Royal commission: The Queen's Australian tour wardrobe

reuters via daylife

Because noone ever seems to track what eightysomethings wear on the red carpet, frockwriter thought we would buck with tradition and clock the frocks in which HM Queen Elizabeth II rocks up during her 10-day visit to Australia. This is her 16th trip downunder and many predict it may be her last. After touching down yesterday in a British Airways 777 at Canberra's Fairbairn RAAF base - welcomed to Australia, for the first time in history, by an all-female Australian power posse in Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Governor General Quentin Bryce and ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher - HM wore an aquamarine military-style coat by British couturier Stewart Parvin; a short-brimmed aquamarine straw hat festooned with grey silk flowers and plumage by Rachel Trevor-Morgan and a wattle and tea-tree blossom brooch designed by Paul Schneller, a sentimental favourite from the Royal Collection. Commissioned by Melbourne jeweller William Drummond & Co, the subsequently much-copied yellow and white diamond brooch was presented to the Queen by Prime Minister Robert Menzies in 1954, during her first Australian visit, reportedly eliciting the response: "I value this magnificent brooch not only for its artistic beauty but as the symbol of the kindness and loyalty of my people in Australia". Corgi suit-clad Republicans notwithstanding, the "Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!"chant that erupted yesterday would indicate that she still has quite some local support.

getty via daylife

For today's meeting with the Governor General at Government House, followed by a tour of Canberra's Floriade flower show (below), the Queen wore a lavender ensemble: double-breasted coat by Karl Rehse for Karl Ludwig Couture, a floral Stewart Parvin dress and a Philip Somerville hat.

the daily telegraph

The Queen's wardrobe is organised by her stylist, Angela Kelly, whose official title is  Personal Assistant, Adviser and Curator to Her Majesty the Queen (Jewellery, Insignias and Wardrobe). 

No word yet on the sensible black pumps worn on both occasions (quite possibly royal warrant holder Anello & Davide) or the boxy black calfskin tote. The Queen's preferred handbag supplier is Launer London, however the double 'U' clasp is different to the one currently used by Launer.

One thing we can tell you about the bag is that, just like the wattle brooch, it's from the Royal vault.

The Queen carried the very same bag on at least two previous international tours, some 40 years apart: to meet US Presidents Richard Nixon in 1970 and later, Bill Clinton. Both eventually disgraced, of course. Probably more of a coincidence, than a coded message to Gillard.

via daily acid

Amanda Ware and Jordan Coulter cover Wish

We might not have seen Amanda Ware at any Milan Fashion Week shows this week, but she booked a solid showlist at this month's New York and London Fashion Weeks. And the Australia's Next Top Model Cycle 6 winner is about to score her second cover in four months of The Australian's luxury magazine Wish - alongside Jordan Coulter, another rising local star. Here is an exclusive preview of the October Wish cover and accompanying editorial which showcases brands including Burberry, Prada and Louis Vuitton. Lensed by Pierre Toussaint, with styling by Ken Thompson. On newsstands October 7th. 

all images: supplied exclusively to frockwriter by wish magazine
photographer: pierre toussaint
stylist: ken thompson

Carla Zampatti's fair ladies

Frockwriter hears that Carla Zampatti had to have her arm twisted to use the basement of her Kent Street headquarters as a show venue on Thursday. Originally used in the late 1800s as a carriageway for horse-drawn vehicles, but now serving as Zampatti's garage, presumably the Australian fashion industry veteran figured the crumbling industrial interior was not sufficiently chi-chi for her classic, uptown designs. Celebrating her 46th year of business this year, good to see Zampatti take advice from a younger creative generation. The space was not unlike many edgy show venues that you would see at London Fashion Week. And stylist Michelle Jank made full use of the 19th century brickwork, using it as the backdrop for a model tableau that was choreographed at the end of the show. Wearing the strikingly elegant eveningwear from Zampatti’s 'Strength of Simplicity' Spring/Summer 2011/2012 collection, which included columns with sporty necklines in tangerine, cobalt, black and ivory and a pretty short shell pink taffeta puffball dress - all teamed with beautiful, Beaton-esque picture hat-like silk georgette headpieces from Jonathan Howard ‘Hatmaker’ - the models draped themselves over chairs and ladders at the end of the runway. The image evoked the iconic Cecil Beaton photograph of models in Christian Dior’s 1957 collection, which has been copied a number of times by fashion magazines - one example of which we spotted backstage as reference. 

Although the name of Jank's magazine reference escapes us, the models appear to include Kirsten Owen, Stella Tennant and Naomi Campbell, which dates it. See below for the Beaton original, Jank's reference and a shot of Zampatti's finale, which is a dead ringer for the magazine image in more ways than one.

Although it is unclear who else may have been involved in the production, interesting that Jank would choose to return to this concept.

In May 2005, she copped quite some flack after both the staging and styling of her off-schedule Australian Fashion Week show, which was produced by Tony Assness and Victoria Fisher, was seen to bear a little too much of  a resemblance to Viktor & Rolf’s Spring/Summer 2005 ‘Flowerbomb’ show, that had been presented six months beforehand in Paris. Also apparently inspired by the 1957 Beaton photograph, the Viktor & Rolf show was similarly set against a backdrop of ladders. 

via jonathan howard 'hatmaker''s facebook

cecil beaton, 1957 - time life/getty images via metmuseum.org

Deep in Vogue - LMFF 2011

Second up on the L'Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival's main runway schedule was the Vogue Australia showcase, featuring the finalists of LMFF's 2011 Designer Award: Melvin Tanaya's and Lyna Ty's three seasons old menswear brand Song for the Mute, which won the award, plus Arnsdorf, Bassike, Dress Up, Ellery, From Britten, Laurence Pasquier and Lui Hon. Styled by Vogue's Trevor Stones, it was an edgy showcase of exciting, emerging Australian design talent. And it wasn't only the new brands that attracted frockwriter's attention. Rachel Grasso (above) was also a standout. Modelling for four years and repped in Sydney by Priscilla's, the 20 year-old Perth native of Irish/Italian ancestry must have walked in front of our camera on more than one previous occasion. For some reason, we really noticed her this week.