The Darnell Collection: 300 Years of Stunning Fashion, Charlotte Smith, Australia

The Charlotte Smith Fashion Collection Is Our New Name!

2018-06-07T07:40:00.004+10:00

The Charlotte Smith Fashion Collection

(formerly The Darnell Collection)

Has Moved to a New Website

click on this link thecharlottesmithfashioncollection.com to visit the new site

Fashions of Multicultural Australia Catwalk Parade

2018-03-04T11:34:00.002+11:00

'Fashion is a common denominator among all cultures -and a catalyst for social cohesion'

www.fomaustralia.com.au

Fashions of Multicultural Australia (FOMA) is a first-ever national initiative

that will integrate cultures and foster social cohesion

through the universally binding industry that is fashion.

A colourful, exuberant and visually stunning fashion parade will be held at Nanda/Hobbs Contemporary Gallery in Sydney on March 10th 2018.

www.nandahobbs.com

The initiative will provide a platform for Indigenous, CALD ( Culturally and linguistically diverse) and refugee designers and trendsetters from across the globe.

Additionally, FOMA will foster deeper cultural understanding within communities and promote cross-cultural artistry.

I have always believed fashion (and food) to be unifiers in our complicated and divisive world.

Fashion is a visual form of storytelling.

Fashion tells us about the designer, about the wearer, about the times in which a garment was worn, where and why. It opens a window to social, cultural, fashion, women and men's histories.

Fashion is fabulous!

I am proud to join Anupam, Julie and Monika as an inaugural Ambassador

of this incredible fashion and cultural initiative.

Designers included the 2018 Inaugural Fashion Parade

Inspiring stories of cultural identity from Turkey, Christmas & Cocos Keeling Islands, the Philippines,
Aboriginal Australia and Portugal

Designers from Lebanon, Pakistan, Peru, Brazil and Africa continue the global fashion story

For more information about this first-ever multicultural fashion event please go to www.fomaustralia.com.au

Roaring Twenties Art Deco Fashion Parade

2018-02-25T22:05:00.001+11:00

Sequins, glitter, flashes of red, silver and gold heralded the annual Blue Mountains Roaring Twenties Festival held this past weekend that featured the Charleston Charity Challenge, the Long Lunch and The Darnell Collection Twenties Fashion Parade.

In it's fourth year, the Long Lunch celebrates regional produce.

Five courses, each provided and prepared by local producers and restaurants, matched with local wines, set the scene and got the two hundred guests in the mood for

the annual Twenties Fashion Parade, styled by Charlotte Smith with outfits and accessories from

The Darnell Collection.

Six models walked the catwalk,

under the Art Deco vaulted ceiling of the Hydro Majestic Ballroom,

showcasing six different Twenties' looks.

Not a sequin, feather boa or spangly headband was seen in the parade.

Instead, daywear, sportswear, beach pyjamas, and silk robes brought to life socialites and movies stars who might have frequented Maxine Elliot's Chateau de l'Horizon,

during an era of glamour, excess and louche lifestyles of the rich and famous told

in Mary Lovell's book, The Riviera Set.

Garments new to the collection were seen for the first time including a stunning embroidered beach pyjama set that highlighted the exotic and the Oriental in the Twenties, as well as a new, informal fashion style introduced by Paul Poiret in the early 1900s

and then made all the rage by Coco Chanel in the early Twenties.

Two silk kimonos, recently gifted to The Darnell Collection along with 700 other pieces,

also featured on the catwalk.

A rare claret coloured silk day dress, accessories with a rare ermine stole and velvet hat from Paris, also appeared on stage, as did a gentleman's sporting outfit including a linen shooting jacket and natty American-made tweed plus fours.

My co-presenter was Roger Leong, a friend, colleague and academic who is currently the Senior Curator at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) in Sydney.

His knowledge of and passion for Art Deco made him my perfect guest.

The exuberance, luxuriousness and beauty of the 1920s is still unsurpassed.

The Darnell Collection boasts an extraordinary number of truly exquisite pieces from this decade. Fashion is so much more -

it is story telling about social history too.

Thank you Brigitte Grant Photography for your beautiful photographs

that capture the opulence of the Hydro Majestic Hotel and

the decadence of the Roaring Twenties.

