I’m going to be honest, writing about fashion is a little out of my depth – while my BA was in Art & Design History,  discussions surrounding fashion design were minimal. HOWEVER. This exhibition was so beautiful, so elegant and so well-structured that I need to give it a go. To my dearest fashion friends, please don’t kill me if and when I butcher some fashion design terminology!

Imagine this: You’re walking through an enormous design museum. There’s a helicopter hanging from a ceiling at least 30 ft above you. There’s a 19th-century steam train smack-bang in the middle of the gallery. There’s also an abundance of archways leading into more gallery spaces of objects calling for your attention.

Somehow, you manage to walk past all of these enticing works and head towards the back of the museum, where you see gigantic, white letters stretching across a curving, lust shade of red, stamping: ZAMPATTI POWERHOUSE.

It’s bold.

It’s in your face.

And as a pom with no prior knowledge of renowned Australian fashion designers… you instantly know that whoever this person is, they are pretty iconic.

The humongous sign leads you down a narrow corridor of what can only be described as pure, red felt; the floor, the walls, the ceiling. It’s dramatic, slightly daunting but more than anything, it’s intriguing. It’s an entrance that I have never seen lead into a gallery before, and I loved it.

I think that’s what makes the impact of viewing the exhibition for the first time so incredible. Your eyes become accustomed to the pure red, and nothing else, so that when you enter through the gallery archway and your eyes land on a dark, all-encompassing exhibition space with dozens and dozens of elegantly-clothed mannequins that seem to shoot up towards the starlight ceiling, you’re justifiably taken aback, but in the best way possible. Words just don’t do it justice. It. Was. Amazing.

Curated by Roger Leong, the exhibition commemorates the late fashion designer Carla Zampatti (1938-2021), who migrated from Italy to Australia in 1950. She’s also known as a business leader, philanthropist, mentor and working mother – women who multitask ay!

The gallery space incorporates one hundred of Zampatti’s most famous designs, scaling over five decades of material. Allowing my eyes to digest each mannequin, I can totally see why her brand is so popular. Her outfits ooze with elegance and class while seeming so timeless. There were items that she designed in the 70s that I know I would love to have in my wardrobe today!

Groups of mannequins, ranging from personal items from Zampatti’s estate, the Carla Zampatti Fashion Archive, the wardrobes of well-known women and the results of hundreds of responses to a public callout, were placed around the exhibition, and while unsure of whether these groups were categorised or not, I felt like I was in a daze walking around them.

It turns out that Carla had designed dresses worn by notable Australian women such as former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, politician Julie Bishop. and singer-songwriter Tina Arena. Even Princess Mary of Denmark wore a recycled Zampatti gown for her Royal Portrait! All of which are in the exhibition for us to see.

A great element of the exhibition that I enjoyed thoroughly was the two audio and video installations. Not only did they provide great context to Zampatti and the exhibition as a whole, but they were presented in an exceedingly contemporary way that I had never seen before.

Placed towards the right-hand side of the gallery sat two very large, vertical oval domes practically touching the ceiling. Upon entering one, video footage spanned the interior walls in a circular fashion, with different people in Zampatti’s life popping up on different sides.

These individuals included family, close friends, employees, clients and heads of businesses, arts, multicultural and charitable organisations which she supported over her lifetime, talking about how much Carla inspired them and some of her greatest stories. It was truly touching and put together with a very modern, technological method.

Something that was clear to me was that while Carla Zampatti was incredibly bold and unafraid to move with the times, her ultimate goal was to make women feel confident in the clothes that she designed, which I believe is very, very important.

The exhibition felt elegant, expensive, expansive and luxurious, all terms I think we can confidently label Carla herself with. Viewing the exhibition, it is SO clear just how loved she was by many people. There was almost this warm sense of community throughout the gallery space, seeing female visitors of all ages pointing at the mannequins with recognition or awe.

If you happen to be in Sydney from now until 11th June, I would highly recommend popping down to the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo to see this retrospective of a true Australian fashion icon, it’s free entry too!

And to finish this review, I’ll leave you with some of Zampatti’s most inspiring words:

“I want to help women. I want to make their lives easier with my clothes. They are busy with work, family and other commitments and are much too busy to be dashing home from the office to change outfits for a night out which is why I feel it’s important to always incorporate pieces you can layer.”

“I want to have children, and I want to be married, but I also want to be an individual.”

“It’s such a short time we are on this earth and if you don’t maximise it, what are you doing?”