C A P T I VAT I N G ST YLE 1950s Melbourne National Gallery of Victoria, Australia until July 28 New Zealand-born Clarence Hall Ludlow has been described as Australia's first true couturier, opening a salon at the Paris end of Collins Street, Melbourne in 1949, then branches in Sydney and Hong Kong. Ludlow dressed Australia's jet setters and the social elite of the time; was esteemed by fashion photographers such as Helmut Newton, Athol Shmith and Bruno Benini and his designs were renowned for their elegance, innovative design, high quality craftsmanship and technical skill. This small exhibition pairs the work of designer Hall Ludlow and Thomas Harrison milliner, both acclaimed for their ingenious designs and technical prowess, with the fashion photography of Athol Shmith, the celebrated studio and street photographer. By Barbara Holloway
Faye at the beginning of the run to Onemana Beach, lined up along the waterfront at Whangamata.
hop TO IT!
I swear the Beach Hop gets bigger and better every year and the fashions get even more fabulous! Last year I decided to dress up for the first time and had an absolute ball, and now we’ve got a 1963 Thunderbird, there’s room for a whole week’s worth of outfits! We cruised up Monday with Ruby, our retro caravan attached, and Whangamata was already swarming with amazing cars. Wednesday was the Waihi Warm Up Party, one of my favourite days at the Hop. I walked away with the prize for best-dressed woman! Tairua was the destination for Thursday and the weather was glorious. After weeks of drought, we had rain every day of the Hop, but thankfully it seemed to rain overnight and clear by mid-morning. Friday is one of the biggest days at the Hop, and even though the run to Onemana Beach is the shortest, it takes the longest due to the sheer number of cars – well over a thousand on the run, and at least twice as many lining the roads to watch. Because we’d taken our caravan, we never got the chance to have a look at the rest of the cars due to the steady stream of people wanting to peek inside. Saturday was the classic caravan show. Again, Ruby was a hit. One woman, dressed as Marilyn Monroe, came over all emotional when I said she could go inside, and all I could hear was “wow, oh wow”! We had a ball (despite my beloved forgetting to fill the car before the grand parade, causing an unscheduled roadside stop) and hope we did our bit to promote the 1950s and 1960s. By Faye Lougher 13