BEADING, BELT

Hand-Beaded Silk Belt by Aurelio Costarella, Western Australia

This striking hand-embroidered belt was designed and made by the late Aurelio Costarella, a visionary figure in Australian fashion celebrated for his meticulous embellishment and sculptural silhouettes. The piece features a rope-like motif rendered in mixed metallic bugle beads, seed beads, and faceted square beads, all worked onto a dusky grey-brown silk ground. The textured, shimmering effect exemplifies Costarella’s ability to elevate accessories into wearable art.

Fastening with a bold 25mm pop fastener, the belt also carries Costarella’s label and is marked as Size M. As with much of his work, the piece speaks to a refined couture aesthetic that fuses architectural precision with layered emotional narrative.

Born in Perth to Calabrian parents, Costarella was a self-taught designer whose work appeared on runways in New York, Paris, London, and Sydney. His attention to artisanal detail and rejection of mass-market trends helped define a distinctly Australian expression of demi-couture. Today, his work is held in major national collections and remembered for its artistic integrity, elegance, and humanity.

The Aurelio Costarella label is attached with Size M. Originally priced at $99, price paid $79.20