We Aussie girls love a good frock (dress if you aren't up on our lingo). If you don't believe me then a quick look at the turnout of ladies in frocks at the annual Melbourne Cup should be enough to confirm this for you! So without further ado – let us take a look at some of the great moments of the frock in Australia.
Jean Shrimpton and 'that dress'
Firstly, I should point out that Jean Shrimpton is not an Aussie – but this was on our turf and we like to take credit for anything if it happens here! Now I know that in recent times the catch cry has changed to 'Liz Hurley and that dress', in recognition of the stir caused when Liz arrived wearing the infamous flaming red Versace safety pin dress. But we should always give credit where credit is due – and the original dress scandal and instigator of a fashion movement all of its own – was a relatively demure dress that young Jean Shrimpton (aka the Shrimp) wore to the Melbourne Cup in 1965.
So what was so special about this dress? Well this dress had the distinction of not covering her knees! So what is the big deal? Well the big deal was that when this young model turned up at the races in this knee skimming outfit minus stockings and gloves, it caused an uproar! The subsequent broadcast of the pictures around the world led to the mini’s popularity being propelled into the stratosphere! The sixties came to be remembered as the age of the mini, with this style destined forevermore to be an icon of that era. Hard to imagine now when every western women between the age of 15 and 50 can in all likelihood remember wearing a mini at one time or another, but there you have it.
Paper or plastic? (Frock that is!)
In 1994 Australian frocks had reached another high point in fashion, when Australian Lizzie Gardiner won an Oscar for Best Costume Design. This young designer showed her flair for design with fantastic sequined and bedazzling frocks being the cornerstone of her sensational designs in ‘Priscilla: Queen of the Desert’; and she went on to create something of a sensation with her own unique dress at the award ceremony. Lizzie turned up in an extraordinary and unforgettable dress that was created entirely of Gold Amex Cards. This unique and witty style is a hallmark of Australian fashion and innovation, and this dress could simply not be excluded from any list of iconic Australian frocks!
‘Priscilla’
Now this is actually all about men in frocks – but in the interests of cataloguing great frock moments I can't leave this one out. The film for which the aforementioned Lizzie won her Oscar is filled with fantastic and elaborate frocks. However, whilst there are countless great frocks in this flick – the greatest frock moment of them all is the iconic scene where one of the lead actors is sat in a giant high heel atop a bus in the outback, with the enormous train of a dress flowing out behind! Nothing says Australia more than the outback and there is perhaps no finer frock moment than this scene of extraordinary and unexpected glamour set against the magnificence of our desert landscape.
So there you have it – a brief look at some of the great Australian style moments for the beloved frock. Who knew something as simple as a dress could mean so much!
Jean Shrimpton and 'that dress'
Firstly, I should point out that Jean Shrimpton is not an Aussie – but this was on our turf and we like to take credit for anything if it happens here! Now I know that in recent times the catch cry has changed to 'Liz Hurley and that dress', in recognition of the stir caused when Liz arrived wearing the infamous flaming red Versace safety pin dress. But we should always give credit where credit is due – and the original dress scandal and instigator of a fashion movement all of its own – was a relatively demure dress that young Jean Shrimpton (aka the Shrimp) wore to the Melbourne Cup in 1965.
So what was so special about this dress? Well this dress had the distinction of not covering her knees! So what is the big deal? Well the big deal was that when this young model turned up at the races in this knee skimming outfit minus stockings and gloves, it caused an uproar! The subsequent broadcast of the pictures around the world led to the mini’s popularity being propelled into the stratosphere! The sixties came to be remembered as the age of the mini, with this style destined forevermore to be an icon of that era. Hard to imagine now when every western women between the age of 15 and 50 can in all likelihood remember wearing a mini at one time or another, but there you have it.
Paper or plastic? (Frock that is!)
In 1994 Australian frocks had reached another high point in fashion, when Australian Lizzie Gardiner won an Oscar for Best Costume Design. This young designer showed her flair for design with fantastic sequined and bedazzling frocks being the cornerstone of her sensational designs in ‘Priscilla: Queen of the Desert’; and she went on to create something of a sensation with her own unique dress at the award ceremony. Lizzie turned up in an extraordinary and unforgettable dress that was created entirely of Gold Amex Cards. This unique and witty style is a hallmark of Australian fashion and innovation, and this dress could simply not be excluded from any list of iconic Australian frocks!
‘Priscilla’
Now this is actually all about men in frocks – but in the interests of cataloguing great frock moments I can't leave this one out. The film for which the aforementioned Lizzie won her Oscar is filled with fantastic and elaborate frocks. However, whilst there are countless great frocks in this flick – the greatest frock moment of them all is the iconic scene where one of the lead actors is sat in a giant high heel atop a bus in the outback, with the enormous train of a dress flowing out behind! Nothing says Australia more than the outback and there is perhaps no finer frock moment than this scene of extraordinary and unexpected glamour set against the magnificence of our desert landscape.
So there you have it – a brief look at some of the great Australian style moments for the beloved frock. Who knew something as simple as a dress could mean so much!
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