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Alex Perry is Australia’s go-to designer for the red carpet. And when J-Lo, Rhianna and Eva Longoria Parker come knocking, it’s clear that your star has risen from Down Under.

An Alex Perry Spring 2010/11 gown on the runway at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, photo courtesy of AuLifestyle/ Marie Claire

With a European heritage, Perry has a flair for occasion. Think glamorous runway shows on the Queen Mary 2 or this season’s dramatic affair on a sound stage at FOX Studios with over 1,000 people in attendance. Perry’s name is synonymous with luxury and glamour, and his jeweled corsets, tailored sheaths and dramatic gowns have become his signature. His devoted clientele—which includes Natalie Portman, Miranda Kerr and Elle Macpherson, among others—have become affectionately known as “Perry Girls.” The designer’s dynamic personality has landed him plenty of time on camera, including an appearance on “Australia’s Next Top Model Series Five.” Since launching his atelier in 1992 the line has expanded to include Haute Couture, ready-to-wear, bridal and accessories. Think special-occasion attire for everything from a day at the races to cocktail parties, dinner, weddings and black-tie events. His collections can be found at the Alex Perry flagship store in Sydney as well as renowned Aussie department store David Jones and various boutiques around the world. While covering Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, I had the opportunity to catch up with Perry and talk fashion. Scroll down for a QA with the designer.

Alex Perry, photo courtesy of theage.com.au

What was your inspiration this season?
The collection was called “Arabian Princess.” Every year I take this mythical “Perry Girl” to a different place. I’ve always loved the Middle East. It’s always been so exotic. I’ve taken inspiration from the women, really—they’re strong and glamorous and quite confident. The desert colors, the sand, sunset—the goldness of it all. Arabian women love gold, silver and diamonds. I wanted to celebrate those beautiful Arabian women—the sense of life that they have and fun and glamour. I translated it into little short dresses that had very sheer tulle with a lot of beading, see-through power mesh corsetry and right through to long evening gowns.

What inspired your choice of location?
It’s a 1930s building at FOX Studios. It’s the largest un-columned space in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s an amazing art deco building, and it was just cavernous. I wanted to run a really long runway in the center of that and have quite dramatic lighting. We curtained it all in black, but it still looked quite industrial and hard. I thought that was a good [backdrop] for those really pale light tulles and sparkly dresses. If you see them in something that’s too glamorous, it all looks a bit hyper-glamorous, whereas seeing it in a hard environment made the dresses look more fragile and pretty.

You dress a lot of celebrities in Australia. What is your client base around the world?
We dressed Jennifer Lopez a couple of times. We did one of Rhianna’s album covers. We did a Spanish tulle [dress] with Nelly Furtado and dressed Eva Longoria Parker when she was over here. I’ve done a little bit of work, but it’s funny, I love being in Australia. This is my hometown, and those things have happened from here which…I like it. I don’t have to get up and go away and be away from my family. It’s nice to be able to do that.

Who is the “Perry Girl?”
The “Perry Girl” is my wife, Mary. She’s the original “Perry Girl.” She’s just one of those effortlessly glamorous [women]. She’s glamorous in a pair of jeans and a pony tail, and I love that about her. But then when we go out at night she transforms—she’s like a movie star in that sense. But a lot of girls are “Perry Girls.” It’s about confident women who are really comfortable in their own skin. It’s not really about their size. I’ve got clients whom I adore that are a size 24. They’re big women, big characters. They’re confident, they’re glamorous. It’s about their attitude more than anything else. Not to say that I don’t like tall thin and gorgeous. That’s great, too, but it’s about if you’re confident as a woman and you really embrace whatever it is that you’ve got.

This was Australian Fashion Week's 15th anniversary. Have you been involved since the beginning?
I’ve done all of them except for last year. We actually did a huge show on the top deck of the Queen Mary 2. It was about a month and a half before fashion week, and I just thought I would do either or. But I’m very committed to the Australian fashion industry and supporting what happens here—supporting it and making sure that the focus actually is Australian. You’ve probably noticed, but it’s a different kind of dressing the way that women dress in Australia, the sort of attitude that they have. It’s different to the women in Milan; it’s different to the women in New York. I think when you’re an Australian designer, embrace what it is here and do that and I’ve done that and I try and give them that little bit of glamour.

How would you define the Australian woman’s style?
There’s a relaxation about their lifestyle and about their attitude. I’m not talking about the broader market in Australia. It’s just that their lifestyle is a bit more relaxed. I come from a European background, so dressing up is part of our culture. So it’s been an educational process for the last 10 years. And the whole celebrity culture in Hollywood especially—when they watch their favorite stars coming down the red carpet—that’s actually helped move that along. They go, 'Oh, I want to look like Renée Zellweger,' or 'I love what Nicole Kidman had on.' That’s made them want to emulate that. But generally on a day-to-day basis our lives are far more relaxed. I think that’s the difference. There’s less of a sense of occasion in Australia than what there is in Europe, for example. I have a Greek background, and everything you go to is like a certain type of event. You can’t wear this certain thing if you go to somebody’s house, a certain thing if you go to a christening, a certain thing if you go to a wedding. There’s a sense of occasion that you sort of dress for, whereas here it’s kind of chilled out. You can wear the same thing to a cocktail party that you can to somebody’s black-tie wedding.