With my co-presenter, Senior Curator at MAAS, Roger Leong

A rare robe with a pattern and colours so iconic of the 1920s

So perfect for a stroll down the boulevard in Cannes

A rare day dress with Bakelite buttons in an Art Deco pattern

A stunning embroidered Beach Pyjama set and a rare silk beach bag

Plus fours and a linen shooting jacket make for a sporting 1920s' day

A pretty silk day dress and Egyptian silk long vest, cotton parasol and Bakelite driving goggles suit a Poirot heroine

1920s accessorising

A rare and very delicate ermine stole and a beautiful hat with a brim made of golden lace

A pop of colour in the 1920s

Photographed in the opulent Cat's Alley at the Hydro Majestic Hotel

Lounging in silk

The Darnell Collection grows with major fashion donation

2018-02-14T15:28:00.000+11:00

This was the adventure I just had -

to collect an important fashion collection recently gifted to The Darnell Collection.

A rare Victorian bustle skirt. Silk satin, synthetic dyed fuchsia colour

Whoever would have thought that custodianship of

one of ten significant private fashion collections in the world

would take me to wild, remote and pristine Bruny Island, off the east coast of Tasmania.

Marion (who passed away last year) was a collector of great taste.

Her preference for outlandishly extravagant Victorian garments, delicate 1920s clothes,

and designer garments from the Fifties through the Eighties,

including Mme Gres, Jacques Heim, Emanuel Ungaro and Pierre Cardin,

along with accessories including crocodile handbags and fringed gloves from the 30s,

fur stoles from the 50s, and diamanté-decked mules from French designers in the 60s,

created an intriguing and rare collection of fashion history.

Mme Gres, Guy Laroche, Emanuel Ungaro and other labels stacked on the bed waiting
to be packed into enormous suitcases

My journey to the Tasmanian collection included
a train, plane, rental car, ferry and then a one hour drive on the only road on the island - dirt -
with glimpses of azure blue seas, pine covered hills, white lighthouses, and no one else on the road!

I arrived at the house, perched high on a cliff overlooking one of the most beautiful bays on the island, and was practically blown into the entrance of the magnificent house, filled with antiques,
to discover what had been gifted to my collection.

A beautiful mauve, emerald metallic thread and velvet 1920s evening coat

Marion's collection was stored in pristine condition, quite a feat living on an island, so everything I emptied from the drawers of mahogany chests on chests, wardrobes and chests of drawers

were in immaculate order.

With ABC Classic FM radio playing in the background, I packed up 5 enormous suitcases in rhythm to Bach and Mozart concertos.

700 pieces (141.67 kilos) later I drove off, back down the two kms dirt driveway

to the chained gate through which I drove before it was locked up again,

and headed back to the ferry and then on to Hobart where I stayed the night

before flying back to Sydney the next day.

Now, not only have I added an extraordinary fashion element to The Darnell Collection,

but along with this gift I can also add the evocative story of the setting in which I found myself,

the adventure of getting there and back, and of course, most importantly,

the story of Marion and her devoted husband Terry.

The Darnell Collection is a collection of fashion.

BUT it is more than that.

It is a collection that tells social history and women's journey's through fashion,

and Marion's story is one of dedication, passion and pride.

I feel very lucky to include this treasure with mine.

This is why the Darnell Collection is unique in the world.

The view from my hotel room at Alonha, Tasmania

Mahogany chest on chest filled with Marion's collection, beautifully stored in acid free tissue.

Elaborate silk thread embroidery on a silk kimono from the 1920s

Olivia modelling this stunning 1920s house robe

Marion looking demure and young in the early 1940s

Another breathtaking Bruny Island view as I drove to the collection

Vogue Australia Features The Darnell Collection

2018-01-25T09:52:00.002+11:00

In her story, Night Shift, featuring The Darnell Collection, Alice Birrell, Fashion Editor, Vogue Australia, focused on the shift in what people wear when they dress up and how 'dressing-up' events have changed in the past 100 years.

It's all about the flouncy flamenco-esque ruffles down the back of this dramatic dress

by Oscar de la Renta.

At the shoot, the models posed in the extraordinary bathroom of a Mid-Century Modern house in Clovelly, above the pristine sands of Clovelly Beach, in Sydney.

