Hot off the Press - Fashion Meets Fiction in the Media

Well, behind the scenes here at Fashion Meets Fiction - we've been kicking up our vintage heels in celebration of the press releases and articles featured in several newspapers. How exciting! Thank you to Knox Weekly and Brigitte Grant for sending us these!

Sunday Telegraph - 18th November, 2012. Courtesy of Brigitte Grant, photographer for the Darnell Collection. 

Charlotte Smith on the front cover of the Knox Weekly. Courtesy of Tara McGrath & photographer Ted Kloszynski. Read the full article.

Dreaming of Dior - Lunch with Charlotte Smith

Charlotte Smith, curator for the pieces on display at the Fashion Meets Fiction Exhibition, was at Burrinja Cultural Centre yesterday to share with us the stories behind the Darnell Collection. With a full crowd seated at the luncheon, Charlotte delighted us with tales of how the collection began with her godmother, Doris Darnell, and how Charlotte came to be the custodian .

It is incredible how one dress can remind you of the most important moments of your life.

For Doris, it was the inspiration of dancing in a peach slipper silk-satin dress, cut on the bias with a low cut back and hundreds of buttons displayed in a Bryn Mawr boutique. Doris first spotted this vision of loveliness in the shop window in 1937, whilst she was still a student at Bryn Mawr College. However it was the Depression and the dress cost $40, which back then would have been almost half her tuition money - too much for a young lady on a scholarship. Also, Doris was a Quaker and to "covet" items was traditionally frowned upon.

These issues did not faze Doris, who visited the dress frequently - until one day, it went on sale for $20. She obtained $10 from her parents (in lieu of birthday and Christmas presents for the next few years) and saved for the rest. Doris wore her dress to a ball at Rutger's University - and on that night, she met her husband.

For Charlotte, who had always been familiar with her godmother's collection whilst growing up, her life changed when Doris arranged for Charlotte to take over as custodian. "I received a fax from my godmother saying she was going to be sending 70 boxes. Boxes of what, I wasn't sure; so I cleared out a small corner of my store thinking I was going to be receiving shoes boxes."

What actually arrived was a fully packed truck with boxes approximately waist to shoulder height. The entire delivery weighed around 1200kg and each box contained roughly 50 packaged items, creating a grand total of over 3,500 vintage pieces.

"It was like Christmas for 3 months. I remember the first dress I pulled out; it was a cream, silk chiffon dance dress from the 1920s. It was so light, it just floated in the air and the glass beads... they shone prisms all over my shop front."

It was when Charlotte unearthed her godmother's notebook, detailing all the stories behind the dresses that the value of the collection hit home. "It wasn't until then that I truly realised the importance of what I had been given. Some of the dresses had their own tags or notes attached saying "worn to at Queen Victoria's ball" or the date and event in which the garment was worn. It really is a privilege to be a guardian of not only an amazing collection but also of the stories of people's lives."

She looks familiar! One of the many mannequin
displays at the
Fashion Meets Fiction Exhibition

The Fashion Meets Fiction Exhibition is currently open. Don't miss out on your chance to see this incredible collection of vintage clothing - it really is something to see!


Fashion Meets Fiction Exhibition - The Darnell Collection
When: November 9, 2012 - February 17, 2013
Where: Burrinja Cultural Centre, Cnr of Glenfern & Matson Drive, Upwey VIC 3158
Session Times:
Tuesday-Friday: 10.30am-4pm
Saturday and Sunday: 10.30am-1pm and 1pm-4pm

Tickets Now Available
Purchase tickets online or call Burrinja Cultural Centre on (03) 9754 8723
For more information on the Fashion Meets Fiction Exhibition at Burrinja Cultural Centre, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Fashion Meets Fiction Opens Today!!

Time to celebrate!! We are so excited!

After so much hard work getting it all set up, the gallery looks devine.

The Fashion Meets Fiction Exhibition opens today at 10:30am at Burrinja Cultural Centre.

It's not too late to get tickets to the sessions, so book in now. Don't miss the opportunity to check out this display of literature and fashion from decades past - it is simply phenomenal to see how fashion and literature were so influential in characterising popular culture today.

Fashion Meets Fiction Exhibition - The Darnell Collection
When: November 9, 2012 - February 17, 2013
Where: Burrinja Cultural Centre, Cnr of Glenfern & Matson Drive, Upwey VIC 3158
Sessione Times:
Tuesday-Friday: 10.30am-4pm
Saturday and Sunday: 10.30am-1pm and 1pm-4pm

Tickets Now Available
Purchase tickets online or call Burrinja Cultural Centre on (03) 9754 8723
For more information on the Fashion Meets Fiction Exhibition at Burrinja Cultural Centre, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Willow - Our Guide Dogs Victoria Mascot

Guide Dogs Victoria were our official charity at our Media Launch at Burrinja Cultural Centre on August 17, 2012.

Here's a picture of the lovely Willow, who was our mascot for the day. Isn't she just beautiful?

To check out more photos of our media launch, head on over to our Facebook Page.

Fiction Comes to Life - Darnell Collection Media Launch

Linda in 1930s wool crepe.

Gorgeous garments, great company and some amazing stories - Burrinja Cultural Centre, along with Eastern Regional Libraries, held the Fashion Meets Fiction media launch on August 17, 2012. Charlotte Smith was there to present some of her vintage collection and talk about the histories behind the clothes.

Our models looked absolutely devine. Linda wore a 1930s wool crepe and sequin ensemble inspired by the clothes of Muriel Spark's "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie". Jilly modelled a 1950s red silk taffeta dress inspired by the character Della Street in Erle Stanley Gardner's "Perry mason Mysteries". Charlotte also modelled a 1960s gold lame and polyester hostess gown inspired by the wardrobe of Octopussy, a James Bond classic authored by Ian Fleming.

It was a wonderful morning tea, and thank you to all the people who attended! For more photos, check out our Facebook Page.

The Darnell Collection will be on display from 9 November to 17 February.
Tickets are now available - Don't miss out!