
This article discusses five standout fashion moments from the Brownlow Medal ceremony, focusing on players and their partners. Nick Daicos won the award, but attention also centered around Tayla Brown's embellished gown by Cassandra Renee and Bailey Smith's late arrival in a bespoke YSG Tailors tuxedo with multiple outfit options. Brooke Bailey wore an Oglia-Loro Couture hand-beaded tulle dress, while Paris Bishop arrived from LA in a custom Alin Le’Kal champagne-hued corset and fishtail skirt. Each look is described in detail, highlighting the designers and stylists involved.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-22,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 26, the Brownlow Medal ceremony took place at Melbourne's Crown Palladium, where AFL players and their partners gathered for the red carpet event. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Nick Daicos of Collingwood won the prestigious award with a record-breaking total of 47 votes, surpassing Patrick Cripps' previous mark of 45 votes in 2024. Daicos, who had finished second twice previously and third once, was the clear favorite, as few doubted his victory by count's end. The ceremony also saw discussions around fashion, with Collingwood player Arlette Amor standing out for her "best dressed" accolade in a white Effie Kats gown.
Written for “Brownlow Medal 2026 Awards” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 9 other(s) covering the same event.
You needn’t be sitting at Crown Melbourne’s breakfast buffet to know there’s more than a few hangovers being nursed after last night’s Brownlow Medal.
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You → sit → Medal
Collingwood midfielder Nick Daicos took home the top gong, while his partner Arlette Amor won both best dressed and best Carolyn Bassett-Kennedy cosplay in her understated white Effie Kats gown.
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partner → take → gown
Now that the bronzer has settled, these are the five Brownlow looks people can’t stop talking about the morning after.
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people → settle → morning
1. Tayla Brown
A widely circulated dress from the Brownlow has been Tayla Brown’s embellished gown by bridal experts Cassandra Renee.
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dress → circulate → Renee
As the cheap-shot headlines tell you, the dress could have been created by an AI chatbot from a “Brownlow fashion” prompt: the racer back tank style left the sides wide open and left her back exposed, while the splits at the hem allowed for a flash of thigh.
But what’s lost here is how great Brown looked.
uncertain
Brown → tell → thigh
Stylist Meggy Smith kept the beauty and accessories minimal to let the dress shine (literally), drawing comparisons to celebrities like Zoë Kravitz at the 2021 Met Gala.
2.
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dress → keep → Gala
Just like your perennially single louche uncle who always rocks up to the family function late, Bailey Smith waltzed onto the Brownlow red carpet just as it was wrapping up.
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it → rock → carpet
Dressed in a bespoke YSG Tailors soft tan tuxedo with a peak lapel and oversized trouser, the Geelong midfielder chose to accessorise with a pair of reflective sunglasses.
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midfielder → dress → sunglasses
You wouldn’t know it from Smith’s refusal to adhere to a designated schedule, but he was more than fashionably prepared for the event, having not one look to choose from, but three.
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he → know → look
“We can have something nailed down in our first consultation, and within half an hour of me leaving the meeting Bailey will have sent me another two concepts,” says Ryan McIntyre, YSG Tailors co-founder and director.
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McIntyre → have → concepts
“Bailey definitely has input, but he’s not always 100 per cent sure what’s going to work,” McIntyre says.
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McIntyre → have → input
“He has to trust the process a little bit.”
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He → have → process
Brooke Bailey’s Oglia-Loro Couture look started with the hand-beaded fringe tulle fabric that shimmied as she entered the gala with partner, the recently retired Dion Prestia.
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she → start → partner
“I had a beautiful piece of hand-beaded tulle and Paul said, ‘I have someone who this is perfect for,’ says designer Sam Oglialoro, explaining the process of creating the sculpted, strapless gown with stylist, Paul Versace.
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Oglialoro → have → Versace
“It’s giving that whole era of the naked dress,” Versace adds.
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Versace → give → dress
Paris Bishop seemed to glow as she floated down the Brownlow red carpet in her custom Alin Le’Kal outfit.
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she → seem → outfit
“We wanted to have that little bit of an LA tizz through it, which I think suits the glow that she’s got going on,” says Le’Kal of the look that left a touch of skin exposed at Bishop’s lower back where the corset and skirt met.
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corset → want → back
“At the Brownlow, the girls can go a bit sexier than the Logies or other red carpets.
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girls → go → Logies
I wanted to really do that well.”
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I → want → that
5. Chloe Serong
Looking pretty in ombre pink, Chloe Serong opted for a striking Atalie Studios creation to accompany husband Fremantle Dockers star Caleb Serong.
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Serong → look → Serong
The strapless gown was one of the more creative to walk the carpet, with an architectural neckline and rectangle cut-out at the chest.
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gown → walk → chest
The beading embellishments were hand-dyed to resemble the inside of a dark fruit – say, like a pomegranate or blackberry.
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embellishments → dye → pomegranate
“More people are looking for an escape into surrealism or fantasy through fashion,” says couturier Grace Presow.
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Presow → look → fashion
The Aporia