I was interviewed in my role of a Fashion Anthropologist.

I talked about the shift in types of gowns women choose to wear to special evenings

as well as the huge variety of styles of garments from which we can choose today.

(The article, titled 'Night Shift', is in the December 2017 issue, page 207 - 209)

One Enchanted Evening (Affirm Press) is available from all good bookstores in Australia & New Zealand

& from the following online booksellers:

Amazon Australia

Amazon America

Booktopia

My story about this dress is on page 56:

"This dazzling Oscar de la Renta evening dress is a glorious salute to Spain with its lush matador red colour, the carnation print of the silk taffeta and the glorious effusion of frills and ruffles.

Red was the legendary designer's favourite colour. He wore a red carnation in his buttonhole every day when he lived in Madrid as a tribute to the red carnations thrown

into the bullfighting ring before each show.

A chance commission in 1950 to design a dress for the daughter of the US Ambassador to Spain wound up on the cover of Life Magazine, which led to an invitation to Madrid to apprentice for Cristobal Balenciaga. De la Renta's future as a fashion designer was secured.

This spectacular dress is worthy of being worn by Carmen Amaya, the greatest flamenco dancer of all time. Different styles of flamenco dancing convey different emotions, but they all have 'duende' - the genius to masterfully convey passion and emotion.

Without doubt, this dress conveys Oscar de la Renta's 'duende' - and his elegance and style.

Australian Women's Weekly photo shoot for my new book, One Enchanted Evening

2018-01-25T09:08:00.004+11:00

Only for very special reasons do I allow models to wear gowns in

The Darnell Collection, but I felt a feature of my new book,

One Enchanted Evening,

in Australian Women's Weekly, was a wonderful opportunity

to bring a selection of dresses to life.

There are some dresses too valuable or fragile to allow to be worn,

but there were plenty of others from the book that made choosing difficult.

I also had to pick garments that suited the three models' individuality,

who were also 6 foot tall.

I always enjoying transforming modern women (and men) into another era.

For this shoot, we were working with garments

from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 2000s.

All very different moods, dress silhouettes, hair and beauty styles, accessories. It was an exciting challenge.

In the end, I went for dresses that either had stories personal to me

or designer/decade histories I thought would highlight

the diversity of stories (and fashion) in my book.

Age, Colour and Fabulousness Celebrated on the Gold Coast

2018-01-24T15:33:00.000+11:00

As part of an expansive public programme to coincide with the major Conde Nast sourced fashion photography exhibition, 'Coming Into Fashion' at the Gold Coast City Art Gallery,

a series of talks and events have been held at the Gallery precinct.

Of particular interest was last weekend's The Fashion Forum, created by author, Alison Kubler. Fashion leaders and creatives were invited to speak in front of an audience 200 strong.

Ari Seth Cohen, author of Advanced Style; Deputy Editor, Vogue Australia, Sophie Tedmanson; Brisbane based demi-couturier, Gail Sorronda; and I - custodian of The Darnell Collection.

Ari's respect for and commitment to Age and Style set the tone. Alison lead the four In Conversations with leading questions that engaged the speaker and the audience.

Everyone dressed to the hilt and celebrated this unique and thought-provoking forum.

I flew home to the Blue Mountains recharged, empowered, and upbeat.

Surrounded by the most fabulously dressed women on the Gold Coast.
'Ari's Harem'!
At the luxurious Palazzo Versace Hotel

Alison Kubler, Host and Presenter of The Fashion Forum and Tracy Cooper-Lavery, Director Gold Coast City Art Gallery,
and Ari Seth Cohen, author of Advanced Style and

Wearing a gold lame full-length cape by Danica of Double Bay at The Versace Palace Hotel,
enjoying Afternoon Tea with Ari Seth Cohen

At The Fashion Forum at the Gold Coast City Art Gallery
with milliner, Meredith McMaster and Women in Racing CEO, Jennifer Bartel

Age has no boundaries!! Neither does dressing as an individual!
With Mary Baynard, Sara Jane Adams and Judy Brine

The most elegant multi-tasker in the world. Who says 'Pucci' and 'inflating tyres' don't go together?

A line-up suitable to win 'Best Dressed' and for Afternoon Tea at the Palazzo Versace Hotel

1960s Hallmark Paper Party Dress

2018-01-11T12:02:00.000+11:00

For the perfectionist Hostess who wanted to be the centre of attention as well as perfectly coordinated, in the mid to late 1960s, Hallmark produced paper party dresses that matched the party accessories from the centrepiece to the paper flowers and matchbook covers.

In 1966, the Scott Paper Company in America used a gimmicky marketing ploy to market their new range of throwaway tableware. For just $1.25, consumers could send away for their paper dress which was posted back along with coupons to buy their tableware.

Scott Paper Company received half a million orders in six months.

The idea of wearing paper dresses caught on and became a massive hit at a time when the youth fancied crazes, hip fashion trends and the idea of disposability (the idea of having disposable incomes was new). The huge potential of wearing 'wearable advertising' for products and political messages encouraged other companies to produce and sell dresses by the hundreds of thousands,

including Hallmark.

Paper dresses could be altered in minutes with a pair of scissors and tape, worn once or twice and then thrown away. This was perfect for the new generation of women who were eager

to rebel against the 'Make Do and Mend' culture of WW11.

The fad was short lived and by 1968, when a new Hippy fashion movement took hold,

paper dresses were out of date.

This wonderful, colourful and fun paper dress, made by Hallmark, is in The Darnell Collection. It even has its original packaging.

(photograph: Brigitte Grant Photography)

One Enchanted Evening at Leura Garage Book Launch

2018-01-08T10:19:00.000+11:00

The storms cleared as the launch of 'One Enchanted Evening', my third book (Affirm Press) about dresses in The Darnell Collection and stories about the women who wore them, kicked off the summer season
in the Blue Mountains.

Ultra trendy Leura Garage was emptied of its tables and chairs and replaced with a catwalk. Seven local models wore garments from the collection, from the 70s to the 90s.
Two 1929 Cadillac Lasalle automobiles, on loan from Blue Mountains Vintage Cadillacs, ferried models to and from the catwalk venue.
Nearby Caffeine & Gasoline cafe was turned into the styling and wardrobe area.
ABC Nightly News presenter, Jeremy Fernandez, was ever so professional and suave as the evening's Emcee.

Leura Garage hosted a bountiful evening with flowing Central West wines and platters of locally sourced canapés to 150 guests. All captured in full colour by Brigitte Grant Photography.

It was a fabulous evening celebrating what is best about being a 'local'!

http://www.leuragarage.com.au
www.bluemountainsvintagecadillacs.com.au
https://brigittegrantphotography.com.au/client-gallery/8-clients-gallery/204-an-enchanted-evening-book-launch-at-leura-garage
www.caffeineandgasoline.net.au

Models surround a stunning and rare 1929 Cadillac Lasalle

With ABC Nightly News presenter, Jeremy Fernandez, Emcee of the evening, in a 1929 Cadillac Lasalle

Putting on the ritz at Palazzo Versace Hotel Gold Coast

2017-12-03T10:17:00.001+11:00

To kick off the celebrations of the opening of 'Coming Into Fashion',
a Conde Nast photography exhibition sourced from the publisher's Paris and New York archives, at the Gold Coast City Art Gallery,
the magnificent Palazzo Versace Gold Coast hosted curators and media to a glamorous morning tea in the foyer of the hotel, overlooking the crystal blue water of the swimming pools on a late spring morning.

Rylee dazzled in a pale blue and pink flowery chiffon tea gown,
which suited the richly ornate and colourful interior.

Thank you to The Versace Hotel, a partner of the exhibition, for inviting The Darnell Collection
to such an elegant event.

Coming Into Fashion runs until 18th February 2018
info@theartcentregc.com.au

Rylee wears a floaty, summery 1970s tea gown by Belvera Designs Sydney in the magnificent foyer of the Versace Hotel

Even our tea cakes were fashion themed (and delicious)

My ruby, emerald and pearl earrings fit in with the glitzy decor (at 10:30am!).

