Vale Carla

Born in 1942 in the small Italian village of Lovero, Aussie fashion design supremo Carla Zampatti has passed away after succumbing to injuries from a fall at the Opera in the Botanical Gardens just days ago. Zampatti's decades of timeless, elegant fashion has been much loved over the years from well heeled female corporate executives to visiting celebrities who swore a Zampatti designed outfit was the peak of elegance.

Pictured: Bianca Spender, Carla Zampatti and John Bush

Whispers often encountered Carla at Sydney and Melbourne soirees whether it was the launch of a new small design shop, a charity event, fashion parade or an Art Gallery grand dinner for the late Opera star Luccianno Pavrotti (Zampatti was always at the head table). We'd often see her tootling around Sydney's Eaatern Surburbs in her classic green Rolls Royce Corniche.

Launching her first fashion collection in 1965, success followed success and she opened her first boutique in Surry Hills in 1972. Her fashions have a variety of fans from Princess Mary of Denmark to popster Danii Minouge. Numerous Aussie celebs have featured her designs at some stage including Nicole Kidman. Legendary actress Angela Lansbury once went on shopping spree at Zampatti's Double Bay boutique and Ros Packer is a regular.

Carla's designs are now featured in department store around the country and the world. In 2004 she was awarded the Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic along with Australian honours and in 2005 Carla was featured on a stamp, the ultimate in recognition . Zampatti leaves behind three children, designer Bianca Spender, son Alex Schuman, and Allegra Spender who managers the Zampatti design business. She married politcian John Spender in 1975 and they amicably divorced in 2010.

Simon Says

Nicholas Huxley, Simon Lock & Patty Huntington

When fashion entrepreneur Simon Lock launched the first Mercedes Benz Australian Fashion Week twenty years ago there were only 4 rival events around the world : New York, Paris, Milan and London. Now there are over 200 similar events and they are all backed by Mercedes due to Lock convincing the German auto firm that fashion was the ideal way to bridge a gap with a new generation who associated the cars with a fuddy duddy older generation.

Simon has now put pen to paper to produce In The front Row, his story in getting the hugely successful fashion event off the ground. Launching his book last night at the Design Residency in Darlinghurst Lock paid tribute to some of those who were there at the beginning and stuck with him : amongst several : designer Peter Morrisey who quipped "that was the last time I owned my only label", Akira Isogawa - a friend begged Simon to take on newbie Akira whose first show was so successful that the boss of uber smart London boutique Browns elbowed her way down the catwalk afterwards to snap up the entire collection, Carla Zampatti and the famous seating manager John Flower who wielded ultimate power with seating plans before his recent retirement and hence- the title of the book.

Left to Right : Bianca Spender, Carla Zampatti, David Bush Mary Shackman, Akira Isogawa, Kirstie Clements

 Attending the first few years of Sydney's fashion week were unforgettable experiences with the cream of European & American fashion writers, models and identities jetting into town. Things have quietened down over the last few years but they have just about everywhere as the industry changes with the digital age.
In The front Row will be a must read for anyone hoping for a fashion career.

That Time of the Year Again

We mean it's time for those Autumn Winter fashion shows at David Jones. We love these shindigs and not just because of the copious amounts of French champagne (OK it helps) and great nibbles but..the fashion!. It's all about fashion!
VIP guests (that's us)  entered the event space via a subway tunnel, which opened out onto an urban jungle complete with a live graffiti artist, a paved runway reminiscent of Melbourne city laneways, vivid LED street-style lighting, and a live band of drummers. DJs urged us to dance to our own beat. (we always do but we'll dance to anyone's beat if the champers flows).
Designers on show included Akira, Bianca Spender, Camilla and Marc, Calibre, Carla Zampatti,  Ginger & Smart,Josh Goot, Nicola Finetti and the wonderfully named  The Upside and Vanishing Elephant. Plus tennis ace Mark Philippoussis debuted his collection of sportswear Phl!.

Mark Philippoussis & Silvana Lovin * Richard Roxburgh & Silvia Colloca * Kerri-Anne Kennerley * Luke Sales & Anna Plunkett

Megan Gale    * Jon Stevens & Jodhi Meares       *       Jessica Gomes    *       Tom Williams & Rachel Gilbert