'Dreaming of Dior'
28/10/09 12:03
‘Dreaming of Dior’
Every woman knows a dress can hold a lifetime of memories.
Imagine inheriting thousands that tell their own stories of love, loss and joy…
Charlotte Smith has had more than her fair share of fabulous dresses and adventures. Born in Hong Kong and raised in the United States, she lived life to the full in London, Paris and New York before falling in love with Australia and discovering she had inherited a priceless vintage clothing collection from her American Quaker godmother, Doris Darnell.
Then the boxes started arriving, with more than three thousand treasures dating from 1790 to 1995, from originals by Dior, Chanel and Balenciaga to a pioneer woman's daintily mended best dress.
But when she unearthed her godmother book of stories about the dresses and the women who wore them, the true value of what she had been bequeathed hit home. This wasn't a mere collection of beautiful things, it was a collection of life. Women's lives. Tiny snapshots of our joys and disappointments, our entrances and exits, triumphant and tragic.
This is a book for any woman who knows a dress can hold a lifetime of memories.
Every woman knows a dress can hold a lifetime of memories.
Imagine inheriting thousands that tell their own stories of love, loss and joy…
Charlotte Smith has had more than her fair share of fabulous dresses and adventures. Born in Hong Kong and raised in the United States, she lived life to the full in London, Paris and New York before falling in love with Australia and discovering she had inherited a priceless vintage clothing collection from her American Quaker godmother, Doris Darnell.
Then the boxes started arriving, with more than three thousand treasures dating from 1790 to 1995, from originals by Dior, Chanel and Balenciaga to a pioneer woman's daintily mended best dress.
But when she unearthed her godmother book of stories about the dresses and the women who wore them, the true value of what she had been bequeathed hit home. This wasn't a mere collection of beautiful things, it was a collection of life. Women's lives. Tiny snapshots of our joys and disappointments, our entrances and exits, triumphant and tragic.
This is a book for any woman who knows a dress can hold a lifetime of memories.
At the vintage show in Sydney, I met a lovely lady Charlotte Smith, who has been fortunate to have received her godmothers collection of dresses from 1790’s to 1990’s. Along with these dresses come the stories of women who wore them. It is a delightful read and it truly is a gift that Charlotte is now able to share the collections with us.
‘Dreaming of Dior’ will be in all good book shops from 1 November 2009. You can also view some of the collection at The Fashion Gallery at ESMOD 2 Short Street Surry Hills, Sydney. On display at the ESMOD fashion gallery are 28 glamorous dressess featured in the new book ‘Dreaming of Dior’ along with illustrations by Grant Cowan lecturer at ESMOD. The exhibition features many beautiful vintage couture garments from The Darnell Collection. You can views these weekdays from 10am-4pm Mon to Fri Oct 20th - Dec 18th, entry $5, conc. $3, ph. 0293802960.
Below is ‘Dreaming of Dior’ and a (not so clear) picture of Charlotte Smith and myself at the Vintage Show.
You can take a look at some videos about the making of ‘Dreaming of Dior’ on youtube at the links below:
Charlotte: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX4rfuoSFis
Grant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwKnyT6oZTI
‘Dreaming of Dior’ will be in all good book shops from 1 November 2009. You can also view some of the collection at The Fashion Gallery at ESMOD 2 Short Street Surry Hills, Sydney. On display at the ESMOD fashion gallery are 28 glamorous dressess featured in the new book ‘Dreaming of Dior’ along with illustrations by Grant Cowan lecturer at ESMOD. The exhibition features many beautiful vintage couture garments from The Darnell Collection. You can views these weekdays from 10am-4pm Mon to Fri Oct 20th - Dec 18th, entry $5, conc. $3, ph. 0293802960.
Below is ‘Dreaming of Dior’ and a (not so clear) picture of Charlotte Smith and myself at the Vintage Show.
You can take a look at some videos about the making of ‘Dreaming of Dior’ on youtube at the links below:
Charlotte: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX4rfuoSFis
Grant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwKnyT6oZTI
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