The famous Versace handbag lemon curd pastry

Wearing my vintage 1980s Versace stilettos (and 80s Dana Buchanan pussy bow shirt and Lisa Ho skirt)

One Enchanted Evening Book Launch at the Carrington Hotel

2017-10-29T10:23:00.000+11:00

Vogue Australia, The Darnell Collection and One Enchanted Evening

2017-10-29T08:28:00.000+11:00

One a breezy, cool day in Sydney, over looking Coogee Beach, I arrived on location for

Vogue Australia's photo shoot carrying six gowns.

The theme of the shoot was 'Dressing Up'.

Out of three beautiful young models, Anya Molochkova was chosen to wear the stunning Oscar de la Renta gown, which features in my new book, One Enchanted Evening, illustrated by Grant Cowan.

The dress is also the book's cover star.

Here is the story: " This dazzling Oscar de la Renta evening dress is a glorious salute to Spain with its lush matador red colour, the carnation print of the silk taffeta and the glorious effusion of frills and ruffles.

Red was the legendary designer's favourite colour. He wore a red carnation in his buttonhole every day when he lived in Madrid as a tribute to the red carnations thrown into the bullfighting ring before each show.

A chance commission in 1950 to design a dress for the daughter of the US Ambassador to Spain wound up on the cover of Life magazine, which led to an invitation to Madrid to apprentice for Cristobal Balenciaga. De la Renta's future as a fashion designer was secured.

This spectacular dress is worthy of being worn by Carmen Amaya, the greatest flamenco dancer of all time. Different styles of flamenco dancing convey different emotions, but they all have duende - the genius to masterfully convey passion and emotion.

Without doubt, this dress conveys Oscar de la Renta's duende - and all his elegance and style."

Thank you Anya and thank you Vogue Australia for celebrating and featuring

the art of dressing up and the beauty of couture.

One Enchanted Evening

(Affirm Press) from all good bookstores from 1st November

Onya wears de la Renta from his 2012 collection.

Behind the scenes - in the mid century modern bathroom.
One can ask..."How many people can you fit in a bathroom?" 12 in this case!

Chanel Haute Couture & Aled Couture

2017-10-20T22:23:00.000+11:00

Both from the 1960s: Aled Couture from Israel and Chanel Haute Couture from Paris. The 60s had so many fashion looks every woman could dress to suit her personality.

JetSet Homes and Sydney Architectural firm Pappas Alexiou work with The Darnell Collection

2017-10-12T09:36:00.001+11:00

The term Mid Century Modern has become a moniker for chic, urbane and streamlined design in architecture, furniture and fashion.

When Sydney architectural firm, Pappas Alexiou approached The Darnell Collection about collaborating with a fashion shoot to bring to life their new modular homes, Jetset Homes, in a visionary marketing campaign, I jumped at the opportunity.

Out of my climate controlled room at Grace Fine Art, I pulled a classic Christian Dior wool knit jumpsuit (perfect for Emma Peel), a glazed cotton 'New Look' day dress by L'Aiglon (very Mad Men) and a chic pair of modern patent leather Gianvitto Rossi wedge sandals.

The process was fascinating. Our model posed in front of a green screen. Her image, in various poses and outfits, was then digitally superimposed into Jetset Homes' stunning California style backdrops.

The end result is classy, sophisticated mid century modern imagery - reliving a 'Jetsons' moment and creating an aspirational 21st century lifestyle.

Thank you for the fab experience!

Useful links:

http://www.jetsethomes.com.au

http://pappasalexiou.com

https://www.facebook.com/pappasalexiou/

Hair: Chris Wolf Hair (http://www.chriswolf.com.au)

Photography: Brigitte Grant Photography (https://brigittegrantphotography.com.au)

Model: Olivia de Govrik

Grace Fine Art (https://www.grace.com.au/national-fine-art-services/)

Rocking an Emma Peel-style Dior 60s jumpsuit

Mad Men style late 50s dress by L'Aiglon

Reposing in a pair of silk chiffon palazzo pants

Very Moorish!

The PAST Inspires the PRESENT and Creates the FUTURE: Gerber Technology, Spoonflower and The Darnell Collection

2017-10-10T17:56:00.000+11:00

This dress, made by Horrockses of London in the 1950s, is in the New Look style
inspired by Christian Dior’s La Corolle collection, launched in February 1947.
The dress' skirt is given extra fullness from an in-built, but detached muslin petticoat.

