Camilla Franks started the label in Sydney in 2004 and built it on hand-drawn, digitally engineered prints that cover an entire garment rather than sitting as a motif. The reference points are travel and collected ornament, with paisley, tile work and botanical patterns layered into something closer to a textile design practice than a fashion one. Silk is the default rather than the upgrade, which matters because these prints need a fabric that moves to avoid looking printed on. Placement is engineered per garment so the pattern resolves at seams and hems. It is considerably more technical than the finished effect suggests.

Camilla dress silhouettes stay relatively simple because the print is doing the work. Maxi dresses in silk, whether V-neck, halter or button-front, are the core and the most recognisable. Tiered and swing minis take the same prints and shorten them, which reads younger and slightly less formal. Corset and deep cowl styles introduce structure and are the outliers in a range built mostly on drape. Print density varies more than the shapes do, with some designs covering every inch and others leaving ground colour visible. That density is the real variable to judge.

This is a commitment purchase and pretending otherwise is a mistake, since a fully printed silk maxi is not a background garment. Silk maxi styles are the strongest thing here because the fabric and the print were designed for each other. Structured corset and cowl pieces are interesting and fight slightly against what the label does best. Tiered minis are the easiest entry and lose some of the drama that justifies the whole exercise. If you take one thing away, it should be that the print is engineered to the garment rather than cut from a roll, which is the detail separating this from every printed dress at a lower level. Judge the print density before the silhouette.