Elizabeth
Debicki
Her crowning
role as Diana

EXCLUSIVE
Australia’s first
Alexander McQueen
exhibition
OUT OF OFFICE
The rise of
the mid-career
sabbatical
FAIR SHARE
Are men
finally going
to get the pill?

After-dark opulence and show-stopping accessories

Confidence is unstoppable.

#1 Foundation in Australia*
Cashmere matte.
Breathable. Whisper soft.

omegawatches.com

CONSTELLATION COLLECTION

NICOLE KIDMAN’S CHOICE
The world knows Nicole Kidman for her excellent
performances on screen, style on the red carpet
and passionate commitment to women’s rights. We
know her as a friend. A brand ambassador since
2005, Nicole has wit, grace and exceptional taste
in watches. She loves to select a model to suit her
mood. Here she wears the Constellation Small
Seconds in 18K Sedna™ Gold, with a sun-brushed
burgundy dial. A watch with almost as many
diamonds as Nicole has awards.

Elegance is an attitude
Jennifer Lawrence

THE LONGINES
MASTER COLLECTION

THE FUSION COLLECTION

N S W : G E O R G E S T SY D N E Y | W E S T F I E L D SY D N E Y | W E S T F I E L D B O N D I | C H AT S W O O D C H A S E
V I C : E X H I B I T I O N S T M E L B O U R N E | E M P O R I U M M E L B O U R N E | C H A D S TO N E | W E S T F I E L D D O N C A S T E R
Q L D : E D W A R D S T B R I S B A N E | PA C I F I C FA I R | I N D O O R O O P I L LY
WA: CLAREMONT | SA: GRENFELL ST ADELAIDE
G E O R G J E N S E N .C O M

CONTENTS

DECEMBER 2022
30Editor’s letter
32Contributors
34Vogue Voice
VIEWPOINT
40Night shift
After-dark looks come alive brimming with
colour and all-out opulence.

50Form on high
Balenciaga’s Demna ascends from zeitgeist
shifter to one of fashion’s true masters.

58Magnum opus
For the Sydney Opera House’s 50th
anniversary, Australian label Romance
Was Born fashioned the costumes for the
historic drama Amadeus.

72Larger than life
When Sydney Modern, the Art Gallery of New
South Wales’s ambitious new gallery, opens
this month, it will welcome visitors with three
sculptures by artist Francis Upritchard.

74Belle du jour
52Masterwork

Elizabeth Debicki wears a Givenchy dress.
Dior Fine Jewellery rings. Adidas Originals
sneakers. Make-up by Dior starting with Forever
Skin Glow foundation in 1 Neutral and Dior
Forever Skin Correct concealer in 1 Neutral;
on eyes, Dior 5 Couleurs Couture Holiday
Limited Edition eyeshadow palette in 359
Cosmic Eyes and Diorshow Pump N9 Volume
Mascara in 090 Black; on cheeks, Dior Rouge
Blush Holiday Limited Edition in 556 Cosmic
Coral; on lips, Dior Addict Holiday Limited
Edition lipstick in 456 Cosmic Pink.
Stylist: Dena Giannini
Photographer: Gregory Harris
Hair: James Rowe
Make-up: Mathias van Hooff
Manicure: Chisato Yamamoto
Set designer: Max Bellhouse

Chinese artist Wang Yuyang’s prettyas-a picture Lady Dior beaded bag.

The ultra-charming Emily in Paris is back
for a third season, with more high fashion,
more high stakes and even more Paris.

54Party faithful

78Top honours

We enlisted the advice of experts to get
back into the soirée season groove.

On the eve of receiving the highest accolade
in the Australian film industry, Catherine
Martin recalls her favourite sartorial
anecdotes from across her career.

60Curated by: Conner Ives
UK-based American designer Conner Ives
shares his youthful, fresh take on evening.

62In her fashion

BEAUTY
82Bold ambition

Kiwi-born designer Emilia Wickstead’s
signature blend of proportion, colour and
classicism of a family home in London.

Whether imprinted on lips or eyes, hypersaturated matt pigments deliver an elevated
colour revival – and a spring in your step –
this party season.

66Shape shifter

88Palette cleanser

Jeremy Bull of Alexander &Co. carves out
a sculptural approach to home design.

Designed to be treasured, the old-world
glamour of the new keepsake palettes carry
form and function in equal measure.

68Present moment
Indulge in a giving spirit and choose from
an array of favours to treat your beloved.
Gifts to self also encouraged.

CULTURE
46Cup of ambition
Krew Boylan brings her debut film to the big
screen this month – a joyous ode to identity,
iconography and the inimitable Dolly Parton.
Here, Rose Byrne, her co-star and best friend,
interviews the actor and writer.

20

90Party people
Soirée season is in full swing. For balmy
evenings and hot nights, Chanel make-up
artist Victoria Baron unpacks the new
wave of holiday maquillage.

92Code red
After dying her hair a daring fiery hue
in her 20s, Glynis Traill-Nash was won
over by its transformative power and
enduring sense of fun.

DECEMBER 2022

CONTENTS

DECEMBER 2022
82

150

94Sexual evolution

158A show of hands

166Down play

Over the past decade, humans have
operated robotic helicopters on Mars,
created babies with three genetic parents,
and survived a deadly global pandemic.
So why do we still not have a male pill?

A dress that has crisscrossed the country,
combines cultures and is the result of the
National Gallery of Victoria’s first ever
Indigenous Fashion Commission.

The newest renditions of Moncler’s Maya
70 jacket, re-imagined by Rick Owens,
Giambattista Valli and Hiroshi Fujiwara
among others, show the ski stalwart’s
only gathering pace when it comes to
ski wear. All that’s left to do is book
a next cool-weather escape.

162Into the blue
FEATURES
106Crowning glory
Portraying Princess Diana in season five
and six of The Crown, Vogue catches up
with Elizabeth Debicki on the European
set of the smash-hit series.

120Curtain call
Moulin Rouge! The Musical, the Tony
Award-winning adaptation of Baz
Luhrmann’s cult 2001 film, transforms
the avant-garde world of the Belle Époque
into a modern-day canvas for equity,
inclusivity and possibility.

Charlotte Casiraghi, the Monégasque
writer, journalist and film producer has,
since childhood, been immersed in as well
as captivated by the world of Chanel.

174Out of office
People are discovering the transformative
benefits of taking an extended break from
work without necessarily needing to resign:
welcome to the sabbatical.

FASHION
140Haute things
Discover the lavish shapes and exquisite feats
of artistry that are this season’s couture.

134Mind & matter
A breathtaking ode to Lee Alexander
McQueen’s genius will be the talk of the
summer when it opens at the National
Gallery of Victoria this month.

24

150Treasure seeker
Unearth the season’s best accessory finds,
each catching the light with a glistening foil,
from subtle sparkle to bold unmissable shine.

VOYAGE
182The Walker women
Kokomo Private Island Fiji is more than an
island in the sun for this close-knit Australian
family. It’s a home away from home where
three generations can retreat.

188Soiree
191Horoscopes
192Final note

BECOME A
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page 178 for details.

DECEMBER 2022

B A N A N A S C L A R K E F E L I C I T Y I N G R A M M A RT I N PA R R

40

Liens Collection

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VOGU E

EDITOR’S LETTER

30

EDWINA MCCANN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

DECEMBER 2022

GREGORY HARRIS

T

his December feels quite different from those we’ve
experienced recently, in that we’re feeling both hopeful and
optimistic about being able to freely enjoy the upcoming
party season.
As I write this, we’ve just wrapped up Vogue American Express
Fashion’s Night Out in both Sydney and Melbourne, and I cannot
begin to describe just how amazingly energetic and buzzing the
crowds were at our events. The desire to get out, celebrate en masse
with friends and, really, just have a good time, is palpable.
Fittingly then, this month’s issue provides all the inspiration for
a long overdue party season. The good news is after-dark and soiree
dressing is all about opulence (see page 40).
More is more, whether that means features, volume, platform
shoes or jewellery. As you make your stylish re-entry into the party

season, we equip you with expert tips to get you
back in the groove (see page 54), bold beauty
looks for high impact (page 82) and the season’s
best accessory finds that range from subtle
sparkle to unmissable shine (page 150).
Our gorgeous homegrown cover star Elizabeth
Debicki – who is unmissable as Diana, Princess
of Wales in seasons five and six of The Crown –
also channels a certain insouciant glamour in
an array of laid-back party pieces that are not
only cool but wearable.
Here at Vogue we’re eagerly awaiting one of our
favourite evenings of summer – the annual Gala
at the National Gallery of Victoria. This year the
Gala celebrates the opening of Alexander
McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse, Australia’s firstever retrospective that pays homage to the late
British fashion designer. Open to the public from
December 11, it features the largest collection of
McQueen in the southern hemisphere juxtaposed
with artworks, objects, sculptures and
photographs that speak to the designer’s key
collections. Not to be missed, you can get
a preview from page 134, with several iconic
looks shot exclusively for Vogue.
Come January, attention will shift north for The
Star Gold Coast Magic Millions Carnival and
Raceday. This annual event will light up our
summer calendars, thanks in large part to horse
enthusiast and Magic Millions co-owner Katie
Page-Harvey, whose vision to turn the Gold Coast
Yearling Sale into a festive family event that
combines a world-class raceday and red-carpet
events, has very much become a reality.
Front row at this year’s carnival will be
showjumping enthusiast and actor Elsa Pataky who has come on
board as ambassador for the Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo and
Showjumping event, the details of which you can explore in a special
equestrian booklet on page 97.
No matter where you are in the country, there is so much to look
forward to and so many amazing events to dress up for. We hope
your festive party season is full of happiness, good health wonderful
get-togethers.

ARC E AU LE TEM PS VOYAG EU R

TIME, A HERMÈS OBJECT.

VOGU E

Rose Byrne
Rose Byrne wasn9t going to
pass up the <honour= of
interviewing her best friend
Krew Boylan about their new
film Seriously Red for Vogue in
8Cup of ambition9, from page
46 – even if it meant juggling
asking questions while getting
in costume on the set of her
beloved television series
Physical. <I9m just excited,
because we9re not in the same
place right now – I9m in the
States and she9s at home –
so we got to have a cheeky
catch-up,= Byrne jokes. <But
I9m mainly so proud … I am
excited for everybody to see
her range as a writer, actress
and producer.= Plus, adds
Byrne: <We also love fashion.
So it9s very fun to be in Vogue.=

32

Gregory Harris
New Zealand-born, Portugalbased fashion photographer
Gregory Harris flew to London
to shoot his very first cover
of Vogue Australia, which
happens to feature homegrown
actress Elizabeth Debicki. <It
was a laugh. She9s hilarious,
so we had fun,= he says of the
experience. <We built a little
set and had some props lying
around so, because she9s an
actress, and funny, every prop
offered a gag.= When quizzed
on the inspiration behind
the cover shoot, Harris shares:
<The rough idea was to have
it feel a bit like community
theatre, you can see the sets
and the empty stage in the
background, with a little bit
of Lars Von Trier9s Dogville
thrown in.=

Neha Kale
For this issue, Sydney-based
writer Neha Kale interviewed
the cast of Moulin Rouge! The
Musical in 8Curtain call9, from
page 120. <As a lover of print
who has been reading Vogue
since I was a teenager, I was
thrilled to be asked to write
a piece for the December
issue and to contribute,
in a small way, to the
magazine9s incredible legacy
of journalism and criticism,=
says Kale of her insightful
feature on the Tony Awardwinning production.
<From the music, to the
choreography, to the costumes
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
is a sensory overload. Given
the grimness of the past few
years, it9s a pleasure to let
yourself be transported.=

Shonae Hobson
<The opportunity to profile
First Nations fashion in this
issue was super exciting,= says
National Gallery of Victoria
First Nations Art curator
Shonae Hobson of her feature
8A show of hands9 on the
gallery9s inaugural Indigenous
Fashion Commission. The
clothing will make its
red-carpet debut on Charlee
Fraser at December9s
upcoming NGV Gala. <So
much of my work is about
creating spaces for my
community and I am delighted
to be able to share this special
project with Vogue readers.=
According to Hobson, the
gown created by Maara
Collective9s Julie Shaw in
collaboration with a series of
PDVWHU<ROƌXZHDYHUVLVEHVW
described as <a culmination
of the creativity and cultural
ingenuity of each maker=.

DECEMBER 2022

W O R D S : A N G E L I C A X I D I A S P H OTO G R A P H S :
EUGENE HYL AND L AUR A MANGEN

CONTRIBUTORS

VOGU E VOICE

CELESTE BARBER

ON CHRISTMAS HOMECOMINGS
The Australian comedian has had her biggest year yet with a global stand-up tour,
a new movie and filming an upcoming Netflix series. But the thing she has been
looking forward to the most is also the simplest: coming home for the festive season.

I

bloody love Christmas, love it, and you can’t beat Christmas in
Australia – beach, sun, sand, crisp white wine that you drink
far too much of in the weeks leading up to it because the minute
that new year swings around, you won’t be touching that stuff
again for a while, you lie to yourself. Christmas in Australia is
delicious and it’s extra sweet-smelling for me this year.
I’ve been away from home for seven months – three months filming
my Netflix show Wellmania in Sydney and four months touring my
stand-up show Fine, Thanks! around the world. Wow, that’s a sentence!
I’m currently living my dream and I have worked towards this
for as long as I can remember. Being on film and TV sets bantering
with other creatives and working on comedy projects
that make me laugh in between scenes as much as
the actual work does; standing on a stage on the
other side of the world in front of a sold-out audience
and feeling a wall of laughter from thousands of
people as they throw their heads back and dislocate
their jaws at a joke I wrote, rewrote, scrapped,
resurrected, cried over and finally performed and
killed. This life is the tits.
I carry a small notebook with me everywhere
I go. I always have. I write down jokes, ideas and
thoughts whenever they strike. I’m a pen-and-paper
kind of gal. I wrote my book, Challenge Accepted!, with pen and paper
before typing it up. I don’t know why, but I’ve always had to scribble
it all down and see the words in their panicked delight before being
able to hand it over.
I had dinner with Eric Idle a few years back and saw that he does
the same thing. A lot of creative types do. He has a small leather
notebook and pencil hanging low around his neck and he’d write his
ideas and thoughts in it. Over dinner at Paul Feig’s house (oh, stop it
Celeste, we get it!*) we’d be chatting and laughing and he would
scribble something down into this magical book sitting next to his
plate. It took everything I had not to dive across that table with
a mouth full of pasta and steal that mini book of gold.
I write jokes on my phone, make voice notes and yell punchlines
out of context to my husband from the shower so he can write them
down for me since my ADHD brain won’t let me remember
them. (I need to get those fancy AquaNotes that allow you to write
in the shower – genius.) I’ve worked towards this dream my whole
life, and am now currently working to hold on to it.
We did 74 shows in 72 cities in four months averaging between 16
and 20 hours in each place. I’d take photos of my room number at
each hotel I stayed at to remember what room I was in. More often
than not, I would have to confirm with the local stage manager what

city I was in before walking onstage to greet the crowd. I never knew
what day it was, what time it was and I very rarely knew where
I was, but I knew October 28.
October 28 was a warm hug, a safety net, a congratulations, a shot
of expensive tequila. October 28 I’d be back in Australia.
On October 28, I would have finished the most successful year of
my career to date and I’d be home. It was a new goal, a new dream
I was now working towards.
My dad has always said to me that whenever I travel, I should
book a return flight; make that the first thing I do. Then, if you’re
having a terrible time or you’ve run out of money, you know you
have a flight to get out of there. Alternatively, if you’re
having the best time of your life, then that return
flight acts as a reminder to make the most of it. And
that’s what October 28 was for me – a reminder to
make the most of it, to enjoy and eat it up because
soon, I’d be home.
Home in time for Christmas. Or, more excitingly,
home in time for the build-up to Christmas. Home in
time to hear the local Westfield not so subtly change
its elevator music from Justin Bieber’s greatest hits to
Mariah Carey’s Christmas album. Home in time
to argue with people on escalators – “If you’re not
going to move with it, you need to stand on the left. The right is
for moving, the left is for standing. It’s not a ride, Janice.”
Home in time to buy a real Christmas tree that 100 per cent will
not fit in our tiny two-bedroom apartment, and perfectly wrap the
tinsel anticlockwise from the bottom up, then get sick of it and
throw it in a big clump. Ta-da!
Home in time for my sons to have sleepovers with their cousins
and friends who they have missed so much while being on tour.
Home in time to watch my husband make his traditional margaritas
for our friends along with his signature ‘I’m making margaritas, it’s
summer and we’re home!’ happy dance.
Home in time to breathe, take my dog for daily beach walks with
my dad, help my mum make candles and fall to pieces laughing at
everything my sister says.
Home in time to reflect on everything I’ve achieved this year while
sipping a Happy Dance Margarita and admiring the oversized
Christmas tree that will no doubt stay up until October 28 next year.
Home in time to eat everything, drink everything and reset, ready to
chase the next dream.
*I also made out with Tom Ford. ENOUGH!
Celeste Barber is starring in Seriously Red, in cinemas now, and is the lead
in the comedy miniseries Wellmania, coming soon to Netflix.

