First it was Angelina's right leg, now the thigh-high dress split reaches a whole new level Penelope Austin, and centre, with co-writer Robert Conley and J.J Abrams, and right, the dress on the runway at Mercedes Benz Australian Fashion Week. IF you want to make a statement on the red carpet, this is certainly one way to do it. Few may have heard Penelope Austin's name before she stepped out at the Star Trek Into Darkness premiere last night in Sydney, but chances are they will now after her sky-high thigh split turned more than a few heads. Austin, an up-and-coming pop artist from the Southern Highlands of NSW wore the Blesse'd Are The Meek creation which took the leg split to a whole new (almost belly button baring) level. And it's a leggy trend that has swept all the way from Hollywood to local high street stores. Ever since Angelina Jolie stepped out with her right pin on show at last year's Oscars, the splits have been getting higher. J.Lo decided to forgo the entire right side of her dress to give her leg an audience at this year's Grammys, while Miranda Kerr also stepped out in a thigh-splitting red number for the InStyle Awards. Kylie Gillies also made headlines the world over when she suffered a wardrobe malfunction of epic proportions after her double thigh split dress caught a gust of wind. Angelina Jolie, Mirands Kerr and Jennifer Lopez are all fans of the thigh-high split. Pictures: Getty, AP Source: news.com.au But while Austin's eye-popping gown follows this glamorous trend, if you're game, you can purchase the dress without spending thousands. The singer's Bless'd "Terrace Maxidress" retails for $199.95 - and after debuting at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in early April, it will soon be hitting stores such as David Jones. Austin - who co-wrote and sung a track for the Star Trek film - says she had a moment of hesitation about the dress when getting out of the cab last night, but said she was comforted by the " gold Bridget Jones" granny pants she was wearing underneath. "I called the dress epic pretty because of the horrendously epic split," Austin told news.com.au, "but the dress itself was so pretty. I'm very tall and sometimes it's nice to get the pins out. It was risky ... but because it was so ethereal and beautiful, I think it overrides the sex factor. A representative for the fashion brand who dressed the 24-year-old for the evening said she carried off the dress perfectly, but gave her some sage advice: avoid wind gusts, strategically place her clutch in front of the split and avoid taking "giant steps" down the red carpet. But despite the tips, it's easy to see that the dress opens up the possibility for a litany of wardrobe malfunctions. Halle Berry, Kylie Gillies and Eva Longoria have also sported a thigh-high split, to verying degrees of success. "Potentially," admits the spokesperson, "but we all know the type of celebrity who would plan to wear that dress for a strategic wardrobe malfunction and Penelope isn't one of them." News.com.au style commentator, Melissa Hoyer, says she gives Austin a gold star for attempting such an eye-catching fashion statement, but warns it is not a style that should be worn by everyone. "There is nothing more alluring and damn sexy than a toned and taut leg popping out from under a dramatic skirt split," Hoyer said. On the other hand, I can't quite equate sexy with a split that has been prematurely cut off with boy-leg or granny underpants. I reckon if you are going to rock the split, be prepared to bare a lot of skin. Or get out the needle and thread and sew it down to a length that doesn't need the giant undie addition. Austin attended last night's premiere after she and her co-writer Robert Conley penned a track for the film just ten days before it premiered to audiences. Their song, The Dark Collide, which features vocals from Austin was chosen by J.J Abrams to appear in the film and on the soundtrack in a massive coup for the young singer.