John Horrocks set up a cotton goods company in Preston, England in the late 18^th century (1791).

By the 1950s, Horrockses was a household name producing off the peg summer dresses. Their fashion collection of pretty cotton dresses was created as an initiative to use and sell their own cotton.
Celebrities and even royalty, such as Princess Margaret, were noted fans and the brand was given a royal warrant in the 1960s.
Sadly, in the 70s and 80s, Horrockses dresses went out of fashion and the company subsequently closed. (N.B. The company has been resurrected and is selling a range of bed linen.)

When I was invited to travel to NYC to be filmed for an episode on Fox Business News' popular television series, Strange Inheritance, I wanted to bring relevance and sustainability to my collection and tell this story to their goal audience.

What better than to look at my collection, and that of fashion history, from a perspective that showcases

"The Past Inspires the Present and Creates the Future".

This is the future of dressmaking and The Darnell Collection wants to be a part of it!

So, I chose this feminine, summery party dress to bring to life my mission and worked with two cutting edge, 21st century, American companies

Spoonflower and Gerber Technology.

Spoonflower is one of the worlds largest digital printers and designers of custom made fabrics among many other digital services and products. (https://www.spoonflower.com)

Spoonflower used the wrapping paper design that was created for my new book, One Enchanted Evening (Affirm Press) and printed it onto cotton sateen and silk voile fabric.

Gerber Technology, with whom I have worked with in the past bringing to life their Yunique PLM, AccuMark and CAD Software programs, provides integrated hardware and software solutions to the fashion industry around the world. (http://www.gerbertechnology.com)

Mary McFadden, Executive Director CAD Product Management at Gerber Technology, created a simulation of the dress on an avatar. A digital pattern was then made that Spoonflower used to make the 're-interpreted' Fifties dress.

With Gerber's digital pattern, Spoonflower was able to layout the pattern pieces onto the fabric and begin cutting out the pieces and then sewing them together.

And here is the finished result!
Modelled beside the original Horrockses of London dress.

Such an inspiring meeting of two centuries, three companies, the past and the present
to create a cutting-edge, technology driven 21st century dress.

This is the future of dressmaking and The Darnell Collection wants to be a part of it!

Fox Business News' Strange Inheritance films The Darnell Collection

2017-10-10T16:29:00.001+11:00

During a sunny, end-of-summer week, I had the great privilege of spending a time in NYC as a guest of Tower Productions, producers of Fox Business News' hit TV series, Strange Inheritance.

Jamie Colby, host of the programme, now in its fourth season, asked challenging questions about the collection, its past, its future and interviewed several experts about their view of The Darnell Collection, its significance and value.

I learned so much about my collection and left New York wide-eyed with the knowledge that what I inherited from my American Quaker godmother, Doris Darnell, was far more than a fashion collection, but a recording of social history through fashion.

I also found out The Darnell Collection is now recognised as one of ten significant private fashion collections in the world.

Doris would be so proud that what she began in the late 1930s had grown (like Topsy - Doris' favourite quote) into something of global significance!

The Darnell Collection episode will air on Fox Business News' Strange Inheritance in March or April 2018. I will post the exact date one to two weeks out, once it is confirmed.

With the host of Strange Inheritance, Jamie Colby, America's leading textile expert, Karen August, and me talking fashion on camera at Parsons New School - surrounded by Darnell Collection garments

Mini exhibition set up inside one of the glamorous auditoriums at Parsons School of Design

At Parsons School of Design

The Darnell Collection's very own Abbey Road moment!

Wearing my Ninette of Melbourne caftan and filmed walking along a street in NYC. It was incredible how many people stopped to compliment me on my outfit.

Ninette of Melbourne in downtown NYC

2017-10-10T16:13:00.001+11:00

Ninette of Melbourne caftan hits 6th Ave and 12th in NYC recently.

Over filming my episode of Strange Inheritance (Fox Business News), I took a variety of garments with me including this psychedelic patterned, polyester caftan designed by Sadie Brustmann, founder of Ninette of Melbourne. Located in Richmond, a suburb in Melbourne, the fashion label was one of the hippest in the 60s and early 70s.

