The Melbourne Spring Fashion Week is currently in swing and this year, there’s a lot for those of us who prefer our fashion to be of the vintage persuasion. To make things easier (there’s so much going on) here are some highlights and Must-Sees (including a few small contributions by Circa):

Tuesday 31st August
9am to 7pm: Step back to another era and experience fashion of generations past. Styled by Circa Vintage Clothing, MSFW’s Week of Wardobes will showcase the finest vintage designs in sleepwear for the theme “Slumber in the City”.
Location: City Square, Swanston Street, between Collins Street and Flinders Lane.

2pm – 3pm: Everyone’s favourite vintage fashion blogger, Candice DeVille aka Super Kawaii Mama is presenting a workshop on vintage glamour, with a focus on sleepwear. It’s a free event but arrive early because choice positions will be in hot demand! Candice will be assisted by Eszter and Marianne, who will be modelling outfits from Circa and (rumour has it) one of Melbourne’s most elegant lingerie labels.
Location: City Square on Swanston Street.

6 – 9.30pm: Merry Go Round – a luxury event. “Makeovers, Manicures and Martinis and Miss Money Penny have teamed up to bring you a luxury shopping event that combines mini pampering treatments with a personal styling session and an elegant showing of hand-picked pre-owned designer items.”
Location: Longroom, 162 – 168 Collins St and cost is $70. Bookings required.

Wednesday 1st September
9am to 7pm: Step back to another era and experience fashion of generations past. Styled by Circa Vintage Clothing, MSFW’s Week of Wardobes will showcase the finest vintage designs in day and evening wear for the theme “Women’s Wonderland”.
Location: City Square, Swanston Street.

2.30pm: ACMI are screening “Beyond Biba: a portrait of Barbara Hulanicki” as part of a series of films on fashion icons. “The woman behind the iconic London retail hotspot, Biba, Barbara Hulanicki revolutionised British fashion in the seventies. Capturing the fascinating story of the woman who bought a new level of glamour to high street fashion. ”
Location: ACMI Federation Square.

Photo courtesy MSFW and ACMI

Thursday 2nd September
9am to 7pm: Step back to another era and experience fashion of generations past. Styled by Circa Vintage Clothing, MSFW’s Week of Wardobes will showcase the finest vintage designs in swimwear for the theme “Beauty and the Beach”.
Location: City Square, Swanston Street.

3.30pm: Candice (SKM) is back again with her lovely models for a second Vintage Glamour workshop, this time with a beachy theme. As before, this is a free event. “Ever wanted to discover the elements that make a polished, vintage look? Wondering how to choose the right vintage pieces for your personality? Vintage model and style blogger Candice DeVille shares her secrets in this exclusive session that will help you find your perfect vintage glamour look and how to mix it with a modern wardrobe.”
Location: City Square, Swanston Street.

Friday 3rd September
9am to 7pm: Step back to another era and experience fashion of generations past. Styled by Circa Vintage Clothing, MSFW’s Week of Wardobes will showcase the finest vintage designs in men’s wear for the theme “It’s a Man’s World”.
Location: City Square, Swanston Street.

Might be a good day to go and see the Age of Fashion exhibition that is on at QV Square, QV Melbourne, between Russell, Swanston, Lonsdale and Little Lonsdale streets. “CELEBRATE Melbourne’s love affair with style, sophistication and sleek chic at this must-see fashion photographic exhibition. Offering Melbournians a tangible slice of history, documenting the influences, ideologies, icons and inspirations behind Melbourne’s signature style. ” Here’s one of my favourite Melbourne fashion icons, Jeannie Shrimpton in her headline grabbing 1965 Day at the Races.

Photo courtesy MSFW and QV.

Saturday 4th September
10am: Round She Goes. “Round She Goes is one of Melbourne’s most popular preloved fashion markets for women – buy fantastic preloved designer and quality vintage fashion and accessories from various stallholders. It’s a free event and can be found at Collins234 – Boutique Place, Level 2, 234 Collins Street

Sunday 5th September
2.30pm – The Upmarket. “Miss Money Penny Fashion Emporium and Take 2 Markets present: The UP Market. Join Melbourne’s queens of designer fashion chic-o-nomics at our luxury shopping event. Shop amongst 40 glam stalls for only the finest brand new, just slipped on and vintage designer fashion treasures – for a fraction of the retail price.” Venue is Alto Event Space at Melbourne’s GPO, 350 Bourke Street and the cost is $50. Bookings required!

