The bubbly pocket-rocket blonde known for her party-till-dawn dresses has made a comeback, after calling the city home to her shire-grown label.
Fashion designer Amy Taylor, who heads up her long-time brand Amy Taylor Collection, has shut shop at the Strand Arcade in Sydney’s CBD and swung open the doors at Caringbah.
There in Park Lane, is her factory-turned-boutique, where Ms Taylor will now be lodged after she took up base in the city for the past five years.
Known for her revealing, low-back formal dresses, she says it is a welcome homecoming also because she will be closer to family – her partner, former Australian boxing champion Junior Talipeau and their two children, Konan, 7, and Ocean Rain, 2.
“We had a lease ready to go, but new management was taking over, so it was time to go,” Ms Taylor said.
“I wasn’t having the time I wanted with my kids. I want to put family first.”
City retail was solid, she says, but it meant mass production took over her desires to stick to some level of exclusivity.
“I had good clients but we had to take on every single one of them to make rent, and that’s not doing what I love,” Ms Taylor said.
Not that breaking even is much of a fear for the business savvy ‘dress-preneur’ from Oyster Bay.
With almost 50,000 followers on Instagram, her fans are as strong as ever.
“We are just as busy as we were because I’ve got my loyal following,” Ms Taylor said.
“But I find it doesn’t really matter where I am. People will travel for evening gowns.”
They may now venture even further, after the designer was chosen to dress the final two contestants on this year’s The Bachelor Australia, which recently aired on Network Ten.
And while the not-so-lucky-in-love ladies didn’t get their main man, with ‘Honey Badger’ Nick Cummins choosing not to get down on bended knee at the end of the series, the national focus turned to the frocks.
Brittany Hockley wore the Alessandra bridal gown priced at $2200, and Sophie Tieman wore the more modestly-priced gold number – a $350 Capri top and matching Isle $480 skirt in nude.
“I’ve previously dressed other contestants, one was past winner Alex Nation from Richie’s season, but that dress didn’t get much attention because Australia didn’t really seem to like her,” Ms Taylor said.
“This was so last minute. The producers came in, I gave them a bunch to choose from, and they bought them off the racks. I’m stoked because they are dresses I can actually sell.”
Sell she did – with orders flowing in long threads since the finale aired.
But if home is where the heart is, Ms Taylor has re-discovered her niche market.
“I’ve now stripped back,” she said. “I’ve got the shop open to the public and I like being bespoke and exclusive.”