Home in time
to buy a real
Christmas tree
that 100 per cent
will not fit in our
tiny apartment

34

DECEMBER 2022

REVERSO
DUETTO
Shop 4/84 King St, Sydney NSW 2000, P: (02) 9061 4520
86 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, P: (03) 9094 5838

Dancing all
the way

Shoes made
to celebrate

au.ecco.com

@ecco

@eccoshoesaustralia

vogue viewpoint

U LT I M AT E EDIT

NIGHT
SHIFT

After-dark looks come
alive with renewed vigour
as designers recognise
a pent-up desire to let loose
in a season brimming with
colour and all-out opulence.
ST YLING MIGUEL URBINA TAN
PHOTOGRAPHS BANANAS CLARKE

40

W O R D S : A L I C E B I R R E L L H A I R : P E T E L E N N O N M A K E- U P: I S A B E L L A S C H I M I D
M A N I C U R E : V I C TO R I A H O U L L I S M O D E L S : P E N N Y C A P P L A U R E N S T E V E N S O N
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT VO G U E .CO M . A U/ W T B

Wanderers Travel Co.
sunglasses, $199.

Want to shop
Vogue’s edit?
Scan the QR code
to shop the best
of the trend.

Gauge81
dress, $810.

Paskal
dress,
$840.

Kalmanovich
dress, $1,830.

DECEMBER 2022 41

vogue viewpoint
COLLAR ZONE
Shift the focus upwards with
shoulder-baring silhouettes.
Whether opting for a bohemian
bent or sticking to a structured look,
flashing some décolletage instantly
evokes long summer nights.

Prada top, $1,480.
Self-Portrait
top, $499.

Saint
Laurent
swimsuit,
$800.

Left: Christian Dior dress,
$72,000, belt, $2,850, and
bag, P.O.A. Tiffany & Co.
earrings, $4,400, and ring,
$3,150. Right: Christian Dior
dress, $230,000, and bag,
P.O.A. Tiffany & Co. earrings,
$4,600, and ring, $3,150.

42

Alexander McQueen
dress, $4,825.

A HIGHER
LEVEL

BANANAS CLARKE
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT VO G U E .CO M . A U/ W T B

Sure, dainty stilettos never go
out of style, but changing
things up in the silhouette of
the moment, platform shoes,
is about putting an unmissable
foot forward, as any disco
doyenne will tell you.

Left: Gucci dress, $ 3,650,
lingerie set, $1,405,
earrings, $825, necklace,
$8,205, bag, $8,790, tights,
$400, and shoes, $2,855.
Right: Gucci dress, $3,900,
lingerie set, $1,405,
earrings, $670, necklace,
$4,855, bag, $5,565,
and shoes, $1,760.
Tights, stylist9s own.

Casadei shoes,
$1,535.

Versace shoes,
$2,200.

Valentino
shoes, $3,560.

Paris Texas
shoes, $855.

Want to shop
Vogue’s edit?
Scan the QR code
to shop the best
of the trend.

DECEMBER 2022 43

vogue viewpoint

44

CRYSTAL
METHOD
The cocktail ring – once an
eye-catching jewellery box
mainstay – makes a comeback,
this time with matching colliers
and door-knocker earrings
featuring juicy oversized
crystals. Bolder is braver.

Jennifer Behr
earrings, $400.

BANANAS CLARKE
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT VO G U E . CO M . AU/ W T B

Oscar de la
Renta
bracelet,
$1,810.

Amina
Muaddi
earrings,
$1,045.

Miu Miu
earrings,
$675.
Kamushki
ring, $380.
Dolce &
Gabbana
necklace,
$44,750.

Gucci ring,
$505.

Paco
Rabanne
bracelet,
$440.

Want to shop
Vogue’s edit?
Scan the QR code
to shop the best
jewellery to
buy now.

DECEMBER 2022 45

vogue culture

FILM

CUP OF
AMBITION
Some eight years in the making, Krew Boylan
brings her debut film to the big screen this month
– a joyous ode to identity, iconography and the
inimitable Dolly Parton. Here, Rose Byrne, her
co-star and best friend, interviews the actor
and writer about telling this uniquely
Australian story through music.

46

Krew Boylan wears a
Louis Vuitton jacket,
$13,400, and shirt,
$2,950. Tiffany & Co.
earrings, $18,500,
and rings, on right
hand, $3,450, and on
left hand, $3,150.
Sportmax tie, $175.

W O R D S : H A N N A H - R O S E Y E E S T Y L I N G : M I G U E L U R B I N A TA N H A I R : R O R Y R I C E
M A K E- U P: J O E L B A B I CC I P H OTO G R A P H : B A N A N A S C L A R K E

K

rew Boylan remembers Rose Byrne’s eyebrows; Byrne
clocked Boylan’s freckles. This is what the two actors and
best friends recall about their first meeting, one morning at
roll call when they were just a few kids spending their days
at Balmain Public School and their afternoons at drama classes at
Australian Theatre for Young People. “It was a school romance,”
Boylan jokes, the beginning of a beautiful, decades-spanning
friendship. “Sometimes I’m not sure where she starts and I finish,”
Byrne reflects. “It’s like a continuous communication that we have
and thought process that we share.”
The two are taking their relationship to the big screen in this
month’s Seriously Red, a film written by, produced and starring
Boylan alongside Byrne through their production company
Dollhouse Pictures and directed by Gracie Otto. The story, which
Boylan worked on over the past eight years, follows a young woman
called Raylene (Boylan), whose desperate yearning to fit in, when
she was born to stand out, leads her into a strange world of Dolly
Parton impersonators. (Byrne cameos as a disgruntled Elvis standin.) In this frank conversation with Vogue, Byrne and Boylan share
what makes their friendship so special, both on and off the screen.
KREW BOYLAN: “I was thinking about the things that I love about you.
You’re so easy to talk about, but also quite complicated because we
know each other so well … It’s so easy for me to be around you, and
you always keep it upbeat. And you’re always so wise and smart.”
ROSE BYRNE: “Aww! Bless you.”
KB: “It made me think about when we were going to the Venice Film
Festival [in 2000] and we were travelling around Italy together. And
you won the Best Actress prize.”
RB: [In an Italian accent] “The Volpi Cup!”
KB: “We had a lot of pizza, pasta, gelato.”
RB: “Oh god. Remember?”
KB: “I know. I remember that trip feeling like … ‘Oh wow. She really
loves that part of me, when somebody else might find that annoying
or dumb.’ You really see the beauty in the little treasures of people,
not just the big markings of personalities. You’re really smart and
intuitive like that.”
RB: “Listen. Let’s talk about intuitive. I used to call Krew – her
nickname for many years was ‘The Mentalist’, because you have this
innate, incredible, strong intuition that borders on some kind of
psychic quality … She can just tell the temperature of a room like
that, so quickly. But yet, it also rolls off her back in a way that I don’t
have, and I really appreciate that. Not that she doesn’t feel things
deeply, but she doesn’t sweat the small stuff – and I do. She does not
let that stuff stop her in her tracks. She has a real effortlessness
about things that I really rely on, and I admire and look up to,
because I think that’s such a good way to get through life. She’s such
a touchstone for me in that way.”
KB: “I was thinking the same thing, that you’re a touchstone … In my
personal life, I’m quite confident. I know who I am and I’ve always
had a strong sense of self. But often, especially when it comes to the
industry, I can often feel like I’ve lost my personality.”
RB: “This! This is fucked up.”
KB: “This is where – all I want to do is talk to you. And just remind
myself what’s my personality, Krew? How am I going to roll with
this next phase or audition or interview or go on stage? Sometimes

when you’re about to go on stage and you’re like, ‘I’ve lost my
personality. I don’t know what I’m going to do.’ You’re the only
person I want to call to just remind myself who I am.”
RB: “That’s really it. You’re the only person I really want to call …
There are very few people, and you’re the number one – other than
Bobby [Cannavale, Byrne’s partner]. I’m not a particularly devoted
astrological follower, but you’re a Taurus, he’s a Taurus, my sister
Lucy is a Taurus, and my mother. I’m very drawn to the Taurus.
Krew appears like this sort of carefree thing, but she is the most
determined, the most stubborn person, and she does not give up
easily. She is very determined and does things in her own way …
When you had the kids, you were like, ‘Nope. I’m going to do it like
this, and do it like that.’ You just quietly already decided. You’re just
stubborn, man. You are!”
KB: “Maybe that’s why I kept writing the movie [Seriously Red] for
so long.”
RB: “Exactly. There’s a determination and a stubbornness. It can
be quiet, but it’s there. Oh, I know
my Taurusians!”
KB: “I started writing because our
industry is such a challenging landscape.
I didn’t feel like I was getting some of the
parts I was really drawn to … I really
wanted success, and I sort of wanted to
unpack what that looked like. I very
quickly realised that, to me, success
looked like Dolly Parton. She seemed to
have everything that I could put a name
to: financial, creative, comedy, love. She
had the whole package. And so I started
writing out of trying to figure out what
success was to me, and what it would
feel like, once I got it. We approached
Dolly eight years ago.”
RB: “And we started Dollhouse, really,
for the movie.”
KB: “And then RB [as Elvis] … I’d always
sort of fantasised about going on set disguised as a man and seeing
what that felt like, and it was then that I kind of went, ‘Oh, maybe
Rose should be playing Elvis. She’s got those beautiful lips and those
eyebrows and those gorgeous eyes. Maybe she could play Elvis!’”
RB: “It was classic Krew … Because we had been debating what
I could do, obviously other than [produce]. What literal part I could
do, that was just a fun little cameo in the movie. And she just turned
it on its head in the way she does and came up with this very
unpredictable, really idiosyncratic idea that created a lot more
texture for the character than perhaps was on the page, and a lot
more complexity. I could not have enjoyed playing that part more …
I identify as a woman, I’ve given birth to children and to then be
identifying as a man in this part was really fascinating and
wonderful, and as an artist, so fun. And that’s all from Krew’s true
creative spirit. I would never have thought to do that … Clearly,
I look like Elvis. I know you’re thinking that. You’re thinking, ‘What
do you mean? Good lord, you’re identical.’ So I get it. I get it.”
KB: “Did you get a call from Baz [Luhrmann]? Did Baz call you?” →

“Krew does
not let that
stuff stop her
in her tracks,
worry her.
She has a real
effortlessness
about things
that I really
rely on, and
I admire and
look up to”

DECEMBER 2022 47

vogue culture
RB: “Yeah, I think he tried … We were trying to schedule a call,
trying to schedule it in. But I was definitely close to that part, too.”

KB: “Yeah.”
RB: “I watched so many videos. It was so fun immersing myself in him
and researching it. And Bobby’s a huge Elvis fan. He’d just finished
reading the quintessential biography on him, Last Train To Memphis,
which is an incredible book. And he
would read me passages out from the
book all the time in the years leading up
to the movie. So I had a real sense of him
and his childhood. It was special.”
KB: “Was Bobby a bit jealous?”
RB: “No, I think he was tickled. The
photos of us on set were so funny in
between scenes. We could barely get
through the scenes. We were just
laughing so much … the incredible thing
about this movie is that we got this music
[from Dolly Parton], and it all hinged on
that. The movie would not have been
made if we couldn’t have the music. And
of course, we wanted the blessing of
Dolly. We needed it. We had to get it. Not
only did we have to get it, we wanted to
get it. We couldn’t and wouldn’t have
wanted to make the film without it. So
Hylda Queally, my long-time agent,
I called her and I said, ‘I need Dolly
Parton. Please, please get me in touch with Dolly Parton.’ And she put
me in touch with Danny Nozell, Dolly Parton’s long-time manager.
And I was six months pregnant and I was shooting Bad Neighbours 2 in
Atlanta, and I drove from Atlanta to Nashville, Tennessee. I sat down
and I gave him the script and I pitched the movie and I said, ‘This is
a Hail Mary. Would you, could you, can we work together? We’ve got
$8.50 to make the movie and get the rights to the music. Is that enough
money?’ And he said, ‘I’m going to send this to her. I’m going to read
it myself and we’re going to make this work.’ And true to his word, he
has been the single most important person in getting this movie
made, other than Dolly herself of course, being the number one. And
she read the film. She loved the film. She loved the screenplay. We got
her blessing. My son is now seven, so it was probably about eight years
ago that I made that drive. And that was the beginning of the Dolly
journey. And then, it really came full circle at South by Southwest
[festival] where the film premiered earlier in 2022. There’d been
rumours that she was coming to town. She would be at the festival.
We weren’t sure if we would cross paths. I had to return to LA to
continue filming Physical season two, but …”
KB: “I was there! I had just been swimming. And we get this text
from Danny Nozell saying, ‘Be at stage door in 20 minutes.’ And I’m
in my wet cossie going, ‘What?’ And then he said ‘Bring Kenny’,
which is Daniel Webber, who does an amazing job playing Kenny
Rogers … We race around to try to get dressed up. And then we’re
getting hustled through her backstage, past her huge tour bus … We
went into this room, and she just hugged me and held my hands and

Krew Boylan as Dolly
Parton impersonator,
Red, and Daniel
Webber as Kenny, also
below right. Below:
Rose Byrne (left) as
an Elvis Presley
impersonator with
director Gracie Otto,
and Red. Bottom:
Fellow cast members
Bobby Cannavale
and Celeste Barber.

“We wanted
the blessing
of Dolly. We
needed it. We
had to get it.
Not only did
we have to get
it, we wanted
to get it. We
couldn’t and
wouldn’t have
wanted to
make the film
without it”

48

jumped up and down and said, ‘You played me!’ And she was like,
‘You’re really beautiful.’ She really thought I’d scrubbed up well!
And I started to cry and I said, ‘Thank you for letting me share my
story through your music.’ And she said, ‘You cryin’, angel? Are you
cryin’?’ And she started wiping away my tears. I was dying! She told
us how much she loved the film, how it made her laugh, how she’d
written a couple of songs for the film, which are for a later date
hopefully. Then she looked at me and she said, ‘I see you. I see you.’”
RB: “Chills!”
KB: “I know. And I said, ‘I think I see you, too.’ She was just so
generous. Really, we met each other’s energy, and I’m sure she’s
completely accommodating me, who is a total stranger and a fan,
and I’m sure that’s overwhelming … It was quite surreal meeting her
after so many years of only thinking about her for so long.”
RB: “You really were on a high after that … It was kind of magical to see
that unfold from afar … Dolly’s this incredible example of someone
who is beloved by everybody. A figure in pop culture that everybody
can agree on in a time of such divisiveness, and also someone who is
so known and beloved and seen and has been visible for so many
decades in so many different ways, but yet still remains a mystery.”
KB: “That’s what I love about Dolly. She’s old school.”
RB: “She is truly trying to represent a sense of self that is authentic,
rather than a lot of the stuff that we see these days … She just
continues to be classy.”
KB: “And I feel proud that we’ve been a little part of that Dolly rebirth.”
Seriously Red is in cinemas now.

DECEMBER 2022

vogue viewpoint

DESIGNER PROFILE

FORM
ON HIGH

With the reintroduction
of couture at Balenciaga,
the creative known as
Demna ascends from zeitgeist
shifter to one of fashion’s true
masters. By Alice Birrell.

I

n 2015, had anyone known that the newly appointed creative
director of Balenciaga would go on to revive couture for the
house, fashion eyebrows would have gone up. Regarded then as
a rule-defying outsider, Demna (who dropped his surname last
year) was parlaying eastern European underground culture into
fashion pieces when he took up a post left by a predecessor, unable
to energise the 103-year-old fashion house. Six years later, in 2021,
the decision to reinstate couture came with the enormity of invoking
a discipline so hallowed, no one dared touch it since the most
accomplished couturier in history, Spanish-born Cristóbal
Balenciaga, shut up salon 54 years ago.
Today, for his second couture outing for Balenciaga, the creative
director has put paid to any doubts. Last season, his chimeras of the
original couturier’s postures in sloped, cocooning silhouettes and

50

needle-shifting curved and tapered barrel shape were heralded as a
display of modern dignified elegance. This autumn/winter ’22/’23,
the 51st couture collection, worn by a cast that included Nicole
Kidman and Kim Kardashian, gave way to an increase of Demna’s
signature silhouettes: the distinct swaggering, angular and slouched
stances borrowed from streetwear and a youthful offhand attitude.
A pair of jeans – denim is now synonymous with the designer –
came dripping in jet micro beading, or studded with silver-plated
buttons. A suite of sleek rubberised opening looks with padded
shoulders that enveloped models was both an evolved expression
of his repeat-motif of fetishistic latex leggings, and
a nod to history; where Cristóbal Balenciaga had a favourite Gazar
custom made, Demna developed his own limestone neoprene
forming a new couture vocabulary.

CO U RT E S Y B A L E N C I A G A , B F R N D.