This one is killing me: I’ve delayed mentioning it because if you actually go I’ll be terribly jealous. I’m not due for a Brisbane visit but this one may just convince me otherwise.

What: Valentino, Retrospective: Past/Present/Future
Where: Queensland Art Gallery – Stanley Place, South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
When: 7 August – 14 November 2010
Cost: Adult$20 | Concession $16 | Member* $15 | Secondary students $10 | Child (12 years & under) free | Family (1–2 Adults & Children aged 13–17) $50 | Season adult $60 | Season concession $48 | Season Member* $45

Image courtesy Queensland Art Gallery

From the website:
Exclusive to Brisbane, ‘Valentino, Retrospective: Past/Present/Future’ is a major exhibition developed by the renowned institution, Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris. It explores the work of the celebrated Italian fashion house Valentino, known around the world for its sophisticated, timeless design and glamorous clientele.

The exhibition encompasses haute couture from the first collection designed in 1959 by the house’s founder, Valentino Garavani, through to work from the Autumn/Winter 2009–10 creations by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli – appointed as creative directors for Valentino in 2008. Exquisite haute couture garments will reveal Valentino’s mastery of the elegant line, classic form and opulent detail. Particular themes will be explored uniting Valentino’s design approach over five decades: these include the recurrence of geometric patterns and graphic prints, the skilful use of fabric to create dramatic silhouettes and, of course, the distinctive palette of black, white and ‘Valentino red’. The future direction of this most esteemed fashion label is showcased through five creations by the house of Valentino’s new creative directors.

More information at the website

On Sunday, we went to see a great new exhibition on Australian fashion from 1850 to 1960. In particular, there are some extraordinarily well preserved Victorian and Edwardian gowns, some of which have labels from Australian fashion houses or dressmakers – this is quite remarkable: I’ve studied thousands of locally made garments, so can attest to the rarity of labels in clothing made prior to WW2, and especially prior to 1920.

From the website:
Drawing on the NGV Collection of Australian fashion and textiles, this exhibition examines the rise of fashion in Australia from the 1850s to 1950s, while speculating on the fashionable trends and development of an Australian style of fashion. The exhibition will include rare early examples of labelled garments from the mid nineteenth century and a range of dresses, tailored items and accessories that were made and retailed in Australia.

What: Australian Made: 100 years of fashion
Where: National Gallery of Victorian: the Ian Potter Centre, Federation Square
When: May 28th to January 23rd, 10am to 5pm (closed Tuesdays)
Cost: free

I keep meaning to tell you about this exhibition that’s currently on, and just as much, I keep meaning to go and see when I have a bit of spare time.

The exhibition celebrates how and why Melburnians love to shop, with a special focus on fashion, food and the home. It reveals the indulgent side of shopping – the exclusive stores, luxury goods and seductive advertisements that feed our addiction to pleasure and style. It also acknowledges the downsides of shopping: crime, consumerism and pollution.

What: ’til you drop, an exhibition of Melbourne shopping history
When: Dec 11th 2009 to Oct 31st 2010 from 10am to 5pm.
Where: Keith Murdoch Gallery, State Library of Victoria, cnr Swanston and Latrobe Streets Melbourne
Cost: free

Highlights include:
- superbly illustrated fashion catalogues from Foy & Gibson
- original design sketches of 1920s flapper fashions for Manton’s department store
- a short film that explores contemporary Melbourne’s hottest shopping spots – from young designers and hidden arcades to favourite stores and markets

More information at the website.

Last week I helped set up an exhibition of vintage and antique dress at Buda, an historic house in Castlemaine. Included are several garments from my personal collection, from the 1890s to the 1950s, as well as items from other collectors. With a focus on embroideries and hand-worked techniques, it’s a rare opportunity to see a century of garments within a beautiful Victorian home environment, surrounded by lovely arts and crafts furniture and decor.

What: Gorgeous Garb – a vintage costume exhibition
Where: Buda, 42 Hunter Street Castlemaine 3450
When: May 22nd to June 28th, 12 noon until 5pm on Wed – Sat, 10 am until 5pm on Sun and Public Holidays
Cost: $12 Adult $10 Concession $30 Family

For more information, please contact Buda.

Here are some snaps that I took…as always, click on each to see in full.

