At the opening of the Screen Worlds exhibition at ACMI, Federation Square, Melbourne this week, Oscar winning actress Cate Blanchett was photographed wearing a Romance was Born dress.

The dress has had mixed reactions in the press, usually perfectly turned out Blanchett wore a quirky patchwork “blanket” dress designed by fellow Aussie designers Romance was Born S/S 09/10 collection. It’s a great coup for design duo Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales, considering Cate’s AAA-list status gives her access to any international designer her heart desires – previous standout red-carpet moments include Armani, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Dior.

And this isn’t the first time Cate’s fallen for Romance Was Born; she has previously been spotted getting about town in a pair of their Del Kathryn Barton print leggings. The new designers are a shortlisted finalist for the SOYA 09 Qantas Spirit of Youth Awards.

Romance Was Born continues to fly in leaps and bounds, and with their second SOYA nomination in three years (they were a runner up in 2007), the brand embodies all that the awards represents, talented young Australians making their mark on the creative world of fashion and design.

The brand is currently up against an amazing line-up of high calibre young Australian fashion designers including Gary Bigeni, Arnsdorf, Kuwaii and Limedrop.

They’re in the running to win a once-in-a-lifetime mentorship opportunity with fashion industry leaders Nicky and Simone Zimmerman, along with financial support in the form of $5000 in cash and $5000 in flights from Qantas.