Today, after seven ascendant years at the house, Demna’s preferred
mode of articulation around clothes however isn’t verbal. To that
end, this interview takes place over email. “Cristóbal Balenciaga is
often on my mind, but I do not try to focus myself on what was back
then,” he writes. “If Balenciaga has created the future of fashion
back in the past, this is part of his legacy that I am most interested in
carrying further into the future now.”
For someone so enmeshed with the now, the future is increasingly
a preoccupation. He’s spent seasons probing consumer and pop
culture via recontextualisation of everyday items (dad sneakers, Ikea
totes and kitsch souvenirs famously getting luxury reworks). For
a younger generation driven to question everything by an
establishment that’s seen the world to the brink of climate disaster
and war, that irony and interrogation – of why we wear certain
things, how we value them and who gets to define luxury – chimed.
“I always question everything and prefer to follow my own rules,”
he says. In this way, a tweed shift with frayed edges makes sense on
a modern couture runway. “I triggered this shift in the system ever
since I started,” he says simply, reflecting on his contribution to
changing tastes. “And yes, I am interested in disrupting the
traditional hierarchies because they only cause stagnation.”
This itch to move forward has seen an increasingly futuristic bent
in his output. Someone who is fluent in post-internet rhetoric – he
pioneered gaming-fashion crossovers in a metaverse game for
autumn/winter ’21/’22 – this collection pushed tech innovation to
extremes. Cutting-edge fog-proof face shields were aerodynamically
engineered by Mercedes-AMG F1 Applied Science, the company’s
Grand Prix division. A leopard faux fur coat with dramatic upturned
collar was in fact photographically mapped, then hand-tufted out of
150 kilometres of thread. Programming meets high artistry.
With Demna, this level of fashion purism has been there all along.
In an earlier interview, the creator told this Vogue how trends were
not of interest, but the construction of clothing was. He would
deconstruct it, cutting it up as at Margiela where he worked as
a fashion graduate fresh from Antwerp’s famed Royal Academy of
Fine Arts. “I mostly learned from other fashion luminaries what not
to do,” he reflects now, of the lasting impressions of an early career
under people including Marc Jacobs and Nicolas Ghesquière. “What
I use mostly in my couture process is my skills of construction and
3D work around the body.” Like deploying a T-shirt bonded with
aluminium, whose shape can be continually manipulated.
A concern with clothing, over fashion, and generating a feeling
from it was a power he understood as a child. An abiding early
memory belonging to the designer, who fled his war-ravaged
birthplace in Georgia, is of “a little red coat I saw in the shop window
of a Soviet clothing store. It was a girl’s coat, so I was not allowed to
have it, but I remember I could not stop thinking about it for days.”
This freethinking approach has been key to Balenciaga’s domination.
Seeing clothing as pieces, neither rigidly ‘men’s’ or ‘women’s’, means
a fluidity reigns, cemented with a co-ed collection from 2017, and allgender casting. The those-who-want-in-can-have-in appeal has
attracted switched-on youth as well as wealthy celebrities. Couture,
which services a tiny elite clientele, might have challenged this.
A pop-up boutique then was Demna’s riposte, where Balenciaga
‘objects’ including a Bang & Olufsen speaker bag, worn on the
runway, and a candle designed to smell of the salons at 10 Avenue

George V, including paper, and leather were sold for “anyone who is
interested in couture”. Whatever some might make of it, there are
few brands today that could credibly sell the scent of clothes.
This willingness to engage in ephemerality might be Demna’s
secret weapon. His debut for autumn/winter ’16/’17, incidentally
featured a red coat of a kind: a puffer with recalibrated neckline
echoing the pulled-back opera-style favoured by the house founder.
Reaching for the feel of a piece is integral to him. “I always listen to
my instinct, not my mind, when it comes to expressing my vision,”
he says. It takes instinct to know that a cut can carry codified
meaning, and melded with a new fabrication, takes on new
relevance. Like look 26 in couture; a sleek column dress made from
upcycled and everyday black belts.
Newness, for Demna, often comes in rearranging what we already
know. “I have an extremely high level of curiosity for the unknown,
and this is a very important quality for a creative to evolve and
search for novelty,” he continues. “I am easily bored so I am in the
constant process of searching for something new to excite me.”
Like getting celebrities including Nicole Kidman and Dua Lipa to
close the couture collection. In dresses that hew closest to the Spanish
founder’s sensibilities in draping and pronounced shapes – the bridal
finale comprising 250 metres of tulle and 80,000 silver leaves had the
ballooning hem of the original Balenciaga’s 1950s baby-doll dresses
– the closing was a comprehensive show of Demna’s capabilities as
a couturier and cultural bellwether. Melding fame and finery might
once have seemed at odds with the reverence of couture salons. But
then so did a designer from Georgia – until he didn’t.

DECEMBER 2022 51

vogue viewpoint

Chinese artist Wang Yuyang
transferred his signature
chromatic moonscapes to
the surface of this one-off
Lady Dior as precious,
painstakingly applied beading.

Christian Dior
Dior Lady Art
bag, $20,500.

52

DECEMBER 2022

WORDS: ALICE BIRRELL
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT VO G U E .CO M . A U/ W T B

ART DIRECTION ARQUETTE COOKE
ST YLING HARRIET CR AWFORD
PHOTOGRAPH EDWARD URRUTIA

vogue viewpoint
INSIDER’S GUIDE

Left: Sir
dress, $490.
Right: Sir
top, $290
and pants,
$420.

PARTY
FAITHFUL

Soiree season in full swing? It’s been a
while, so we enlisted the advice of experts to
get back into the groove. By Alice Birrell.

DAY AND NIGHT

Getting ready for a night out needn9t involve a full change from
day pieces – it9s all in the styling, as Sophie Coote of Sir knows.
<Tailored trousers, structured blazers or a dress with a classic
silhouette can be elevated with heels or statement earrings,=
she says. She singles out the label9s knit pieces with chrome
hardware accents that add <an edge that can be layered with
a blazer for the office, and stripped back for the evening=.

Heels are back and Shannon
Thomas owner of partyskewed boutique Désordre,
offers her advice. <At Paris
Fashion Week in September,
everyone was back in heels,=
she says. <If you9re feeling
unsteady, find a simple,
well-made and comfortable
mule with a mid-size heel.
Work your way up to the
platforms, because, trust me,
the heels are getting higher.=

Magda
Butrym
heels,
$1,390.

54

B R I A N N A C A P OZ Z I T R E V O R S TO N E S P E T E R VA N A L P H E N

HIGH HOPES

Future is an attitude

See beyond
The Audi Q3
Tech-smart, style-conscious and designed to adapt to you.
From its full complement of next-level technology, to the confident
and visually dynamic design, the Audi Q3 is the compact SUV benchmark.

vogue viewpoint

Rebecca Vallance
resort 823.

DRESS DE-CODED

Dress codes are confusing
at the best of times.
Designer Rebecca Vallance,
decodes them: <For
cocktail, think fun and
fabulous, but with a twist,
which could be sequins or
feathers. A little black dress
would be great, but make
sure you are tasteful yet
playful. Semi-formal and
cocktail dress codes are
interchangeable, so adhere
to the same rules for
cocktail. Black tie is when
you can really push the
boundaries. Think elegant,
formal, floor-length gowns
with Hepburn-esque
column or A-line dresses.=

DRAMATIC
RETURN

SETS APPEAL

Dressing up isn’t all about out-and-out flash, as Gabriella Pereira of
minimally elegant new label Beare Park knows. Try building
a night-time capsule wardrobe made up of “a tight set of luxury,
well-made basics that can work with and for one another and give
you a chance to stay inventive – not to mention that you may have
more budget to put toward each item, as you are buying less”.
SECOND LIFE

Purveyor of carefully curated
vintage Olivia Lila Lahood makes
the case for preloved treasures
for occasion dressing. <Wearing
vintage allows you to add more
individuality to your look,= she
says. Her styling trick to bring a
second-hand piece into the now?
<Layering sheer fabrications, such
as chiffons and lace, is instantly
alluring, and I wouldn9t shy away
from wearing stockings or trousers
underneath for cooler nights.=

PLAY ON: Mimi Xu is a producer, composer and DJ, who spent
time living in Sydney and now creates show soundtracks for the major
fashion weeks. Here, her advice for making a playlist with impact: "It9s about
understanding your audience, what age group, what type of audience and
then creating something accurate. I would always start gentle and move onto
bangers, a mix of challenging tracks and something people would know."

56

DECEMBER 2022

JUSTIN RIDLER
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT VO G U E .CO M . A U/ W T B

Toni Maticevski, whose
pieces regularly
feature couture-like
feats of construction
and engineering, is
heralding the return
of drama. He suggests
reintroducing it by
<layering pieces, such
as beaded bustles
over blazers and
man-style pleat pants,
or draping wool coats
usually reserved for
day over your evening
attire. Just have fun
– we are here for
a short time, so let9s
make it a good time.=

vogue culture

Clockwise from
left: Anna Cordingley
(left) with Romance
Was Born founders
Anna Plunkett and Luke
Sales; actors Rahel
Romahn and Lily
Balatincz; sketches of
costumery; Cordingley
fitting Romahn in
a matador jacket.

THEATR E

MAGNUM OPUS
For the Sydney Opera House’s 50th anniversary,
Australian label Romance Was Born fashioned
the costumes for historic drama Amadeus,
leading to an unexpected union between
historic Austria and modern Australiana.
Jonah Waterhouse gets an exclusive preview.

A

t first, it’s hard to imagine a collision between 18th-century
baroque Austrian glamour and unmistakable elements of
modern Australian kitsch. Nonetheless, the outré scene
inside Romance Was Born’s Sydney studio on one rainy
day in October proves stranger things have happened, but few have
looked this enchanting.
The workspace of the revered Australian label, which is known for
its coloured garments made with impeccable handiwork, is looking

58

especially vivid today. Inside, a fitting is taking place for actors
Rahel Romahn, this year’s recipient of the Heath Ledger Scholarship,
and Lily Balatincz, lead players in the Sydney Opera House’s
forthcoming production of Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus. Loosely based
on history, the play documents the life of Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart, with Romahn and Balatincz playing Mozart and his wife
Constanze, respectively. Welsh actor Michael Sheen will take the
role of Antonio Salieri, the gifted but less recognised composer
rumoured to be Mozart’s foe, in a story immortalised in the 1984
Academy Award-winning film of the same name. Come December,
it will be performed for the first time in 16 years as part of the Opera
House’s 50th anniversary. Romance Was Born founders Anna
Plunkett and Luke Sales are creating the bespoke costumery.
It’s a production of a magnitude that would feel daunting to some.
But flittering around the studio in Romance’s joyful pieces, Romahn
and Balatincz are having the time of their lives. “I look like a gothic
Willy Wonka,” Romahn says as he tries on a Spanish matador’s coat
with tight sleeves and a high waist, its craftsmanship visible in
painstakingly applied floral appliqués. Meanwhile, Balatincz slips
into a tulle dress from Romance Was Born’s resort ’19 collection,
which will be repurposed for an onstage number under the guidance
of costume designer Anna Cordingley. Some will notice indelible
elements from the brand’s history since its 2009 beginnings; for one,

DA N I E L B O U D

“There is a daring that’s undeniable in
Anna and Luke’s work. I don’t know if they’re
capable of being – and this is said with the
most love I can possibly deliver – subtle”

prints from resort ’19 by iconic Australian designer Jenny Kee are
visible in the structured seams of a sharp-shouldered cape for
Mozart. Austrian history meets Australian design royalty.
“Our starting point was going through our archives with Anna
[Cordingley], and seeing how she responded to our pieces,”
Anna Plunkett says of her and Sales’s discussions with the costume
designer. “We know our archives, but when you have someone come
in with fresh eyes, it’s really interesting how they see things.”
Cordingley, a set, costume and exhibition designer who’s worked on
productions of Richard III and Storm Boy, was familiar with Romance
Was Born’s trademark aesthetic, and wanted to ensure the garb of
18th-century Austria was intertwined with elements of Australiana;
a birdlike feathered headpiece there, a floral-print dress there.
“There is a daring that’s undeniable in Anna and Luke’s work,” says
Cordingley. “I don’t know if they’re capable of being – and this is said
with the most love I can possibly deliver – subtle. And that’s great.”
If anything, it means Romance Was Born was the perfect choice. It
takes a penchant for extravagance to master the fashion of such
a decadent era. In 18th-century Europe, womenswear featured
restricting corseting, while even the men wore large, bouffant-style
wigs. Cordingley’s collaboration with Romance Was Born ensured
all characters are clad in the brand’s preternaturally bold clothes,
while embodying the era’s natural kitsch.

“Even the characters who are on stage as waiters or valets who are
outside the central action still wear wild outfits, because that’s Anna
and Luke,” Cordingley says. “I doubt that’s true of any other
Amadeus [production].”
At the time of interviewing, Plunkett and Sales were yet to finish
all 64 costumes, but a pinboard of sketches in the studio indicated
the enchantment we can expect. For Constanze Mozart, a character
known for her flamboyant style, a puffed-shoulder dress has been
created with a giant crinoline skirt typical of the time, modelled
from Romance Was Born’s psychedelic gumnut autumn/winter
’13/’14 collection. It appears effortlessly flamboyant in the sketch,
but creating such pieces presents new terrain for Plunkett and Sales.
“The underpinnings of the costumes were something we hadn’t
had much experience with,” says Sales, referring to the undergarments
built into corsetry and performance attire pre-20th century. “Even in
men’s suiting, that kind of tailoring isn’t something we do much of.”
Also on the board, a dramatic midnight blue hooded cloak for
Constanze, modelled from Romance Was Born’s resort ’22 collection.
LED lights in its fabric help it evoke a sense of outer space, and it’s
nothing short of a visual dream. Balatincz’s sensibilities align with
those of her fictional character, as it’s her favourite piece to look at.
“It’s like wearing the night sky, it’s other-worldly,” she enthuses.
Amadeus charts four compositions Mozart wrote in his life: The
Marriage of Figaro, Requiem, Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute. Each is
performed briefly as part of the play, and, with the help of
Cordingley, Romance Was Born used each opera as an opportunity
to showcase their own unique take on the historic texts. For example,
the plot of The Magic Flute involves animals, so reinterpreting the
archives of their collection with Kee, which involved artisanal
animal prints in its silk pieces, made sense.
“When we were asked to take on [the project], we were told the
reference to the original time period wasn’t going to be so set in
stone,” Sales says. “As it’s gone on, we’ve decided it’ll mirror it
stylistically, but not necessarily accurately, and in the four operas,
that’s when the costumes are going to be more Romance Was Born.”
The still-under-wraps stage design provided even more of an
opportunity for their pieces to pop. “They’re building a giant stage
in the Opera House for the first time, and it’s very stark and modern.
It’s basically a runway,” Sales says. (Nothing that Romance Was Born
doesn’t already have experience with.)
If it sounds and looks like gleeful fashion, it’s because it is, and
that joy can be measured through Romahn and Balatincz – thespians
who’ve found themselves in a fashion fantasy and are loving
every minute of it.
“Seeing what they’ve designed, this is far and beyond what any
actor can imagine,” Romahn says. “We’re in the best hands possible.”
Amadeus is at the Sydney Opera House from December 27 until January
21, 2023.

DECEMBER 2022 59

vogue viewpoint
CUR ATED BY

CONNER IVES
We ask fashion’s preeminent talents
to curate their world through style.
Here, UK-based American designer
Conner Ives, known for his singular
partywear, shares what informs his
youthful, fresh take on evening.

1. Model Shalom
Harlow in 1996.

1. “A person I’d love to dress is Shalom Harlow.

2. Dove No. 2 (1915)

A fashion icon … what is there not to like?”

by Hilma af Klint.

4. Ann
Reinking in
All That Jazz
(1979).

5. Penhaligon9s Halfeti
EDP, 100ml for $358.

6. Ives on holiday in
Naples, 2022.

8. John F.
Kennedy
Jr. in 1995.

7. A
dress by
Cristóbal
Balenciaga,
1967.

the concept of a mythic painter creating work that
is hailed as the dawn of abstract art, a woman at
the brink of an entire art movement.”
3. “Dressing Sky Ferreira for the 2022 Met Gala
felt like a pinch-me moment, because she was
returning after a long hiatus. It happened only
days before the Gala – we were meant to be
dressing someone else, which fell through at the
last second. The dress was already in New York,
so the rest was history, and she bodied that look.”
4. “My newest collection was inspired by the
Bob Fosse girl, and the film All That Jazz, [as seen
in] the thin, long scarves that double as headbands
as well as neck scarves.”
5. “I bought the fragrance Penhaligon’s Halfeti
in Paris despite it being a British perfume. I’m
quite loyal to my fragrances once I’ve tried one,
and this is now mine for life.”
6. “I recently went to Naples for the first time
with my boyfriend and we fell in love with it.
It satisfied every cliché you want from a hot
European holiday – fresh fruit and entire days
spent at the beach.”
7. “Cristóbal Balenciaga is the master of us all …
his haute couture in the 50s and 60s is probably
the reason I’m a designer.”
8. “Being married to Carolyn Bessette Kennedy,
the fashion of JFK Jr., also known as ‘John John’
Kennedy, often gets left behind, which I think is
a crime! He was a master sartorialist and a huge
inspiration for me and my own style.”
9. “The reconstituted T-shirt dress is probably
what I’m best known for. For a while I think
I tried to do a lot of things at once, so I wouldn’t
be known as the T-shirt dress guy, but I’ve come
to accept it. It’s a great piece.”
10. “A dress that feels apt for party season is the
Ghulam recycled spandex mini-dress with
reignited Swarovski crystal, available now.”

DECEMBER 2022

I N T E R V I E W: J O N A H WAT E R H O U S E P H OTO G R A P H S : A L A M Y
Z A C H A P O -T S A N G C E C I L B E ATO N G E T T Y I M A G E S G O R U N WAY, CO M
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT VO G U E .CO M . A U/ W T B

2. “I love [Swedish artist] Hilma af Klint. I love

Ph . 0 8 93 8 2 3 2 2 2 | S hop O nline. smales .com . au
  @ s m al e s j ewe ll e r s

vogue viewpoint
Emilia Wickstead
in her living room.
Soft furnishings
are upholstered
with a navy wool
she has used in
her coat designs.

S T Y L E S PAC E

IN HER FASHION

With a fittingly fastidious approach to interiors, New
Zealand-born designer Emilia Wickstead brings her
signature blend of proportion, colour and classicism
to a family home in London. By Laura Hawkins.

W

hen Emilia Wickstead was 11 years old, she was discovered
by her mother, wedged beneath a collapsed wardrobe. “I’d
been moving furniture around in my bedroom,” says the
39-year-old, Auckland-born, West London-based fashion
designer. “I was moving pieces around constantly.”
What doesn’t concuss you, seemingly, makes you stronger. Wickstead’s
interior design ambition (not to mention her interest in women’s
wardrobes), never waned. Before she moved into the spacious, light-filled
flat she shares with her husband Daniel, nine-year-old daughter Mercedes
Amalia and seven-year-old son Gilberto in 2018 – housed in a regal
red-brick mansion block built at the turn of the 19th century – she had files
bulging with references. “I had a wall in our last place, for collecting
inspiration for our new one,” she says with a smile.
The statuesque, seamless and luxurious materiality of the Milanese
apartments that Wickstead grew up in from age 14 (before a move to
London to study fashion design and marketing at Central Saint Martins)
inspired her four-month renovation. “We ripped everything out,” she

62

S T Y L I N G : G I A N LU C A LO N G O H A I R : TO S H
M A K E- U P: R A C H A E L T H O M A S M A N I C U R E : C H I A R A B A L L I S A I

PHOTOGRAPHS K ATE MARTIN

explains. Laminate flooring was stripped back, entrances widened, ceilings
raised, pairs of palazzo-worthy double doors installed, walls painted in
shades of Tuscan mustard, and the kitchen, two bathrooms and entrance
hall swathed in slabs of Arabescato and Calacatta Viola marble, imported
with the help of family friends. “I don’t know how it happened, but it’s
everywhere,” Wickstead says, laughing, when we meet, on a workingfrom-home Friday, gesticulating enthusiastically to the chequerboard,
Venice-inspired marble floor of her hallway. She pads across the entrance
barefoot, a pair of pointed satin kitten heels slipped off near her front door,
refined yet totally relaxed in a chic 1940s-style dress of her own design.
Wickstead’s refined fashion designs revel in the regality and classicism
of old-world glamour, fitting for chic soirées and garden parties, and
beloved by aristocratic and A-list clients alike, from the Princess of Wales
to Zawe Ashton, Princess Eugenie to Alexa Chung. It’s unsurprising then,
that the four walls of her dining room were the only ones newly built into
her home’s predominantly interconnecting floorplan. “I like setting up
a room and having an intimate entertaining space, separate for eating
breakfast and dinner as a family,” she says, morning light pouring through
the space’s capacious windows.
Floral linen napkins from her 2018-launched homewares line are an
everyday table fixture, and Wickstead is constantly on the hunt for silver
and crystalware. “I never save anything for a special occasion,” she says.
The rooms of Wickstead’s home are an amalgam of rigorously
considered, well-travelled pieces – a mix of finessed flea-market finds,
collector’s items invested in piece by piece over time, and family heirlooms
that reflect her peripatetic adolescence and her Brazilian husband Daniel’s
heritage. They also show off Wickstead’s personal
penchant for a paintbrush. In the living room,
a matching antique cupboard and writing desk, crafted
from painstakingly inlaid wood, found in a shop in
Odalengo Piccolo, in Italy’s Piedmont region, and a
mainstay of their previous homes, is transformed into
a liquor cabinet and cocktail station at Christmas
parties. They neighbour second-hand cricket stools and
a sizeable coffee table, both resurfaced with marble,
and a sofa that Wickstead and her husband gifted to
each other as a wedding present in 2011, reupholstered
in rich navy wool. The futurist-leaning monochromatic
canvas that hangs in striking juxtaposition to an
original ornate mantelpiece, festooned with carved
flowers? The result of Wickstead’s own hand, coated in
thick house paint.
Value is focused on the storytelling and sentimentality
behind every piece. Two 1983-dated abstract paintings,
which belonged to Daniel’s father, hang in the flat’s only
corridor. A curvilinear hunk of polished greenstone –
a Kiwi symbol of friendship and love, also a wedding
present – sits on Wickstead’s bedside table, inspiring
her bedroom’s creamy green walls, carpet and (wellfixed) wardrobes. Wickstead’s daughter Mercedes
Amalia is named after her great-grandmothers, and
Top: Emilia Wickstead photographed in her West London home. A pair of newly
a love letter from her mother’s grandfather to her
installed double doors lead into a light-filled dining room. Above left: Mercedes
namesake hangs in a thrifted gilded frame. A figurative
Amalia’s bedroom is decorated with a candy-stripe print from Wickstead’s spring/
painting by New Zealand artist, the late Annette Isbey,
summer ’16 collection. Above right: Cornflower blue towels by Angela Wickstead
Home hang in the children’s bathroom.
that sits above the dining room table was a gift
→

DECEMBER 2022 63

vogue viewpoint
from Mercedes Amalia’s godmother. “As a little girl, it was my
favourite painting. When we moved here, she told me it was my turn
to take it.”
Wickstead’s domestic design revels in Palladian proportions,
the aesthetics of Italianate villas, Venetian chequerboard and the
simplistic splendour of marble, mahogany and buffed metal. At
home, Wickstead’s entertaining space is framed by curtains in fluid
wool crepe, the fabric of her bestselling dresses. Her daughter sleeps
in a bedroom swathed in a marshmallowy spring/summer ’16 stripe
print. In her stores, customers – whether VIPs in bespoke service
consultations, brides stepping into the salon space, with walls
sumptuously upholstered with ivory silk-moiré, to try on strikingly
simplistic creations that recall the glamour of Hollywood’s
Golden Age, or tablescaping fanatics – can decompress with
a cocktail in the bar. “It’s all about the full picture. Our
homewares, for example, are tapped
into our wedding world,” Wickstead
says. “We can help a bride choose her
linens, glassware and plates. Pieces that
are quintessential of the brand –
traditional, with a modern twist.”
The flat renovation offered a moment
of familial revelation, with Wickstead
realising she had inherited her passion
for both thrifting and plastic-free
dining from both her parents. She
discovered her artist father – who died
when she was four – also had a passion
for antiques. An artwork of a koi carp
reflected in water, reminiscent of
Japanese Ukiyo-e art, which he painted
in his mid-20s, hangs in Mercedes
Amalia’s bedroom. The only other thing
she inherited from him, a statuesque
chest of drawers, spray-painted black
(like the sleek hallway bench she picked up at the Casale Monferrato
market in the Italian village of Moncalvo) sits in Wickstead’s
bedroom. “At home, my mum would make our curtains and
everything would match,” Wickstead says, laughing, of her mother
Angela’s more direct influence – a fashion designer who operated
a made-to-measure studio in Auckland, and also launched an Italian
linen company in 2017. “She was constantly rearranging furniture …
now it all makes sense!”
A surprising decorative style Wickstead was keen to indulge?
Chintz. She let her pattern-enchanted imagination run wild in her
children’s bedrooms. Along with the swathing of stripes in Mercedes
Amalia’s room, her son Gilberto’s resembles a steamer cabin, decked
out in New England-evoking Pierre Frey sailing-boat fabric, the
bunk bed’s duvets, headboards and curtains made by Wickstead’s
mother. Walls and surfaces are peppered with quaint dog and
soldier illustrations and figurines, sourced from nearby Portobello
Road Market, as well as stalls in France, Cornwall and Texas. “I love
my children growing up and playing with these tasteful things,”
Wickstead says. We have a feeling they, too, will have a fancy for
■
rearranging furniture.

64

Above: “Wickstead
and her children,
daughter Mercedes
Amalia and son
Gilberto, in her
Calacatta Viola
marble-swathed
kitchen. The
counter is lined
with Mies van der
Rohe-designed
Knoll Brno bar
stools, originally
designed by Philip
Johnson for his 1959
interiors at The Four
Seasons restaurant.
Left: A spray-painted
bench, an antiques
market find, sits
atop chequerboard
marble in the hallway.

DECEMBER 2022

K AT E M A RT I N

“At home, my
mum would
make our
curtains and
everything
would match.
She was
constantly
rearranging
furniture …
now it all
makes sense!”

A piece of you since 1972.
NEW COLLECTION • AVAILABLE NOW

vogue interiors

Albus Lumen
vase, $390.

Age-old allure

shared and celebrated
through different

Interiors designed
by Alexander
&Co., and styled
by Claire Delmar.

DESIGNER LIFE

“I’M FASCINATED BY the shapes and textures of

>5RPDQLDQ DUWLVW DQG VFXOSWRU &RQVWDQWLQ@ %UkQFXũL·V ZRUN
ZHRIWHQUHIHUWRKLVVFXOSWXUHZKHQGHVFULELQJWKHVHQVHDQG
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VWRQH DQG WLPEHU IRUPDWLRQV +LV VHQVH RI DUWLVWLF VROLWXGH
ZLWKQRWKLQJEXWDEHDXWLIXOGRJ>LQKLVPLGVW@HQFDSVXODWHV
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Sallie Portnoy
vase, $1,100.
Alaïa bag, $3,180.

Cosset
Ceramics
candle
holders,
$150 each.

Odd one in

Jacquemus
shoes,
$1,110.

A reconstruction of
sculptor Brâncuși 9s
workshop inside Musée
d9Art Moderne, Paris.

66

“Bringing sculpture and
shape to a home can be
done through furnishing
with unmatched pieces,
and the celebration of the
white space around them.
Try an uncommon form
placed surprisingly, like
a beautiful ceramic water
jug or vase on an empty
shelf; space can feel
energised by the irregular,
surprising use of shapes
in unexpected places.”

DECEMBER 2022

I N T E R V I E W: J O N A H WAT E R H O U S E P H OTO G R A P H S : G E T T Y I M A G E S G O R U N WAY. CO M
A N S O N S M A RT A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT V O G U E . CO M . A U / W T B

Every month, we ask interior design talents
to guest edit style cues to adopt for the home.
This month, Jeremy Bull of Alexander &Co.
carves out a sculptural approach.

LOUIS VUITTON RESORT ’23

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vogue gift guide

PRESENT MOMENT
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – to indulge
in a giving spirit and choose from an array of favours
to treat your beloved. Gifts to self also encouraged.
ART DIRECTION ARQUET TE COOKE ST YLING HARRIET CR AWFORD
PHOTOGRAPHS EDWARD URRUTIA

4.

10.

7.

3.

6.

13.

5.

2.
11.

12.

68

WORDS: ALICE BIRRELL
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT VO G U E .CO M . A U/ W T B

5.

4.

7.

3.

8.
9.

10.

13.

11.

16.
14.

12.

15.

DECEMBER 2022 69

14.

2.

1.

12.
13.

11.

70

E D WA R D U R R U T I A
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT VO G U E .CO M . A U/ W T B

vogue gift guide

9.

8.

6.
7.

5.

4.
10.

16.

15.

3.

4.

6.

13.

12.

14.
7.
8.

9.

DECEMBER 2022 71

vogue culture
ART

LARGER
THAN LIFE
When Sydney Modern, the Art Gallery
of New South Wales’s ambitious new
gallery, opens this month, it will welcome
visitors with three soaring sculptures
by the New Zealand artist Francis
Upritchard. By Jane Albert.

A

rtist Francis Upritchard was in Brazil on an
artist’s residency in 2004 when she came
across a wonderful local artist Darlindo José
de Oliveira Pinto who created small magical,
colourful sculptures of Amazonian snakes, fish and
mythological creatures. What particularly caught her
attention however, was the intriguing tactile material
they were made from: wild balata rubber. Intrigued, she
asked about its source.
Every two years Pinto would lead a small extraction
team that would canoe and hike for weeks deep into the
Amazon rainforest where he had a permit to alternately
milk two of four rare rubber trees. Shimmying up the tall
trunks, the men would cut a ‘V’ shape into the bark from
which the latex dripped down into a sack on the ground.
Immersed in water, it solidified into heavy rubber blocks
that were floated out of the jungle on a nearby river, the
team reversing their tracks and collecting it weeks later.
Sitting in his studio on the outskirts of the state of Pará
on the mouth of the Amazon River, Pinto showed
Upritchard how to soak the rubber overnight in cold
water before bringing it slowly up to heat, transforming it into
a malleable, stretchy pizza dough-like material that could be
moulded underwater into unusual and tactile sculptures.
Upritchard promptly purchased 300 kilograms of the balata
and today, almost two decades later, it forms a central part of
her three enormous, arresting, playful pairs of mythical beings
that will greet visitors as they enter the Welcome Plaza of
Sydney Modern, the Art Gallery of NSW’s (AGNSW) muchanticipated new gallery, that opens on December 3.
Titled Here Comes Everybody, the sculptures beg to be
played with, and Upritchard not only invites visitors to
touch her figures but actively hug their elongated tree-like
limbs, sit on their alien feet and interact with the sci-fiinspired little beasties that cling to various body parts.
“I make work because I really like working with my hands,
and if people touch it, it means they like it. You get

72

Francis Upritchard.

information from touching things,” the New Zealand-born, Londonbased sculptor smiles amiably.
Seven years after the Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architectural duo
SANAA was announced as the architects who would realise the $344 million
new museum, the stunning, delicate, light-filled building and public art
garden is about to be opened to the public. Funded by the NSW Government
in conjunction with a team of generous female donors, Gretel Packer and
Clare Ainsworth Herschell among them, Sydney Modern will almost
double the AGNSW’s footprint. The state-of-the-art building is the first
public art museum in Australia to be awarded a six-star Green Star design
rating and 5G connectivity throughout the space, courtesy of Optus.
Upritchard is one of nine leading Australian and international
contemporary artists whose site-specific commissioned artworks will be
unveiled in December, including First Nations artists Jonathan Jones and
Karla Dicken, Australian Lorraine Connelly-Northey, Australian-Malay
artist Simryn Gill, Japanese sculptor Yayoi Kusama and TaiwaneseAmerican Lee Mingwei. The inaugural artist commissioned for ‘the Tank’,

the vast subterranean gallery and former World War II fuel
tank, is renowned Argentine-Peruvian sculptor Adrián Villar
Rojas, whose site-specific installation The End of Imagination
will take over the 2,200 square-metre space. The work of a
further 900 Australian and international artists will feature in
the opening program.
Upritchard was back in Christchurch working on her recent
show Paper, Creature, Stone when she received a call from the
AGNSW’s head curator of international art Justin Paton inviting
her to submit a proposal for a commission. “I said no way,
because I don’t like working by committee, I’m used to just
making the art I want to make and if people want to buy it, they
buy it; or with a museum show, I’ll make the work I’m thinking
about. Commissions can be not like that,” she deadpans. “[But
Justin assured me] they were a really nice, open team. So I made
a model for the figures and really just played, using a children’s
craft product which is a bit like marshmallows and mimics
what the rubber can do.” Paton liked what he saw and so began
the two-year project culminating in Here Comes Everybody.
Upritchard happily defies neat categorisation. She graduated
from Canterbury Art School in 1998 before moving to London
that year and co-founding the Bart
Wells Institute. Using found
objects she experiments with
scale, colour and texture through
her other-worldly sculptures,
creatures and landscapes that
often reference folklore, ancient
history and sci-fi. The 2009 Venice
Biennale representative for New
Zealand, she has had shows in
Vienna, Los Angeles, London and
Melbourne, among others.
She met her now-husband,
designer Martino Gamper, when
they collaborated on a group
show in New York in 2007 and
spent much of last year living and working in his picturesque
hometown of Merano, northern Italy. It was here that Here
Comes Everybody took shape. Inspired by the local flora and
fauna surrounding the AGNSW – the Moreton Bay Figs, ibis,
bats and wombats – Upritchard’s figures are designed to work
in and around the striking columns that are a feature of
SANAA’s design. “I wanted something that had a similar echo
of the rational structure but was completely irrational and
much more natural,” she says.
With each weighing in at one tonne and the tallest reaching
6.5 metres, the installation is the largest she’s ever worked on
and required a team of eight helpers in Merano – mostly
university students from nearby Vienna – alongside the
40-odd foundry workers in Vincenza who cast the sculptures
in bronze. “I usually work alone in the studio and I know I’ve
said I don’t like working with committees, but it’s been lovely
working with such lovely people; it’s been a team effort.”
Her process is hands-on, labour-intensive and clearly highly
enjoyable. Based on a detailed 1:5 scale wooden model made

in conjunction with Gamper and local woodworkers, the sculptures are
constructed using 60 kilograms of hollowed-out balata rubber that provides
the frame for a wax cast that is then bronzed in the foundry, the balata
ultimately extracted rather than melt in the heat of the Sydney sun. Finally
they receive a patina application of bright blues and purples.
Despite the two-year process, much of the detail is realised quickly and
without too much thought, such as the “serpent-dinosaur thing” that wraps
around the arm of one sculpture. “I made it in around 20 seconds because
I try to be quite childish,” she explains. Upritchard cites other influences
as illustrator Quentin Blake who famously created Roald Dahl’s The BFG,
among others; sci-fi film Avatar and the Netflix series Stranger Things.
She would rather not be drawn on the specific meaning of her work.
“I hope it’s mostly a visual experience. I think there are narratives you could
pull from this work, but I think you should come to them yourself,” she says.
While she is aware of the significance of creating a permanent installation
for this highly anticipated new space, she is keeping things in perspective.
“When I was approached, I said to my husband, ‘Should I do it? Should
I go for it?’ and he said, ‘Yes, but only if you’re going to have fun; it needs
to be joyful and happy.’ And that was such good advice because if ever
I was feeling stressed, I thought, ‘Why is this pressure? I’m doing what I
want to do. It’s fun.’”
Sydney Modern will open to the public on December 3.

CO U RT E S Y A RT G A L L E RY O F N E W S O U T H WA L E S
DA N I E L M A Z Z A C H R I S TO P H E R SN E E H U G H S T E WA RT

“I make
work because
I really like
working with
my hands,
and if people
touch it,
it means
they like it”

Above: Here Comes Everybody (2022) as a work in progress in Italy for Sydney Modern.
Below: Installing Here Comes Everybody (2022) at AGNSW.

DECEMBER 2022 73

vogue culture

TELEVISION

BELLE DU JOUR

The ultra-charming Emily in Paris is back for a third season, with more high fashion, more high
stakes and even more Paris. Hannah-Rose Yee visits the city of lights for an exclusive sneak peek.

P

aris is always a good idea. But it is a particularly good idea
at seven o’clock on a Thursday evening in late August.
Especially at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, a jewel box in
the middle of the city currently home to a Schiaparelli
retrospective, for which Parisians are queuing long into aperitif
hour. Tonight, the museum is also hosting one specific, very
recognisable – or at least, very recognisable to Francophiles with an
escapist bent who also have a Netflix subscription – fashion fan:
Emily Cooper.
The third season of Emily in Paris is well underway when I visit.
“I feel like I know the city now,” gushes Ashley Park, who plays
Emily’s best friend Mindy, rattling off her favourite wine bars.
Earlier this week, Lily Collins and Lucien Laviscount, who plays
Emily’s new paramour Alfie, got hot and heavy on the Tuileries
ferris wheel; tomorrow, they will head up the Eiffel Tower. Later,
Laviscount teases, even “greater heights” will be crested. (He’s
talking about a hot air balloon.) “We get the best locations,” shares
Stephen Joel Brown, Emily in Paris’s jovial producer. He is the show’s

74

Miss Congeniality – “Have you met Stephen yet?” several people
ask, with the urgency of introducing me to a head of state – even
more than fan favourite Park or Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, who
stars as Emily’s ice-cold patron Sylvie but in real life, everyone
assures me, is très charmant. I glimpse her only at a distance inside
the Musée, in a plunging black gown, waiting to shoot a confrontation
with Kate Walsh’s Madeline. She catches my eye and beams.
Filming in the Eiffel Tower is the Emily in Paris equivalent of
bringing back Jon Snow from the dead on Game of Thrones. The series
has filmed near it, around it, at the foot of it, romantically gazing
upon it, twinkling, from the viewing platform of a bateau mouche
gliding softly down the Seine, but Emily in Paris has never actually
shot inside its titular city’s most iconic landmark. It took three seasons
but they’ve finally secured the tower, a sign that Emily in Paris is big
business, after season two clocked up more than 100 million viewing
hours. Its greatest strength, aside from being reliably effervescent
television, is that it is so clearly made in actual Paris, one of the most
beautiful cities in the world. And Paris is always a good idea.
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This is essentially the central premise of Emily in Paris, which has
followed Collins’s character for three seasons as the city unlocks all of
life’s possibilities. This is Laviscount’s central premise, too. He had
never been to Paris before he was cast – “It’s like Lucien in Paris, and
Netflix is paying me to be here,” he sums up cheerfully – now, he’s
scoping out apartments to live part-time. “Even though my French is
disgusting and doesn’t exist, but I really try,” he moans, slouched on
a sofa in a corner of the Musée. “I realised I was going around saying
‘Merci beau cul’ the whole time, which actually means ‘Thank you, nice
bum.’ And no one corrected me!” Maybe they took it as a compliment,
I suggest. “Not when you’re in an Uber!”
he yelps, with what I can only describe as
the world’s cheekiest grin.
Laviscount returns in season three as
a bona fide member of the Emily in Paris
gang. “I wouldn’t say I’m the big dog, but
I’m at the bowl,” he declares. He describes
the new series as “Friends in Paris; it’s
all very interconnected,” and hints that
there’s “something else aside from Lily”
that brings Alfie back to town. “The more
you get to know about Alfie, the more
mysterious he gets,” Laviscount reflects,
enigmatically. It’s true. Why does this
man who purports to hate Paris continue
Emily and Alfie,
played by Lucien
to live there? And how on earth is Emily
Laviscount.
going to choose between the gorgeous
Above, from left:
Mindy (Ashley
Alfie with his straightforward charm and
Park), Emily and
the gorgeous Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), a
Camille (Camille
French chef with perfect bone structure?
Razat) in a scene
from the third
“I don’t think it’s really competition,”
season.
Laviscount gamely counters. The
difference between the pair, he believes,
is the way they communicate. “Gabriel
shelters his feelings a little bit more,”
Laviscount offers. “Alfie is just a straightup guy, if he wants something he’ll go
and get it and if it’s not working for him,
like, peace out.” As a character, Alfie
veers painfully close to f**kboy territory,
but Laviscount, I can assure you, has an adorably soft centre. His
favourite Paris memory is “walking down the Seine at sunset”.
“It’s so romantic,” he tells me earnestly, with … a lot … of eye contact.
Minutes later, I’m following Laviscount and Park, arm in arm, across
the Rue de Rivoli to the Hotel Regina, where a suite has been booked
for Park to dress for a photo shoot. People are staring. Yes, Park is still
wearing the Baywatch-cut sequin bodysuit from her photo shoot, but
it’s also the effect of seeing the pair together in their cinematic home.
“Ashley is like the team leader,” Laviscount shares. She’s the one with
the best restaurant recommendations, the friendliest advice and is
always down for a night on the town, including the time she took
Laviscount to Café Charlot – “our spot!” he exclaims – for a drink after
the first table read and it turned into “one of the best nights I’ve ever
had”. Everyone on Emily in Paris adores her. Bravo and Samuel Arnold,
who plays Emily’s colleague Julien, moved into her apartment in
season one. This time, Park and Collins are living in the same building.

After work, they usually convene in one of their flats and sit together
in companionable, contented silence.
Park takes her role as television’s pre-eminent best friend very
seriously. “I can’t tell you how many times people come up to me,” she
reflects, “and be like, ‘Oh my god, hey, how are you doing?’ People
think that they know me.” So much so that Park doesn’t correct them.
(“I also have a bad memory,” she jokes.) For Park, it’s a true honour.
“It’s not about the recognition and the fame,” she explains. “I can’t
believe so many people associate music, joy and friendship with me.”
Like Laviscount, Park arrived in Paris for the first time to make the
series. “I had left everything I knew,” she
shares. “I’m from the Broadway world. I
never dreamed in a million years that
I would be on a television show.” Park
turned 30 on the second season, and so
much of “reaching adulthood” is wrapped
up in Emily in Paris, from her friendship
with Collins to the way her career has
shifted into high gear. (She has just
wrapped the lead role in a comedy directed
by Crazy Rich Asians writer Adele Lim.)
“It also has really helped me deeply
understand my value as a person,” Park
adds. She shares that all of her friends
came to visit during production and each
of them went through “a big shift” after
leaving: a relationship began or ended, a
new job or apartment was secured. “I think
it’s because when you come to a place like
this, you really open up to the universe,
and maybe that’s what happened to me.”
At the end of season two, Mindy reminds
Emily that “this isn’t just a fun year abroad
anymore, this is your life”. “We really see
that come to fruition in season three,”
reveals Park. And part of real life is the notso-glossy stuff. “Emily and Mindy find
a way to be like: we’re both changing, and
this is how we’re going to progress this
friendship,” she explains. “It’s not obstacles
in any way, but I think we get to see dimension from that friendship.”
Back on set, the confrontation between Sylvie and Madeline – with
Emily peacekeeping in Pierre Cadault couture – is in full swing.
Madeline needs Sylvie’s help, Sylvie wants nothing to do with her
Midwestern overlords. The sequence is a showcase for both Collins’s
uncanny resemblance to Audrey Hepburn – she is debuting
a gamine short fringe this season – and her impeccable comedic
timing, her face twisting effortlessly into conciliatory smiles and
awkward grimaces. Collins catches each improvisation thrown at
her by Walsh, who plays Madeline with increasingly manic levels
of desperation, and runs with it. At the end of the fourth take,
producer Darren Star – the creator of Emily in Paris and some other
television you might have heard of, like Sex and the City – has the
smile of a man who has seen Netflix’s top-secret ratings numbers.
“That’s a good one,” he proclaims. Cut!
Season three of Emily in Paris streams on Netflix from December 21.

“I think it’s because when you
come to a place like this, you really
open up to the universe, and maybe
that’s what happened to me”

76

DECEMBER 2022

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vogue culture

TOP HONOURS

On the eve of receiving the highest accolade in
the Australian film industry, Catherine Martin
recalls her favourite sartorial anecdotes from
across her career.
PHOTOGRAPH DAVE WHEELER

tribes, it was very much finding some visual division between the
American family and the Latinx culture and then taking cues from,
I suppose, Catholic religious culture and the idea of the American
GI of the cargo pants and the Hawaiian shirt that was symbolic. It
always reminds me of South Pacific. There’s so much history with the
motifs and there’s so much cross-fertilisation particularly between
Japanese motifs and Hawaiian shirts. The blue shirt Leo wears
actually has a motif taken from The Tale of Genji, which some people
say is one of the first novels ever written. It’s a cart that the lover hid
in, I believe, it’s all covered in flowers, so it’s just really interesting
because he’s the lover and even though I don’t think we even knew
what the motif was, it turns out it was extremely meaningful.”

MOULIN ROUGE!
“Everything was made in Australia by incredibly talented people.
From shoes to hats to corsets to petticoats. It was really incredible,
instead of having to go somewhere else or overseas, to make something
of this level at home. And that’s something we always lean into, the
abilities and talent of the people here. It’s less impactful on budget,
but people bring a lot more to it because they’re invested because
they’re part of a local team. We did hire some costumes for the extras
though, including some Titanic tail suits, which we diligently picked
all the fake ice and snow off and used for the background crowd.”

THE GREAT GATSBY

W

ith four Academy Awards to her name, Catherine
Martin has the equal second highest number of Oscars
for any woman. And yet, despite being tied with such
screen legends as Katharine Hepburn and Frances
McDormand, the woman affectionately known as “CM” repeatedly
calls out her team of trusty collaborators – director-husband Baz
Luhrmann, fellow costume designers Angus Strathie and Kym
Barrett, and her myriad colleagues across wardrobe and production
– as intrinsic to her success. Basking in success solo is not her style.
This month, she’ll receive the Longford Lyell Award at the annual
Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA)
Awards and, true to form, Martin says, “I’m incredibly flattered and
thrilled to accept and I’m really glad because it recognises the
enormous contribution my team make to my work and it will allow
me to have a platform to thank them.”
This is no swansong accolade, either. “I think I’m just getting
going,” she says with a laugh. “Well, I’m mid-stride, so to speak.”
To mark the occasion, she shares some of her favourite fashion
anecdotes from the set.

ROMEO + JULIET
“Leo’s blue shirt was found by Kym Barrett in a second-hand store in
Kings Cross. All the other shirts were specifically designed for [the
Montagues]. Baz, Kym and I were trying to develop these different

78

ELVIS
“I think I underestimated just how big it was actually going to be, and
how many people, and what that means. I remember at the very end of
shooting, they put all of the extras’ costumes on a soundstage. There
were 9,000 individual outfits with underwear, shoes, whatever, and
one of the extras coordinators had a drone, and they sent the drone up
and they have footage of actually seeing this vast sea of costumes. It’s
quite emotional because you don’t realise that at the time. I think all
of Elvis’s clothes are my favourite. Austin [Butler]’s ability to intersect
with Elvis’s wardrobe and, really, for them to become something much
more than clothes for a man walking around or someone imitating
someone singing and dancing. He just brings everything to life. In
a way, when you see the stuff on the hanger, you kind of go, ‘It’s a bit
ho-hum,’ but he inhabits the clothes and that does change everything.”
The 2022 AACTA Awards will be broadcast on Network 10, Wednesday,
December 7 at 7.30pm.

DECEMBER 2022

I N T E R V I E W: J E S S I C A M O N TA G U E

Catherine Martin.

“We worked with Prada to make the costumes for that first party; the
idea was that we really wanted to elevate it and make it have an avantgarde fashion feel. They made about 40 dresses and outfits for us. They
were each characters and Mrs Prada enjoyed that. We found in a Vanity
Fair of the period that every year they would do a cartoon. [It would be
from] when everyone went back to New York in September for a big
opening night at the theatre. They would do a cartoon basically of the
stalls with everybody in it. We went through all the descriptions of
everybody who was actually at these parties, then we cross-referenced
them with all these society caricatures that Vanity Fair did. So, those 40
people were very specific characters and we created little backstories
for them and then, by going through both Miu Miu and Prada
archives, we were able to match up what felt appropriate in terms of
the character and the clothes would best serve that particular look.”

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82

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DECEMBER 2022 83

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DECEMBER 2022 85

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DECEMBER 2022 87

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DECEMBER 2022

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L AUNCHES

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VOGUE AUSTRALIA: What are your three commandments of holiday
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VICTORIA BARON: “Thou shall embrace opulence. Thou shall shimmer.

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VA: Is there a 2022 ‘don’t’ of holiday make-up?
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event. And don’t worry too much about what ‘not’ to do. Your makeup should feel free, lived-in and very much your own.”
VA: Name the three products every partygoer needs in their kit.
VB: A lip colour. “Chanel Rouge Allure L’extrait lip colour can be
used as a highly pigmented stain by pressing it on with a finger and
blurring the edges, or as a crisp, impactful bold lip straight from the
bullet. l like to use the same lip colour as a subtle cheek stain for
a natural dance-floor flush.”
A touch-up kit. “Cotton tips, loaded brushes, powder sponges and
some multi-use palettes. Clean fingers are your best application and
blending friends.”
A fun holiday palette. “Leave your staples at home and add
something special. Chanel Duo Bronze et Lumière can be used to
add a reflective wet-look dimension to your brows; or applied to the
inner corners of the eyes over the top of Chanel Les 4 Ombres Tisse
Ombre de Lune eye shadow; or on the Cupid’s bow of the lips.”
VA: Finish this sentence: Before leaving the house for a soirée,
always …
VB: “Coco Chanel would want you to take something off. But if you
are in the mood for more, apply hydrating luminous body oil No. 5
The Gold Body Oil to create reflective iridescent skin.”

Soirée season is in full swing. For balmy
evenings and hot nights, Chanel make-up
artist Victoria Baron unpacks the new wave
of holiday maquillage. By Mahalia Chang.

THINE OWN
DEVICES
The key to a good party look? Good skin
prep. And the key to good skin prep?
Good maintenance, of course. Next to your
hardworking skincare products and regular
beauty appointments, a high-powered facial
device deserves pride of place in your
routine. These days there is no shortage of
options to line your vanity, from LED masks
that promote skin brightness and evenness,
to brushes that gently scrub away dirt and
residue product from your face. Buzz, buzz.
Dr. Dennis Gross x Mecca Spectralite
FaceWare Pro limited-edition mask, $679.
Cut the queue when it comes to clear skin
with this LED mask in a delectable pink
shade exclusive to
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CHRISTOPHER JOHN ROGERS RESORT ’23

Nu Skin ageLOC LumiSpa iO
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BACKSTAGE
INSIDER
The look: Ultra-bold lips
The lowdown: When heading out

for a night on the town, what better way
to stand out than with a dramatic lipstick
shade. Across the runways during resort
’23, bright, crisply lined lips took centre
stage. At Christopher John Rogers, the
look leant into day-glo fuchsias and
tangerines, while Burberry and N°21
favoured deep, moody reds to pop against
barely there eye make-up. To recreate the
look, use a lip brush to achieve a sharp
edge then dust with translucent powder
to whisk away any remaining shine.
DECEMBER 2022 91

vogue beauty
HAIR

CODE RED

After dying her hair a daring fiery
hue in her 20s, Glynis Traill-Nash
was won over by its transformative
power and enduring sense of fun.

O

92

As an extroverted introvert,
I enjoyed the fact that my hair
colour often broke the ice when
an opening line was still locked
in the depths of the freezer

X-Files. All sexy, sassy women. I was neither of those things. But
I could at least join the colour club.
Similarly, women often call me brave for sporting this shade, or
that they wished they could be as daring. Maybe if you hear the
words enough, they start to sink into your skin a little. Fake it ’til you
make it, if you will.
This particular shade of red has its advantages. Friends say
I’m easy to spot in a crowd. It also has its disadvantages. A man of
a certain age once looked me up and down and said, “You’d
be a challenge.”
But the advantages well outweigh. Five-year-old girls will
regularly come over with their mothers in tow to say they like my
hair, or that I look like Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Sometimes
I tell them that’s my name and watch their eyes explode in delight.
I’m told it has become my signature, that I can’t ever change it, and
frankly, I don’t have any desire to. I often wonder if I’ll be the same
colour at 90, and I like to think that I will. It’s a choice, after all. The
cut has changed over the years, but the colour has been a constant
companion. And when the colour has faded a little over the weeks,
as reds do, I sit in that chair in front of Brad and he reboots the
battery once more. Once he has worked his magic, he always looks at
me in the mirror and says, “She’s back.” And I am.

DECEMBER 2022

J A CQ H A R R I E T

ne of the best things about Americans is
their lack of filter. On a recent trip to Los
Angeles, passers-by of all descriptions
would call out from across the street, or
sidle up to me in shops: “Love the colour!” they
would say. “Love your hair!” Not once or twice,
but maybe 15 or 20 times a day.
I’ve been this shade of red, or thereabouts, for
the past 20 years, give or take. You kind of forget
about it. Friends have tried to Pantone match it,
many call it pink, but I maintain it is a shade of
cherry red, which fades out to dirty rhubarb as
the weeks pass on.
I was always going to hit the bottle. My natural
hair colour hit its peak aged two. A tiny child
with a shocking mop of platinum blonde. It was
all downhill from there.
From platinum I warmed up through Nordic
blonde to golden to honey to ash and then in my
early teens … mouse. As a teenager who longed
for glamour – whatever that was – it didn’t sit well
with me. Early experiments at high school with
peroxide just gave me brassy tones and I vowed to my horrified
mother that once the rigours of school and uniforms were over
I would return to that Monroe-esque shade. And I did for a time in
my 20s, while living in London.
I turned up in Sydney after five years there, feeling like a husk of
a human, my bleached locks as depleted as my energy levels. Within
days of arriving, I found myself in a chair in front of locks legend
Brad Ngata. “Cut it off and dye it red,” I pleaded, as if to put the past
five years behind me. Sensing my fragility, he eased me into a trim
and that change of hue.
The effect was immediate. I felt revived, like a shiny new Eveready
battery had been clicked into place. New city, new look. A reinvention
of sorts.
The red got progressively more intense in the next few years, yet
had the opposite effect on my outlook.
As an extroverted introvert, I enjoyed the fact that my hair colour
often broke the ice when an opening line was still locked in the
depths of the freezer.
I should have known I’d always end up here, that blonde would
only be a passing flirtation. The seeds were sown early with a lineup of pop-culture crushes: Ginger on reruns of Gilligan’s Island,
Daphne in Scooby-Doo, Shirley Manson of Garbage, Scully in The

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vogue health

I

f you’ve used TikTok recently, you may have noticed a slightly
off-kilter trend: men around the world are sharing rave reviews
about their vasectomies. What started as a response to the
overturning of Roe vs Wade in the US in July has taken on a life
of its own. Uploads with the hashtag #vasectomy have been viewed
more than 579 million times, and there are 30 million views on
#snipsniphooray, which, among other things, details hilarious and
inventive care packages significant others have for after the procedure.
Here in Australia, we thankfully don’t have the same challenges
with access to legal abortion, but vasectomies are still trending,
particularly among young people who don’t want kids. According to
Medicare, the procedure for men and people with penises aged
between 25 and 34 jumped 22 per cent in 2020-21 – an increase of 40
per cent since 2014-15.
Dr Geoff Cashion, a surgeon with Vasectomy Australia, says
inquiries have doubled during the past six months. “We’ve seen
a huge spike. I’m currently doing 80 vasectomies a week.”
Are men finally fed up with having very little in the way of
reproductive control? Or perhaps it’s
women who are tired of carrying the
contraceptive burden?
Data from Marie Stopes International
shows contraceptive pill prescriptions
in Australia averaged 33,500 in 2021
(down from 80,000 a month in 1992).
Uptake of other options such as
IUD has also been slow, and a 2017
study by Monash University found
that 15 per cent of Australians are
instead using ‘natural’ but riskier
contraceptive methods, such as
withdrawal and the rhythm method –
compared with seven per cent of
participants in earlier surveys.
“Even with all of our current choices,
one in three women in Australia still
experience unwanted pregnancies,”
says Family Planning NSW medical director Dr Clare Boerma. “It’s
clear we need more options so couples can find what reliably works
for them.”
Back in the 1970s, scientists first showed they could use an
injection of synthetic hormones to suppress sperm production. But
more than 50 years later men still don’t have many options available
to them. So why, after all this time, don’t we have a male pill? From
a scientific point of view, men make around 1,500 sperm per second,
whereas women only mature one egg per month, which makes
sperm a whole lot harder to block.
“It is biologically harder to make a man infertile than a woman.
There are nearly 100 million sperm in each ejaculation and you’ve
got to stop all of them, compared with just one egg,” says Dr Sab
Ventura, a professor of pharmacology at Monash University who’s
leading the development of a non-hormonal male birth control.
“But it’s not as hard as people make out,” he adds. “People have
already invented a lot of strategies that can make males infertile and
they do work with incredibly high efficiency, it’s just mainly the side

TO M S C H I E R L I T Z / T R U N K A R C H I V E

“Men have
changed.
They want to
be part of
the family
planning
process. They
want to
have control
over their
reproduction”

effects and lack of support from pharmaceutical companies that
have been a problem so far.”
Dr Ventura says the biggest hurdle is the lack of interest from big
pharma, due to outdated views that men won’t be interested in
taking a contraceptive pill, that they’ll forget, or women won’t be
able to trust them. However, that’s rapidly changing – just look at all
the men going out to get vasectomies, often reporting they do so to
spare their partners having to take the pill.
A 2022 survey led by We-Vibe and YLabs taken across seven
different countries also found that 78 per cent of male participants
said they wanted to share responsibility for contraception with their
partners. And private funding group Male Contraceptive Initiative
have estimated there’s an annual market of 17 million potential
users in the States alone.
“Over the past 10 to 15 years, men have changed,” says Dr
Christina Wang, an expert on male reproductive biology at The
Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in the US.
“They want to be part of the family planning process. They want to
have control over their reproduction.”
There are three main types of male contraceptives that have
proven to be effective in animals and are now in development:
hormonal, non-hormonal, and physical – where something reversible
blocks the sperm.
Dr Wang’s team is working on the hormonal approach. It’s already
well established that giving men synthetic testosterone – usually in
combination with a progestin – can interrupt the hormonal pathways
that tell male bodies to produce sperm.
What’s left to figure out is how to deliver these hormones in
a convenient way with minimal side effects.
Famously in 2016, a World Health Organization trial of a hormonal
contraceptive injection for men was shut down due to concerns
about side effects such as mood swings, acne and low libido
– similar reactions women deal with daily when taking the pill.
But 75 per cent of the participants said they’d be willing to keep
using the shot – and since then, researchers have learned a lot.
Dr Wang and her team are working on a similar hormonal injection
– but are also in the middle of trials of a daily pill (known as DMAU).
Studies have shown both the injection and pill are safe in humans
and can reduce sperm counts. They’re now at the point of seeing
whether these products reduce sperm counts enough to prevent
pregnancy – all while closely monitoring any side effects.
However, the hormonal approach that’s the furthest along isn’t
a pill at all – it’s an odourless body gel called Nestorone-Testosterone
that’s already being used by 420 couples in the US, UK, Chile,
Sweden, Kenya and Italy as part of phase II trials.
The gel is applied daily on the arms and shoulders and shuts down
sperm production by blocking the hormones that trigger the
production of testosterone. To minimise side effects, the gel also
contains some replacement testosterone, which keeps the rest of
the body healthy and happy but isn’t strong enough to start up
sperm production. The gel takes roughly three months to work but
early indications suggest that once a man’s sperm count is low
enough, it’s able to effectively prevent pregnancy.
The results to date haven’t been published, but are so promising
that the US National Institutes of Health and the Population
→

DECEMBER 2022 95

vogue health
Council are applying to the US Food and Drug Administration to
start a Phase III trial in 2023 – a few years ahead of schedule.
Phase III trials are usually the final stage before a drug is released
to market, and, if successful, this will be the first hormonal male
contraceptive to reach that milestone. “We thought the gel might be
inconvenient as you have to cover up or shower after using it so it
doesn’t come into contact with other people,” says Dr Wang, whose
team leads the US study. “But the men in the trial tell us they love
the gel the most out of any contraceptive option they’ve tried.”
However, for some men, the idea of artificially altering their
hormones may still be unpalatable, even if the side effects are
carefully managed. “If they could come up with one without side
effects before the first male pill is released, then why haven’t they
come up with one without side effects for women in the last 50
years?” questions Victor Rudolfsson, a 32-year-old software
engineer. “I doubt it would have no side effects.”
However, Rudolfsson is more than happy to play his part in family
planning in other ways. He had a vasectomy in May, after a 4am
conversation with a girl he was dating.
“She was ranting about how unfair it is that women are expected
to be on birth control 24/7 from a young age, and how this is so
normalised – hormone-altering stuff that gives you all sorts of side
effects both physical and mental,” he explains.
“I’ve always wished I could just take something myself. She said:
‘All men should just be forced to have a vasectomy at birth and if
they want kids they can reverse it!’”
He initially debated that point, but the more he thought about
it the more he realised that relying on the women he slept with put
all the control in their hands: At what burden to them?” Especially
when he knew he didn’t want kids anyway.
Dr Ventura agrees that for decades men have been the beneficiaries
of women suffering through side effects for the ‘greater good’.
“Women are a bit of a victim in that scientists created the pill for
women first – and there was a huge demand for it, so the side effects
seemed like they were worth the risk at the time,” he explains.
“But because women are already using it, when it comes to trials
for men there’s this attitude of, ‘Oh well, haven’t we got this under
control, so do we really need to?’”
However, that belief is shifting. “Men are realising it can benefit
both them and their partner if they can take on some of that.” It’s
unavoidable that there will come a time where men have to take on
some discomfort if they really want to be equal in a relationship
and in matters of family planning. Still, getting pharmaceutical
companies to believe that is the next big hurdle.
It’s for this reason that Dr Ventura and his team at Monash
University are one of the many groups working on a non-hormonal
contraceptive approach. He thinks ultimately drugs that don’t
contain hormones will be the future of male (and female)
contraceptives that are less heavy on the side effects.
In August, Dr Ventura’s team announced they’d found molecules
in stinging nettle leaf extract that have the potential to interrupt
sperm motility only while they’re being taken, offering a reversible
way to prevent sperm from swimming and reaching an egg.
Using gene editing to target the same pathway, the team has
shown the approach is 100 per cent effective at preventing pregnancy

96

in mice and is now looking to develop it into an oral pill that could
be tested in animals before human trials. It’s just one of many
research groups worldwide pursuing molecules that act only on
sperm, and not the rest of the body the way hormones do.
The other promising non-hormonal option is physically blocking
sperm from travelling down the vas deferens into the penis when
ejaculation happens. During a vasectomy, the vas deferens is cut, but
more reversible approaches instead inject the tube with a hydrogel
that can later be dissolved.
Trials in animals using this approach have been 100 per cent
effective at blocking pregnancy, and several different startups and
labs, as well as two Melbourne hospitals, are now testing this
product in humans.
The real challenge is funding – 95 per cent of contraceptive
research is funded by government grants, or charitable initiatives
such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Male
Contraceptive Initiative. “If we were a pharmaceutical company
we’d have 50 to 100 chemists on this project and it would still take
years, and we’ve [only] got enough money to have one working on it
full-time,” says Dr Ventura.
“There’s a joke that male contraceptives
have been 10 years away for the past 50
years. It’s all about opinions and
funding, that’s what has to change for it
to go any faster,” he adds.
“What we need is something really
convenient for men to take – likely an
oral pill will be more convenient than
a gel or a plug in the vas deferens. But
the main goal is just to create more
options and that way people can take
what suits them best.”
Wang agrees. Her team is confident
that a hormonal contraceptive, most
likely the body gel, will probably be
approved for men first, simply because
the drugs involved are so well studied.
But she hopes that will pave the way
for more options. She’s confident that by 2032 there’ll be
something on the market for men.
On top of reducing unwanted pregnancies, the release of male
contraceptives could be just as revolutionary for our sex lives as the
launch of the female pill back in the 60s. A 2008 Kinsey Institute
study shows that effective contraception improves sexual satisfaction,
particularly for those in long-term relationships. “If people feel trust
in their contraceptive choices, they can remain present with the
pleasure and make choices that align with their sexual identity,
desires and wants, rather than the avoidance of pregnancy,” says
Christine Rafe, sex and relationship expert for We-Vibe.
It would also be a major step forward in the equality that so
many of us are craving in our relationships. “The more options
there are, the better it’ll be for everybody,” says Dr Ventura.
“People can choose what’s safest for them, what gives the least
amount of side effects, and what works best for their life. That’s
■
where we need to get to.”

“People can
choose what’s
safest for
them, what
gives the
least amount
of side
effects, and
what works
best for
their life”

DECEMBER 2022

THE STAR GOLD COAST MAGIC MILLIONS CARNIVAL 4-17 JANUARY 2023

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GOLDEN
SLUMBERS

esigned to bring an effortless combination of fashion and
sensuality to your bedroom, leading Australian sleepwear
brand Homebodii has collaborated with iconic American
fashion house HALSTON – on a glamorous sleepwear capsule.
“We love partnering with brands that share our passion for
innovation and modernity,” explains Robert D’Loren, Chairman
and CEO of Xcel Brands, who today own HALSTON. A name
synonymous with American fashion, the legacy of progenitor Roy
Halston Frowick is carried on more than 50 years later.
It’s a collection that evokes the allure of the Australian coastline
and the countless muses that informed Frowick’s designs, such as
Liza Minelli and Bianca Jagger. “This collaboration celebrates
HALSTON’s glamorous chic with Homebodii’s iconic take on the
golden coast of Australia.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by founder and designer of Homebodii,
Ingrid Bonnor. “The Gold Coast is one of Australia’s most iconic
coastal cities, and we are thrilled to partner with a renowned
fashion brand such as HALSTON,” she says.

D

<THIS COLLABORATION CELEBRATES
HALSTON’S GLAMOROUS CHIC WITH
HOMEBODII’S ICONIC TAKE ON THE
GOLDEN COAST OF AUSTRALIA.=
“We collaborated to create pieces that pay homage to Halston’s
heritage while coupling inspiration from our region’s natural
beauty.” “Featuring Iridescent blue hues and the symbolic HH print,
Homebodii x HALSTON delivers timeless glamour from the sofa to
the cocktail lounge.
Much like Halston himself, who introduced the sensational
ultrasuede shirt dress that became a ‘70s staple, Homebodii
pioneered the now-ubiquitous bridal party “getting ready” robe. A
decade since its inception, Homebodii continues to stand out in the
category, now known as one of Australia’s leading sleepwear and
loungewear brands.

VOGUE PROMOTION

TM

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0ǕŵƯňĐñşşǖ ǏňĎƛñŪƯ ñŪė ǐñƛŨşǖ ğǕƘƛğƣƣňǏğ ñǖğŪŪğ͵ƣ ŨğƣŨğƛňƣňŪ
ƛğėŵƛñŪ ğ łƷğ ňƣ ñǏñňşñĎşğ ňŪ ñ ƛñŪ ğ ŵĺ 0ŪñŨğşşğė ñƣƯ UƛŵŪ
Đŵŵśǐñƛğ ŵǏğŪƯŵƯñĎşğ ®ƯŵŪğǐñƛğ ñŪė 
ĐĐğƣƣŵƛňğƣ

SHOP AT YOUR NEAREST
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AT WWW.LECREUSET.COM.AU

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GREGORY HARRIS

Elizabeth Debicki
wears a Givenchy
dress, P.O.A. Dior
Fine Jewellery rings,
$6,300 each. Adidas
Originals sneakers,
$150. All prices
approximate; details at
Vogue.com.au/WTB.

IN HER STRIDE
Acclaimed for her vast range as an actor,
Elizabeth Debicki inhabits every role she plays
with instinctive ease. Here, in laid-back party
pieces, she channels an insouciant cool.

105

She won an AACTA for her breakout role in Baz Luhrmann’s
The Great Gatsby, became a water-cooler obsession courtesy of
The Night Manager, and is now portraying Princess Diana in
season five and six of The Crown. Katrina Israel catches up with
Elizabeth Debicki on the European set of the smash-hit series.
Styled by Dena Giannini. Photographed by Gregory Harris.
Salvatore Ferragamo top, P.O.A. Dior Fine Jewellery earrings, $3,330.

DECEMBER 2022 107

t’s a Friday morning in Spain when Elizabeth Debicki Zooms
in from the Mallorca set of The Crown, where the Australian
actor is currently filming season six as Diana, Princess of
Wales. “I’m in a little flat with a very interesting clock on the
wall,” she deadpans, referring to her basic holiday rental
that’s dwarfed by a frameless timepiece, comprised of
numerals painted directly onto the white wall over her
shoulder. “The first time I came here was doing The Night Manager,
which I was horrified to count backwards and realise was seven
years ago,” the 32-year-old continues, blue eyes sparkling behind
oversized tortoiseshell frames. Lifting a wine glass, she adds, “This
is a protein shake, in a wine glass, because we’re out of normal
glasses. Please don’t judge.”
Right now, life for Debicki is somewhat topsy-turvy and time is
clearly on her mind. “It’s such a strange experiment, you come to
beautiful places that people only come to have a lovely vacation, and
you work really hard and funny hours. The first
week you’re like, ‘I can have a nice lunch and do my
work. I’m totally capable.’ Then after the third
week, you’re like this nocturnal animal. You’re so
tired and you see people having dinner under your
building and you’re like, ‘Oh, yeah. Restaurant.’ It’s
such a weird experience.”
Production on season six is now back into
overdrive after a respectful pause for the passing of
Queen Elizabeth II. “We had just gotten to
Barcelona, and I think we’d shot a day,” she recalls.
“Of course, we paused, which was the right thing to
do. It was very surreal, very sad and very sobering
for everybody. I suddenly felt very homesick,” she
shares, referring to her parents, and younger
brother and sister, back in Melbourne. “I could tell
it was really hard for people to be away from their
families,” she continues, explaining that 95 per cent
of The Crown’s crew are English. “Grief, as we all
know, sneaks up in the oddest of ways. All the crew
and cast stayed in the same hotel, and everyone just
kept passing each other. It’s strange being on
location because it’s liminal space where you don’t have to do your
laundry, but you’re not at work and you don’t know what
to do. I spent a lot of time watching that queue,” she says of the
line to visit the monarch Lying-in-State, which was 10 miles long
and a 24-hour wait at its peak. “It was just the perfect snapshot of
what English people are and [are] capable of. It was very moving.”
After years commuting between Sydney and London in her 20s for
many a film set and to tread the boards at Britain’s National Theatre,
Debicki, who was born in Paris but raised in Melbourne, has been
based in North London since 2018. “I miss them really a lot all the
time,” she says of her close-knit family. Her parents, both professional
dancers, ignited her passion for the arts. “But I guess I’ve gotten used
to missing people. That’s the expat’s lot. When I land in Australia,
the wash of familiarity, comfort and nostalgia is extremely settling
for me. But London feels like my home now.”
Debicki was last back in Melbourne in August for a surprise visit
for her birthday. “I just really wanted to see my dad’s face, and he

gave me what I really needed,” she smiles. “He was watering
something in the front yard and I jumped out of the corner. My sister
was filming it. My mum opens the door with this all-knowing look
and she’s like, ‘I knew you were here. I felt it!’ I was like, ‘Oh, come
on. Give it to me, I just flew across the ocean!’”
When we first meet Debicki as Diana in season five of The Crown, the
cracks in the royal marriage are starting to show with a public media
war brewing. The first episode opens with the scheming notion of
a ‘second honeymoon’ for Prince Charles and Princess Diana, planted
by his aides with ‘friendly’ newspapers to help boost his popularity
with the public. “As you know, a big part of your appeal as future
King is the prospect of the Princess of Wales as Queen,” his aide
cautions, to which Charles replies ‘yes’ before moving to a window
where a blonde woman, clearly not Diana, blows him a parting kiss.
The next scene splits to the recognisable voice of Princess Diana
being briefed by her aide about said ‘second honeymoon’. The camera
crops in on Debicki’s face, half hidden behind her
sapphire engagement ring as her fingers rest on her
chin. Her wide eyes are edged in a smoky shadow
as she looks up through her feathered fringe – the
voice, the pose, the hair, the make-up … the likeness
to Diana. It’s just plain eerie.
“I remember the first camera test we did,” recalls
Dominic West, who plays Prince Charles in seasons
five and six. “I was terrified. It was the worst day of
my life. She came in looking just like Princess Di and
sounding just like Princess Di, and I walked in
dressed up as Charles. I don’t look anything like
him and I don’t really sound anything like him
either. I’ve got little legs like him, but that’s it. So
I was standing there waiting for my test watching
the screen where Elizabeth was walking down
a corridor and I went, ‘Oh my god, it’s uncanny.’”
As it turns out, the role of Princess Diana has
been playing over in Debicki’s mind for some
time. “I was a huge fan of The Crown because my
dear friend Vanessa Kirby played Margaret in the
first two seasons, so we all watched it,” she recalls.
“I was bowled over by it. It was so luscious, well-made, and
cinematic. The whole thing was so heartfelt but grounded.”
When a chance to audition for a small part in season two came up,
despite not thinking she was a physical match, Debicki jumped at it.
“It’s funny when you audition for something you don’t think you’re
right for … you feel like an imposter more than you usually do,” she
muses. “I stumbled my way through about half of the audition and
they very, very politely were like, ‘Okay, thank you so much for
coming and bye.’ I was just miserable.”
Little did she know they had seen something at that audition and
had taken it to The Crown’s creator Peter Morgan, igniting a wider
discussion about Diana for five years down the line. “I heard about it,”
she continues, “but being the wise and cynical person I am, I thought,
‘Well, I don’t know how many eggs I’m going to put in that basket.’
I held onto that little hope quietly, and never talked about it.”
A similar audition happened with Emma Corrin who went on to
win a Golden Globe for their role as a younger Diana. “It’s not →

108

GREGORY HARRIS

“I remember the
first camera test
we did. I was
terrified. She
came in looking
just like Princess
Di and sounding
just like Princess
Di … it’s
uncanny”
Dominic West

Bottega Veneta jacket
$6,430, and pants,
$1,990. Dior Fine
Jewellery earring,
$3,330, and
ring, $15,700.
Adidas Originals
sneakers, $150.

Abercrombie & Fitch
jacket, $150. Proenza
Schouler dress, $3,065.
Dior Fine jewellery rings,
$6,300 each. Adidas
Originals sneakers, $150.

GREGORY HARRIS

Christian Dior
dress, P.O.A.
Adidas Originals
sneakers, $150.

DECEMBER 2022 111

about how much somebody resembles somebody, you can do that
with tricks,” continues Debicki. “The emphasis is always on
something that’s less tangible; some kind of energy, an essence that
the audience connects to. It’s truly uncanny. I always call Robert
[Sterne], the casting director, and say, ‘My god, you’ve done it again.
I don’t know where you found this person, but it’s amazing.’”
For half a decade Debicki has been quietly compiling a gallery of
references on her phone that’s helped mould her interpretation of
Diana. “A very wide collage in your brain starts, a slightly strange
database because I love research,” she says of her multilayered
approach. “At school, I was very, very good at humanities subjects
and terrible at maths and science – a walking cliché.” (In fact, she
was dux of Melbourne’s Huntingtower School.)
“Analytically, I love to collect information.”
The show’s research team indulged this urge.
“They will literally send you five books written
from five different perspectives,” she explains
of their meticulous approach to events. “It’s
very tempting for me to say, ‘Give me
everything,’ and for a while I did. Then, of
course, the scripts come in and it becomes very
clear that this is from a single source – from
Peter, it’s his interpretation of these people – so
that became the clarifying filter.”
Suffice to say, her prep certainly hasn’t been
all theory, there is plenty of practical. “For
instance …” she lights up as we veer from
Diana’s revenge wardrobe to her wigs, “playing
Diana has given me a history of hairdressing.”
Today Debicki’s blonde, shoulder-length hair is
tied in a low ponytail, but on set it is “wigs,
wigs, wigs, and a study of hair-colouring
techniques”, she smirks. As a result, Debicki can
talk knowledgeably on the evolution of hairprocessing from the “terrible” 90s cap – where
tiny strands were crochet hooked through
rubber holes – to the more familiar foil
highlights and balayage. “The hair colour in the beginning is more
dull, less reflective,” she critiques.
“Everybody would stop breathing and then it would be, ‘Snip!’
and then, ‘Stop!’ and ‘The part’s too far to the left!’ People just really
care about making sure it’s as accurate as we can get it. Sometimes
things feel like a big unformed slab of clay and then all this moulding
happens and you’re going, ‘No, no, no, no,’ and then there’s this
moment where it just clicks in and the person, the character appears.
That was very satisfying. And that happened with each wig.”
Range is not something that Debicki has seemingly ever struggled
with. After completing a drama degree at the University of
Melbourne’s Victorian College of the Arts, where she won a bursary
for outstanding students, her second screen test ever was for the role
of Jordan Baker, best friend of Carey Mulligan’s Daisy Buchanan, in
Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. “I’d only heard about Elizabeth,”
recalls the director, “and she took the bold leap of flying to Los
Angeles and immediately I put her with Tobey Maguire. I think
I even did her make-up for her, and we threw together a costume.

That afternoon it was clear I was not only dealing with a fantastic
newborn actor but someone with true star quality.”
Debicki won an AACTA Award for best actress in a supporting
role opposite Mulligan, Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio and Joel
Edgerton. “I had this feeling when I met Elizabeth that she was
already a movie star,” remembers Edgerton. “[It was] like her future
was somewhat solidified or destined for a long and great path. She
was so adept and confident as an actor … well beyond what
I expected of someone fresh to work. She had set the bar high early,
and it has remained that way ever since.”
“I loved every single second of that whole thing,” reminisces
Debicki. “It was the most miraculous and weird thing that could
have possibly happened. It was like a gift from
the movie gods. I didn’t think about being good
or bad,” she says of the screen test. “I just went
for it because I felt like I had nothing to lose.
I was so free and happy. I was extremely
fortunate to have Joel and Baz, and for it to be
Australian and shooting in Sydney.”
She does recall some mischievous nights on
the town with her Hollywood co-stars, however.
“I do remember going out with Leo and Tobey
and all of us in this weird group,” she says,
laughing. “When you go to a club in Sydney, the
last person you’re expecting to see is the biggest
movie star. I remember, as an Australian, I just
thought the whole thing was hysterical.
Suddenly, there’s this on tap and that on tap, but
then you’re also in … Paddington. At one point
Leo was standing – he would never remember
this – but 21-year-old me remembers, and
stupidly I put the cordoned rope just around
him. He stood there with the rope around him
for quite a while until he realised I’d done it. It
was just like, ‘You are the VIP!’”
From Gatsby, Debicki went on to Australian
director Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth, next was
a glamorous she-villain in Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E,
opposite Alicia Vikander and Henry Cavill, before finding
international notoriety in The Night Manager. Local thriller The
Kettering Incident followed, with Debicki then voicing Mopsy Rabbit
in Peter Rabbit, followed by Steve McQueen’s heist tale Widows. “If
you don’t have to repeat performances or types or genres even, that’s
the greatest privilege as an actor,” she says of her choice of projects,
adding it was “the thing I was very hungry for.” It also speaks to the
change of pace that came next: playing Virginia Woolf in 2018’s Vita
& Virginia alongside Gemma Arterton and Isabella Rossellini; the
crime thriller The Burnt Orange Heresy featuring Donald Sutherland
and a very good Mick Jagger; then Christopher Nolan’s action sci-fi
Tenet with Robert Pattinson.
What many of her productions do have in common however, is
a sense of stylistic refinement, a strong visual elegance. “I think that’s
working with very, very talented directors,” she qualifies. “I’ve been
really lucky. The Night Manager, to me, perfectly sums up the weird
experience of making something quietly and having no concept →

GREGORY HARRIS

“You can go through
your whole life
thinking, ‘This is how
I am, this is who I am.’
Then you start to
learn how malleable
that is, which is what
you do as an actor. It’s
funny that it’s only
recently occurred
to me as a human
that that’s equally
available to me”

DECEMBER 2022 113

114

GREGORY HARRIS

Burberry jacket,
jumpsuit and
belt, all P.O.A.
Adidas Originals
sneakers, $150.

Christopher John
Rogers dress, $1,735.
Dior Fine Jewellery
bangle, $11,100,
and ring, $6,300.
Adidas Originals
sneakers, $150.

Jil Sander top and
pants, both P.O.A.
Dior Fine Jewellery
earring, $3,330, and
rings, $6,300 each.
Adidas Originals
sneakers, $150.
Beauty note: Dior
Limited Edition Dior
Addict Lipstick in
456 Cosmic Pink.

of how successful it will become. We knew it looked beautiful when
we were on speedboats, but we were also mainly in the desert in
Morocco, and then you see it and it’s this sleek spy drama.”
The show, which co-starred Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman and Tom
Hiddleston, quickly became a runaway success, resulting in
stratospheric fame for the English heartthrob, and especially when
coupled with the romantic role of being Mr Taylor Swift (who can
forget the ‘I heart T.S.’ tank top?).
In The Night Manager, Debicki played the double-crossing trophy
girlfriend of ruthless international arms dealer Richard Roper
(played by Laurie), whose swan-like shell hid the deeper desperation
of her situation. Olivia Colman recalls the shoot fondly. “I met
Elizabeth when I was massively pregnant. We
looked like a comedy evil duo, tall and lean and
short and round,” she says of Debicki’s 1.9
metre stature. “She was just so loving, and
tactile, a truly beautiful presence.” But perhaps
the ultimate compliment came from The Night
Manager author John le Carré, who said that
Debicki had created a better character for Jed
Marshall than he had in the book.
Jed’s perma-resort wardrobe was just as
memorable, and also helped Debicki land her
first Met Gala invitation. At the age of 25, she
walked the red carpet in patterned Prada with
Hiddleston in tow. “I love it,” she smiles, of the
fashion world now, having attended the 2022
event wearing an ethereal Dior gown. “It feels
… not foreign, but like I’m visiting Narnia.
I don’t live in that world. I like to visit,” adds
the current face of Dior Joaillerie.
“In the beginning, I was always like, ‘Why is
this part of my job that I’m supposed to look
beautiful and put dresses on and be good at it?’
I was always like, ‘I don’t know how to do this.
Am I enough?’” She pauses, “I think back to
that person and I have so much compassion
because it is scary. After years, you learn what works and what
doesn’t. Welcome to your 30s! I am less concerned about being
considered ‘beautiful’ … It’s not that I don’t care anymore, but you
just get older and you’re like … ‘This is what I got today. This is good
enough.’ It’s lovely that transition because you start to enjoy the
whole thing so much more.”
Taking a sip of her power ‘wine’ she adds, “It’s hard. I did an
interview the other day and someone said to me, ‘Guess how many
times you said you’re tired?’ This person was like, ‘Are you okay?’
I was like, ‘Well, I am okay, but I’m working really hard.’ We’ve just
done night shoots for several nights in a row, so this morning I woke
up and I felt like I was underwater.”
What is her approach to self-care or wellness? “I don’t really know
what wellness is,” she ponders. “I’ve been thinking about it recently.
It sounds like a lovely thing to get to. Is it a plateau? Is it happiness?
Seems like a state …” she trails off. “At the moment, I’m teaching
myself to get through the day in parts. I can’t think too far ahead.
When I was younger, I would be completely snowed under with

anxiety and have no idea how to get to Friday.” She’s now practising
neural programming to, “Teach yourself to not spiral in the direction
that you’re used to spiralling,” she smiles. “I’m very interested in
how the brain works and how we can teach or unteach ourselves
things. You can go through your whole life thinking, ‘This is how I
am, this is who I am.’ Then you start to learn how malleable that is,
which is what you do as an actor. It’s funny that it’s only recently
occurred to me as a human that that’s equally available to me.”
Meditation is another tool, coupled with Pilates and strength
training. “My relationship to exercise has shifted a lot as well. I used
to exercise almost for someone else in order to attain something that
I think was outside,” she says of external reinforcement. “I imagine a
lot of women have this experience … and it’s
a lovely moment when your perspective on it
shifts.” Of her own physicality she adds, “I’m
very, very tall and my muscles are long, so I
have to work quite hard to put muscle on … Our
generation grew up with a body image that was
very much about making yourself smaller for
people, and that was ideal. We’d wear low-rise
jeans with your hip bone sticking out and that
stuff becomes very ingrained. We’re so used to
like, ‘Oh, I forgot to have lunch.’ It just got to
a point where I was like, ‘That doesn’t work for
me anymore. I have to take care of myself.’”
Playing the role of Princess Diana and
witnessing the stardom, sacrifice and struggle
that surrounded her life firsthand, seems to
have heightened Debicki’s self-reflection. “As
a concept, it’s not one that appeals to me,” she
says of fame. “The main thing it does is take
away one of the most valuable things people
possess, which is a right to privacy. I’ve seen that
on people I really love and care for. Fame does
not discriminate between how vulnerable you
feel that day, what’s happening in your
personal life, how tired you are, or how much
you really don’t want your photograph taken.”
Of her experience to date she says, “The Night Manager was the
thing that slightly shifted my life for a second because I was more
recognisable as her,” she says referring to Jed Marshall. “With The
Crown, I’ve done scenes where I’ve been in character in Hyde Park
and everybody stops and stares, and then I go to my trailer, put my
jeans on and take the wig and make-up off and walk past the same
people and nobody looks. I like to use that as my barometer.” Taking
off her glasses she adds, “I have a very normal, boring life. Well, it’s
not that normal, I guess, or boring,” she says with a laugh. “That’s
very Australian self-deprecating …”
Her next project was meant to be Farnsworth House opposite
Ralph Fiennes about architect Mies Van der Rohe’s Chicago client
that resulted in the first glass house, but it became a Covid
casualty. “Blank slate. I really don’t know. I’m considering having
a break,” she offers. Then a smile starts to form, “I could
attain wellness? I’ll let you know.”
The Crown season five is streaming now on Netflix.

118

GREGORY HARRIS

“I’d only heard about
Elizabeth, and she took
the bold leap of flying
to Los Angeles and
immediately I put her
with Tobey Maguire.
That afternoon it was
clear that I was not
only dealing with a
fantastic newborn
actor but someone
with true star quality”
Baz Luhrmann

Yuhan Wang top, $1,215.
Versace pants, $2,320.
Dior Fine Jewellery bangle,
$11,100, and rings, $6,300
each. Adidas Originals
sneakers, $150.
Hair: James Rowe
Make-up: Mathias van Hooff
Manicure: Chisato Yamamoto
Set design: Max Bellhouse

Moulin Rouge! The Musical, the Tony Awardwinning adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s cult
2001 film, transforms the avant-garde world of
the Belle Époque into a modern-day canvas
for equity, inclusivity and possibility.
By Neha Kale. Styled by Miguel Urbina Tan.
Photographed by James Tolich.

120

DECEMBER 2022 123

J A M E S TO L I C H

Opposite page, left:
Flanagan wears a Gucci
blazer, $5,020, pants,
$1,825, and shoes, $2,495.
Cartier ring, $9,700.
Right: Andrew Cook (The
Duke) wears a Fendi blazer,
$3,450, pants, $1,250,
and shoes, $1,490.
Cartier earrings, $60,500,
necklace, $197,000,
and bracelet, $67,000.
Meshki gloves, $30.
This page, left: Ngwenya
wears a Mariam Seddiq
dress, $3,200. Tiffany &
Co. earrings $1,850,
and bracelet, $33,000.
Gucci shoes, $1,525.
Middle: Scalzo wears a
Bally jacket, $5,270. Prada
shirt, $1,360. Louis Vuitton
pants, $1,950, and
sneakers, $2,590. Christian
Dior necklace, $1,300.
Meshki gloves, $30.
Right: Chidzey wears a
Saint Laurent blazer,
$4,645, pants, $1,830,
stockings, $305, and shoes,
$1,620. Ford Millinery
beret, $200. Tiffany & Co.
earrings, $9,750, bracelet,
$10,200, and ring, $9,900.
Meshki gloves, $30.

linta Chidzey is a source of shapeshifting power.
As Satine in the Tony Award-winning Moulin Rouge!
The Musical, she descends from the ceiling in a wave
of glittery splendour. She retreats to a boudoir
adorned with velvet and neon to tend to her private
grief. Today, she’s morphed into a beguiling
performer, at the scene of a special Vogue Australia
shoot. She’s wearing Schiaparelli. The uniform of beguiling
performers everywhere: all black, head-to-toe. She tilts her hat,
gloved hand on her waist. Her co-star Des Flanagan, grins broadly,
watching from the wings. He cheers with encouragement when the
Lady Ms take the stage. The new Beyoncé comes on. Ruva Ngwenya
– or La Chocolat – shimmies in a Valentino gown. Peals of
delighted laughter.
When Vogue meets the Australian cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical
one cloudy spring morning at Sydney’s historic Capitol Theatre,
they’ve had nearly 300 chances to perform together. That’s 300
different ways of transforming Baz Luhrmann’s cult 2001 film in
which a plucky courtesan (Satine) and star-crossed poet (Christian)

126

find – and lose – each other in Belle Époque Paris into a musical
worthy of 2022. It’s a moment in which the movie’s famous mantra
– truth, beauty, freedom, love – feels less like a guiding philosophy
of struggling artists and writers, and more like a salve for our
pandemic era, one in which division has replaced connection and
anxiety overrides the quest for sensual pleasure.
Moulin Rouge! was a postmodern roller-coaster that riffed on
everything from Puccini’s La Bohème to Bollywood to the Orpheus
myth. It articulated itself in the language of popular music, giving
the soundtrack to its viewers’ lives an operatic grandeur.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical, directed by Alex Timbers, heightens the
original’s freewheeling energy. There’s a giant, bejewelled elephant,
yes, raunchy costumes by Catherine Zuber, and dizzying
choreography from Sonya Tayeh. More than 70 songs by everyone
from The Rolling Stones to Britney Spears to Eurythmics. But this
production possesses a deeper emotional intensity. In an old story
about a group of bohemians grappling to save a Paris theatre at the
turn of the 20th century, it’s forged new paths for its performers –
→
and re-imagined the inclusive values of its world.

J A M E S TO L I C H

Members of the cast in
front of the stage show9s
Moulin Rouge sign.

Left: Cook wears a Prada blazer, $6,100,
top, $1,340, pants, $2,600, and shoes,
$3,500. Cartier earrings, $60,500, and
necklace, $197,000. Middle: Flanagan
wears a Saint Laurent top, $1,875, pants,
$2,125, and shoes, $1,715. Cartier rings,
$32,800, $3,450, and $3,450. Right:
Chidzey wears a Prada dress, $4,700.
Cartier bracelet, $168,000, and ring,
$59,500. Sportmax shoes, $1,040.

J A M E S TO L I C H

Left: Dodemaide wears an
Hermès dress, $11,530, and
jumper, $1,925. Christian Dior
sunglasses, $790. Tiffany & Co.
rings, on right hand, $9,900, and
on left hand, $3,150. Meshki
gloves, $30. Saint Laurent
stockings, $305, and shoes,
$1,905. Right: Vásquez wears
a Bianca Spender jacket, $995.
Camilla and Marc pants, $450.
Tiffany & Co. earrings, $2,500,
necklace, $14,400, bangle,
$36,300, and rings, $3,150, and
$9,600. Meshki gloves, $30.
Versace shoes, $2,200.

128

Left: Simon Burke AO (who plays
Harry Zidler) wears a P. Johnson
jacket, $1,825, and shirt, $285. Tom
Ford pants, $1,695, from Harrolds.
House of Emmanuele earrings, worn
as brooch, $320. Meshki gloves,
$30. Gucci shoes, $1,420. Middle:
Ryan Gonzalez (who plays Santiago)
wears a P. Johnson jacket, $1,825.
Jarrod Reid skirt, $990. Paspaley
earrings, $32,280, and necklace,
worn as bracelet, $69,800. House
of Emmanuele earrings, worn as
brooch, $375. Meshki gloves, $30.
Right: Tim Omaji (who plays
Toulouse-Lautrec) wears a Versace
vest, $1,840, and pants, $2,040.
Louis Vuitton shirt, $2,950.
Paspaley earrings, $13,280.
Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, $1,290.

J A M E S TO L I C H

Chidzey, who grew up in Melbourne’s Brunswick with a
Singaporean mother, has long been drawn to complex female
characters. She’s played Velma Kelly in Chicago and Anita in West
Side Story. When we meet in the Capitol’s ornate lobby, she’s swapped
her Schiaparelli dress for a white bathrobe. Her cheeks are flushed
and dark hair spills across her shoulders. Nicole Kidman’s portrayal
of Satine is etched in her memory.
“Satine is such an iconic character,” she enthuses. “The part of the
film that I remember so vividly is The Pitch Song. There are farcical
moments and I love playing comedy. There is a lot about her that
people discover throughout the show.”
The Belle Époque, which unfolded between the end of the FrancoPrussian War and the start of World War I, marked a period of
cultural change. In Montmartre, the bohemian home of the Moulin
Rouge, an exhilarating dance called the cancan allowed women
from the working classes to make an income. In France, a string of
women’s magazines – Femina, La Vie Heureuse – showed mothers and
wives that they could have a life beyond the home while caring for
their families.
Kidman’s Satine was ethereal. Whether she was wearing a red
satin gown, as designed by Catherine Martin, in the Elephant Love
Medley or suspended from a trapeze in a jewelled corselet, she
conjured a certain fantasy of womanhood: glamorous, mysterious,
unattainable. But Chidzey’s Satine blurs the line between artist
and muse. She is more aware that femininity, itself, is a kind
of performance.
“A lot of the time, Satine has these personas,” she smiles. “She
has so many facades to her that you don’t know until she is by herself
and isolated with her feelings.” She pauses. “[Women] are made to
think that we have to put on our armour in everyday life
for survival.”
Moulin Rouge! The Musical gives Satine a traumatic backstory. Her
success at the club is hard-won; the result of grit and tenacity. Chidzey
auditioned for the Australian production when she was 37 weeks
pregnant. “I understand the responsibility she feels for keeping the
club together,” she says. “Feeling like you have to be a pillar of
strength while feeling like you are going to break.”
Chidzey, who gave birth as rehearsals began, felt empowered
by the production to return to the stage. The show’s producer,
Carmen Pavlovic, who equipped the rehearsal rooms with private
breastfeeding space, promised she’d never presume what Chidzey
couldn’t do as a new mother. In return, Chidzey, whose husband
is caring for their daughter, swore she would openly voice
her struggles.

Top row, left: Flanagan wears a Gucci jacket, $5,945, pants, $2,415, and shoes,
$1,420. Valentino neck scarf, P.O.A. Middle: Omaji wears a Lardini blazer, $1,365,
from Harrolds. Bally pants, $1,050. Ford Millinery hat, $650. Marine Serre neck
scarf, $235, from Harrolds. Valentino gloves, P.O.A. Salvatore Ferragamo shoes,
$1,290. Right: Burke wears a Romance Was Born x Ken Done jacket, $5,500.
P. Johnson jacket, worn underneath, $1,825. Falke bodysuit, $230. Tom Ford pants,
$1,695, from Harrolds. Meshki gloves, $30. Bally shoes, P.O.A. Bottom row, left:
Vásquez wears a Jarrod Reid dress, $1,490. Ford Millinery hat, $750. Meshki gloves,
$30. Right: Cook wears a Giorgio Armani tuxedo, $4,900. House of Emmanuele
earrings, $295. Meshki gloves, $30. Fendi shoes, $1,490.

On the day I saw the show, chills reverberate through the audience
when Chidzey performs a soaring rendition of Katy Perry’s hit
song Firework.
“The stakes are high and I’m in a position of having to build my
inner strength,” smiles Chidzey, who fed her daughter in rehearsal
breaks. “I never thought a Katy Perry song would move me
so much.”
oulin Rouge! The Musical is a story about choices.
Do we choose love or material comfort? Take
a risk or play it safe? The show voices this via the
rivalry between Christian, in this version,
a singer-songwriter from Ohio, and The Duke of
Monroth, played by Andrew Cook, a rich and
entitled patron vying for Satine’s attention.
For the camera, they stalk each other wearing form-fitting Gucci
suits. Inside a nest of filigree hearts, they lock eyes and hook their
fingers. Later, I catch them sharing the highs and lows of their week,
laughing together over lunch.
Flanagan, who is affable and unguarded, tells me watching Ewan
McGregor in Moulin Rouge! as a teenager in Beechworth, country
Victoria, gave him permission to emotionally express himself.
“To walk in his shoes is such an honour,” he says. So was meeting
Luhrmann in the flesh: “It was such a special moment to hear his
source material, what he felt Christian was in his simplest form.”
Christian is Flanagan’s first lead role in a mainstage production
and he sings with a crystalline sincerity. “I admire most his belief in
love – for Satine, the bohemians and the craft, which I really correlate
with. The first 40 minutes of the show is just a party. A message of
the show is to grasp the opportunities in front of you and relish
them. Don’t waste time.”
Cook’s Duke evokes a coiled, leonine energy. The seasoned actor,
singer and musician, who was also part of Strictly Ballroom the
Musical, has always been compelled by flawed characters.
“I love playing the bad guys,” he says with a laugh. “I’m always
drawn to the psychology of that. In the film, The Duke is played
by Richard Roxburgh, who I adore. But you don’t want Satine to be
with him. This version of The Duke has the money and the power
but he’s very charming, he’s dressed to the nines, he thinks he knows
what women like.”
But Moulin Rouge! The Musical, he says, is a chance to explore the
depths of toxic masculinity, how it can infiltrate the world we live
in. “When I play villains, I often find their pain and work from
there,” he tells me. “[I ask] what would make The Duke feel so
vulnerable, that he could never be enough in his father’s eyes?
When Satine decides it’s not going to work, he goes to rage and
power. That’s a comment on male fragility, rich, powerful white
men who run countries.”
On stage, he says, he’s emboldened by his co-stars to take his
character to dark places. “There’s a scene between The Duke, Satine
and Christian that’s his most toxic moment but because of Des and
Alinta, there’s truth and fire between us,” he muses. “You feel safe to
deal with the subject matter because we hold each other.”
→

DECEMBER 2022 131

he Belle Époque, French for ‘Beautiful Age’, was
culturally permissive. There were still inequities, of
course. But in Montmartre, Edgar Degas and Henri de
Toulouse-Lautrec started painting light, documenting
the lower classes. Colette was writing candidly about
sex. Gender roles were in flux. The Parisian
underworld, epitomised by clubs such as the Moulin
Rouge, were a refuge for many kinds of bodies.
On set, this milieu reveals itself in miniature. The esteemed
Australian actor, Simon Burke AO, in a velvet Versace blazer, a less
debauched version of his character, Moulin Rouge owner Harold
Zidler. Beside him, the Nigerian-Australian singer-songwriter Tim
Omaji – better known as Timomatic – as artist Toulouse-Lautrec,
recalls a fallen aristocrat in three shades of purple.
Christopher Scalzo plays Babydoll, a drag queen at
the club. And, best of all, Ryan Gonzalez is
resplendent in a ruffled crinoline.
Gonzalez, acclaimed for their performances in
Jersey Boys and In The Heights, plays Santiago, an
Argentine tango dancer. In Backstage Romance, the
electrifying routine that opens act two, and the
sultry El Tango De Roxanne, they strut and spin and
slide towards their lover Nini, played by Samantha
Dodemaide. “The tango requires so much
precision, so much lust, so much passion,” they say
with a laugh. “I have a very dance-heavy
background and when the opportunity to play
Santiago came up, all these things in my childhood
kind of lined up. To be able to express myself with
my body with Samantha is such a gift.”
Gonzalez, along with ensemble member Scout Hook, is nonbinary
and their identity, they say, has helped forge a deeper connection
with their character. “It has required me to work out what I bring as
a performer,” they say. “Santiago is an intense human and I have the
freedom to explore that. I’ve realised, the deeper and richer your
character, the truer you are to yourself. Our female-presenting
ensemble dance with so much masculinity,” they say. “And we have
a drag artist in the show who needs so much femininity – during
that time, performers had to ‘pass’ to survive, to sell their bodies.”
We can read Moulin Rouge! The Musical as a story about the roles
we perform in art and life. For Gonzalez, it also reveals all the ways
in which gender is a construct. He says that Moulin Rouge! The
Musical has made every effort to support non-binary cast and crew
members. “Our creative team has been really careful to use our
pronouns,” they say. “I think theatre picks up the landscape it is part
of and reflects it back to the people who make up that community.
It feels that in five years, this will be the prerequisite – and people
who are cast in musicals aren’t cast for their gender anymore.”
Inclusivity is the DNA of Moulin Rouge! The Musical. In Australia,
50 per cent of the cast are culturally or gender diverse. For Chloe
Beck, the show’s director of equity, diversity and inclusion, one of
the first to be appointed to a Broadway production, making change
means giving the cast the chance to re-imagine what is possible.

In 2021, