‘Real torture devices’: Why Liana Rossi is devoted to wearing this item of clothing

Liana Rossi is a creative consultant. Ahead, she shares her style secrets, including the designers she looks for on pre-loved sites, and why she’s addicted to uncomfortable shoes.

I’d describe my style as emotional, character-driven and rarely practical.

The oldest thing in my wardrobe is a brown leather jacket of my dad’s from the ’80s; I like things that have a history. The most recent addition is a pair of Haikure jeans.

On a plane, I wear Nagnata track pants, a long-sleeve tee and Adidas “Tokyo” sneakers. For the red carpet, I’d wear anything from a Romance Was Born runway with a Balenciaga heel.

My favourite fashion era is the ’90s for the grunge/streetwear influences combined with sleek minimalism. However, I don’t think of that era as exclusively minimalist. For me, it’s more about what designers like Christian Lacroix and Gianni Versace were doing.

My favourite designers in Australia are Romance Was Born , Alix Higgins , Courtney Zheng and Sir. I’m a Comme des Garçons and Junya Watanabe tragic, and I love Dries Van Noten. For my second-hand and consignment shopping, I always look for Demna’s Balenciaga, and pieces by Sarah Burton for McQueen – I recently tracked down a leather jacket that looks like something Edward Scissorhands would’ve worn.

I’m not big on fragrance but my partner’s a very liberally perfumed person, so I usually smell of his Comme des Garçons “Wonderoud”.

Three essential items in my wardrobe are Acne Studios jeans, a yellow-and-black faux snakeskin Stand Studio jacket, and a fun pair of shoes – the more uncomfortable the better. I’ve got some real torture devices. The shoes I wear most often are knee-high Maison Margiela “Tabi” boots.

My go-to jewellery is my nonna’s 1940s Italian wedding ring and my parti sapphire engagement ring, designed by my partner and Brohn Smith. I also wear a lot of Simone Rocha costume jewellery.

My first fashion moment was when I was a flower girl and had to have a fitting for the dress. I’m sure it was just a daggy kids’ formal-wear store, but trying on all the little dresses was my Pretty Woman moment. And I remember feeling a million bucks in embroidered jeans and a matching headscarf on a holiday to the Grand Canyon when I was 10.

A current trend I like is bubble skirts – something I never thought I’d revisit. I’m also happy that colour is back on the menu.

There are no fashion mistakes; I’ll live and die by an outfit. If I’m doing it, I’m doing it to the nth degree.

My wish list is locked on bridal now that I’m planning my wedding. My holy grail shoe is Alexander McQueen’s “Armadillo”. I’m also looking at the Maison Margiela x Louboutin collab.

My fashion icons are Moira Rose from Schitt’s Creek , artist Cindy Sherman and actor Monica Bellucci.