Fashion Parade at the Roaring Twenties festival at the Hydro Majestic Hotel

2017-10-10T15:52:00.000+11:00

Fashion Parade at the Roaring Twenties festival at the Hydro Majestic Hotel

The Fifth annual Roaring Twenties/Charleston Challenge event took place high in the mountains of NSW on (another) foggy day. We didn't beat the world record for the number of dancers, dressed in vintage, dancing the Charleston, but we certainly had a fabulous time trying.

Following the Challenge, 250 people adjourned to the Hydro Majestic marquee to spend the afternoon wining and dining on a locally produced five course meal.

The Darnell Collection was featured in a mini catwalk parade of rare and stunning 1920s garments and accessories, co-hosted by the fabulous Damien Beaumont, presenter at ABC Classic FM radio.

What a great day. I'm still recovering!

Congratulations to everyone who organised and brought this festival to fruition. Bring on 2018!

A misty moment dancing the Charleston

With my great friend and Patron of the Festival, Claudia Chan Shaw

Winners of the Best Dressed competitions

Posing!

At the Long Lunch 20s fashion parade. Olivia wears an original 20s 'step-in' chemise (or 'onesie' as we call it today!)

Olivia wears a 20s silk 'teddy'

Eleni wears a silk tricot knit sweater, palazzo pants and hand printed silk chiffon blouse

Eleni's second outfit is a beautiful silk and glass bead embellished dress with an Egyptian motif

Kate wears a stunning silk 20s wedding dress

Anetta wears a delicate lace and silk crepe evening dress and a silk with silk moire shawl

Posing on the terrace at the historic Hydro Majestic Hotel, Mellow Bath, Blue Mountains

Parade's over. Time to relax!

'Latitude 37' wears garments from The Darnell Collection for a photo shoot for their album cover

2017-10-10T15:47:00.001+11:00

60's Vintage

A pretty yellow embroidered dress by Mona Crawford, a blue lace evening dress and a stunning green silk satin opera coat, gloves and jewellery were chosen from a selection of elegant evening wear by styling consultant, Franco Schifilliti, for a recent photo shoot of 'Latitude 37'.

A very Melbourne event with Albert Comper photographing the trio at Northcote Town Hall.

Very cool! Very elegant! And I love those Mona Lisa smiles!

HRH Prince Charles in Sydney - Campaign for Wool

2017-10-10T15:44:00.001+11:00

Five Australian fashion designers have met with Prince Charles during his Australian Tour visit to show off their wool creations in celebration of Australia’s wool industry.

Image Credit: Zimbio.com
As part of The Campaign For Wool, Josh Goot, Dion Lee, Kym Ellery, Camilla Freeman-Topper (of Camilla and Marc) and Akira Isogawa chatted with the prince, who is a patron of international campaign.
Dressing appropriately for the occasion Prince Charles wore a navy suit made of Australian merino wool from Tasmania and designed by UK tailors Anderson and Sheppard.

Hosted by the Australian Wool Innovation the event took place at
Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

The Prince even took the time to share a moment with a bottle-fed lamb from South Australia who during the event grazed on the balcony overlooking Sydney Harbour.

Renowned fashion designer Dion Lee, who won the $50,000 Australian prize for the prestigious International Woolmark competition in London earlier this year and is now in the running for the international Woolmark prize, showed the Prince his elegant and edgy tailored grey wool dress design. "It was a great opportunity to show my brand and the collection to Charles - it's obviously an opportunity that doesn't come around every day," Lee later told AAP.

Image Credit: The fashion creations on display, melissahoyer.com

The Sydney-based designer said Prince Charles approved of his winning creation, which features criss-cross rubber film down the back, softened with delicate black blended wool sleeves. "It was a highlight to be in a room with Prince Charles and with such esteemed members of the Australian fashion industry as well - it was a great moment" added Lee.

CEO of the Australian Wool Innovation Stuart McCullough said it was a great opportunity to meet with the Prince of Wales and be able to present Australia’s most prominent Campaign for Wool partners.

"With the support and endorsement of its patron, the global Campaign for Wool continues to connect to consumers around the world highlighting the benefits of wool in apparel and interiors" McCullough added.

The Campaign For Wool was launched globally on Australia Day 2010 in an effort to support struggling farmers.

Australia will launch its 2013 WOOL WEEK activities in April/May 2013.

Blue Mountains Grammar hosts a Darnell Collection vintage parade

2017-10-10T15:41:00.002+11:00

Blue Mountains Grammar School hosted their inaugural Vintage Fair.

Claudia Chan Shaw, author (Collectomania) and panelist on ABC TV's 'Collectors', opened the fair.

I hosted catwalk events throughout the day and was lucky enough to have students from the school parade in vintage Darnell!

(I'm wearing a 60s polyester jumpsuit and a silk jacket by Sass & Bide!)

Tess wears a silk taffeta party dress from the 1950s

Fleur does 'Phryne Fisher' and wears a stunning silk embroidered coat from the 20s

Olivia wears a silk satin strapless ballgown from the 50s

Grammar School students prepare for their moment on the catwalk as Claire is on the catwalk wearing an early 60s wool dress and matching coat

TV Filming at Woodford Academy National Trust and The Darnell Collection

2017-10-10T15:37:00.001+11:00

The picturesque and historic National Trust property, Woodford Academy in the Blue Mountains of NSW, was the venue for the filming of a documentary series featuring the history of undergarments called The Gallery of Everyday Things.

Crinolines, bustles, Victorian corsets and petticoats, and a smattering of 20th century bras, girdles and underwear from The Darnell Collection, were featured.

Tamara was our obliging 'Victorian lass' who sported all sorts of undergarments. She was filmed descending a narrow staircase in her crinoline dress, just as a woman would have done at Woodford Academy when it was a coaching inn in the mid 1800s.

Victorian fashion brought Woodford Academy back to life for a day!

My assistants, Kirsten and Olivia, standing amidst a sea of petticoats in the original school room
(a handmade modern crinoline, made from garden tubing and hessian tape, waits to be used)

Tamara demonstrating what a crinoline dress looks like when seated

What is looks like underneath a crinoline dress!

Makeup stylist, Rachel, creates a soft, Victorian look

The camera crew filming Tamara as she descends the narrow Victorian staircase in her crinoline dress

Westfield Mirandaa and The Darnell Collection collaborate on beautiful 'Old & New' fashion project

2017-10-10T15:33:00.001+11:00

A clever idea of combining, in a decoupage/collage manner, images of exquisite vintage garments and accessories from The Darnell Collection with new items for sale in shops at Westfield Miranda allowed for this stunning project to happen.

1980s lame dance disco dress

1960s velvet Ann Pakradooni gown

1960s wool Paganne dress

1960s velvet and diamante pant suit

1980s wool and velvet Thierry Mugler skirt suit

1960s wool Dior jumpsuit

1960s wool Leonard of Paris jumpsuit

1960s sequin Courreges mini dress

South West Fashion Festival and The Darnell Collection in Bunbury, WA

2017-10-10T15:25:00.000+11:00

The third South West Fashion Festival took place in Bunbury, 2 hours south of Perth, in early March. Fashion parades included garments by emerging and established designers from the South West. As part of their satellite fashion program, Darnell vintage was showcased at two events at TAFE. Stunning local models enhanced each outfit from the 20s to 90s. (Jo Bevis Photography)

www.swfashionfestival.com

L to R: 70s YSL and Lanvin, 60s Tania, 70s Jeunesse Couture

Westwood

1950s

60s Dior

60s Pierre Cardin

Love the orb buttons on the Westwood trousers

Wearing vintage Arthur Galan and Country Road

Kylie Minogue's feather headdress, milliner Stephen Jones and The Darnell Collection in New Zealand

2017-10-10T15:22:00.001+11:00

At the Golden Centre Club Couture lunch in Dunedin, NZ, Stephen Jones, the British milliner extraordinaire, brought a selection of his hats. One of these hats was the headdress he created for Kylie Minogue to wear at the closing ceremonies at the London Olympics. The headdress was made with turkey feathers that had been dipped in resin and then plated in gold.

AND I got to model it!!

Other lunch guests modelling Stephen Jones hats

Stephen Jones on the catwalk at iD Dunedin Fashion Week

Kylie wearing the headdress again at the Sydney 2013 Mardi Gras (SMH)

Watch the headdress in action on the iD Dunedin catwalk!!