Emma Booth

My name's Emma Booth and I'm an actress and I was also a model and I met Ray Costarella when I was about, probably about 14, 15 years old when I first started modelling and just, you know, adored him when I met him. Completely fell in love with him. He's a beautiful, beautiful man.

It's funny, we actually did a photo shoot when I was, I think I was 14 or 15 and we went away for a night. It was about an hour out of Perth. did this incredible photo shoot where I looked like this kind of unconventional angel and we were with Paul O'Connor and my sister Paula O'Day who was doing the hair and makeup and my mum came up and we stayed at this funny little hotel and it was so haunted and it was just one of those moments that have always stuck with me.

When I got a bit older when I was about 16 I got to walk for his fashion show or fashion shows actually but the one you see here is year 2000 you can see me here in this divine kind of green tunic very busy year for me that year I think I was walking about 20 shows there was just such amazing energy you know that there always is backstage at fashion shows such high energy fast pace everyone's kind of like nervous but excited I loved Ray and was just so excited for this collection that he was showing everyone. To me, really kind of ethereal. We had this beautiful kind of silver leaf put under our eyes. So the makeup was just stunning.

Working with Ray was definitely a highlight of my years as a model. No one else was doing what he was doing and I think he made really bold choices and that always made Ray stand out and I remember walking the show and there were really important buyers from overseas there and I just remember feeling so proud to be a part of that it was received so beautifully and you know I think that's when Ray really took off as a designer I mean kind of already was by then but I think people really got to see how incredible he was again how unique he was he just did his thing he did the Ray Costarella thing and that's what made him stand out and that's why I admired him always so much as a designer as a person I have some beautiful Ray Costarella pieces that are still in my closet now and I still wear them. It was a really big honor to be able to call myself Ray's friend and just see this beautiful legacy that he's left behind.