FLATCHAT FROM LAUNCH TO LAUNCH, KNEEZUP TO KNEEZUP. SO MANY FLUTES, SO MANY CAN-APES, PAPP-WALLS, FRONT ROWS AND FETCHING FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS! SO MANY HAPPY SHINEY FROCKY PEOPLE! THE VOXFROCKERS ARE POOPED, DEAR READER, BUT BEFORE WE RETIRE FOR A HORLICKS AND NICE LIE DOWN, HERE IS YOUR CAREFULLY CALIBRATED WEEKLY DOSE OF CHEESE! FROM OUR FAVE TRINITY OF SOCIAL BITS. BON APPETIT!
KOOKAI AUTUMN WINTER LAUNCH AT THE EXHIBITION BUILDINGS, CARLTON. PHOTOGRAPHS: LUCAS DAWSON
On fashion’s prettiest front row; Laura Dundovic, Olympia Valance, Pia Miller, Rozalia Russian, Jessie Habermann, Elyse Knowles, dozens of sleekly groomed others. Kookai’s showpeople may not have a clue Who’s Who in fashion’s precious heirarchy (at least three Persons of Revered Industry Stature were alienated by their unusual allocations to B, C, D and – mon dieu! – E rows) but they were clever crafters of a gorgeous front row spectacle of lovely young women and the odd smashing boyfriend. Kookai’s winter aesthetic, puzzlingly dubbed Viva Las Vegas, (it was anything but gaudy, as that city is wont to be) is cleaner and more streamlined than it’s been for seasons, its signature sexiness tempered with elegance and classic control, and creative director and co-founder Danielle Vagner took her usual bow, most appropriately, to rapturous applause. (Main photo, top: Kookai chic from the A/W collection. Lucas Dawson.)
THE FLEMINGTON GRAZING TRAIL AND CELLAR DOOR PREVIEW LUNCH AT DAVID HAYES’ LINDSAY PARK STABLES.
The Voxfrockers love a lunch and this – a delicious prelude to the Trail event’s marvellous food and Wolf Blass wines, Group 1 racing on March 7 and 14, and Myer’s Autumn Fashion Lunch – was a whimsical winner. One long table was set with glinting silver and towering fountains of flowers on the soft, emerald lawns of trainer David Haye’s exotic place of work. A violin played, a breeze blew, and the sun shone warm as the table banter. Among the 50-odd diners, an elegant crew of Victoria Racing Club executives, a smattering of telly celebs, and fashionable memorables Kim Fletcher and Dom Bagnato. Rebecca Maddern was a flawless host, chef Mauro Callegari of The Independant served a moorish menu of share platters, and the inimitable Mr. Hayes explained the merits of two magnificent group 1 racehorses. “A big bum is good,” was our pick of the memorable quotes.
The full Flemington Grazing Trail and Cellar Door event is a collaboration with the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival on Super Saturday, March 14.
The Myer Autumn Fashion Lunch is on March 12 and, Group 1 racing fans best get a wiggle on for this one: Australian Guineas Day is March 7. (Yes, that soon.)
LAUNCH OF SWITCHING GEARS, AND THE INAUGURAL DEPARTMENT OF CONTEMPORARY DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE BY THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA AT THE IAN POTTER GALLERY.
The NGV’s global vision keeps on rolling. Director Tony Ellwood mustered 300-odd designers of various disciplines to reveal a new department devoted exclusively to their professions, past present and most decidedly, future. “The department, the first of its kind for an art gallery in Australia, will spearhead the gallery’s vision to become a leading international hub for design.” Mr. Ellwood also announced the appointment of Ewan McEoin as the Hugh D. T. Williamson senior curator of contemporary design and architecture, Simone LeAmon as curator, and a list of initiatives even longer than their job titles including prizes, exhibitions, and commissions such as this Ephemeral Architecture project (pictured) by John Wardle Architects entitled “I Dips Me Lid”. The Ian Potter’s atrium buzzed with intellectual chat and bristled with chaps of a certain age wearing sockless loafers with their funny I.M.Pei-ish spectacles, a spectacle likely to be replicated many times as the new DCDA rolls out its many new projects beginning with Shifting Gears, a boyfriendworthy exhibition of automotive design history showing as we speak.
Compiled by Janice Breen Burns, jbb@voxfrock.com.au with Terry Carruthers, info@voxfrock.com.au
