The Australian designer had ideas aplenty but cycled through them too fast for any to shine.

Thoughts of rock ’n’ roll had the Sydney-based designer take a closer look at Elvis Presley’s suits and menswear in general, which led him to infuse them into his playbook of deconstructed tailoring.

But not as details replicated at scale, mind you. “I wanted to take those details and make them more architectural rather than ornamental,” he said backstage. Pocket squares and shirt cuffs were blown up to XXL proportions, while ties lent their motifs and materials.

Asymmetric bustiers and dresses figured a silk square folded into a two-peak shape that jutted above one shoulder. Crisp white poplin cuffs informed the shape of the skirt on a sculptural white halter dress that left the sides bare, while multicuff shirts in graphic motifs brought a 1970s flair.

From there, Esber went down a rabbit hole through Western, with intricate silver belt buckles and harnesses studded with deadstock studs from the 1950s, neo A-line dresses that left the back bare, lingerie touches that yielded whisper thin draped dresses that clung to the body, and plenty of his deconstructed tailoring.

Further interesting ideas included a vest made of long thin tailored panels and trousers with cutouts behind the knee, and pieces featuring the work of German artist Anna Stüdeli, like a skirt of intricately assembled pieces made of resin beads.

Each of these directions could have yielded its own collection. But cycling through them in three dozen looks, compounded with a show set-up that left editors too far to take in details, made for an ensemble that felt wanting.

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