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."
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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
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