The third annual Gertrude Street Projection Festival kicks off this July and will turn the neighbourhood into a free outdoor art gallery. For the first time, Circa will be one of the featured venues.

What: The Gertrude Street Projection Festival
When: 6pm to midnight, July 9th to 18th.
Where: Gertrude Street, Fitzroy with a bit of a detour along George Street and Langridge Street Collingwood.
Cost: free

The theme for the 2010 festival is ‘Me.You.Us’. Submissions must respond to the theme. The call for entries closes 30th May.

The Next Wave Festival is currently running in Melbourne and two of the lovely ladies who help me at Circa have events showing.

First up is Victoria Bennett, who with Clare Rae is curating a collaborative show called “The View From Here: 19 Perspectives on Feminism”, which pairs nine writers with nine artists to explore new feminist ideas and their influence on emerging arts practices.

From the website:
The View From Here offers a range of visual and written works exploring themes of identity, sexuality, gender politics, representation, ‘post’ feminism and femininity. Together, the works suggest a new perspective on feminism—a view that is non-prescriptive, that references the past whilst carving out a future. The result is a cacophony of voices that represents the myriad feminisms being negotiated in our time.

Exhibition Times · Saturday May 15—Saturday May 29 from 12:00PM
West Space, Level 1, 15–19 Anthony St, Melbourne
Duration: Until 6pm. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Price: Free

Photo courtesy Victoria Bennett and Clare Rae.

Secondly is Esther Hayes, who with her siblings Christina and Rebecca form the Sisters Hayes who are presenting “A Good Death”

From the website:
A Good Death is a fascinating theatrical exhibition exploring the rich narratives of Catholic Martyrdom. Brutally beautiful, violent, odd and full of fervent conviction, A Good Death portrays extreme and original risk takers unshakable in their belief, even in the face of death.

Exhibition Times · Sunday May 16—Sunday May 23 from 11:00AM
St Mary Star of the Sea Church, 33 Howard Street, (Cnr Victoria Street), West Melbourne
Duration: 11am to 7pm, everyday.
Price: Free

Closing Night with Performances · Sunday May 23 from 5:00PM
St Mary Star of the Sea Church, 33 Howard Street, (Cnr Victoria Street), West Melbourne
Duration: 5 to 7pm
Price: Free

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Here is the info about the exhibition. It’s only on this weekend, at the Trades Hall (24 Camp Street) and there are lots of other fabulous things happening so I encourage you to make the trip, if you’re not fortunate to already live in the fair city.

Regular readers will probably recognise a few swimsuits – some of these were featured on ABC’s Collectors, my book Love Vintage and the fashion parade for Madeleine Hamilton’s book launch for “Our Girls”. I was so thrilled to receive one in particular, it got it’s own post.

Whilst setting up, a photographer from Ballarat Courier newspaper popped by, so I expect there may be some coverage this weekend in the local press. Hurrah! An unexpected photo session and a reminder that carrying red lipstick with you can be a very good thing.

Mannequins provided Mannequin Revolution.

This weekend, Circa will be staging an exhibition of vintage swimwear from the late ’20s to the ’70s at Ballarat’s Trades Hall for the annual Heritage Weekend.

What: Six decades of swimwear
When: Saturday 8th May and Sunday 9th May, 10am to 5pm
Where: Ballarat Trades Hall, 24 Camp Street Ballarat
Cost: free!

Here’s a sample of what you’ll see – minus Betty of course, who’ll be doing her usual duty at Circa. Mannequin Revolution are providing mannequins for the exhibition.

A new exhibition has opened at the Fashion and Textile Gallery in Sydney:

The exhibition explores the progression of wool from a functional fibre in the 19th century to its emergence on the fashion stage as a luxury commodity utilized by some of the world’s most prominent designers, some of whose work is included in this exhibition: Christian Dior, Michelle Jank, Jenny Kee, Theirry Mugler and Vivien Chan Shaw.

What: The History of Wool in Fashion, From 1740 – 2010
Where: The Fashion and Textile Gallery, Level 1, 8 Hill Street Surry Hills NSW
When: Monday 8 March – Friday 8 May, Tuesday to Friday: 10am to 5pm and Saturday: 11am to 3pm. CLOSED THURSDAY (or by appointment).
Admission: $5 adults, $3 concession

Photo courtesy the Fashion and Textile Gallery.

More information can be found at the website.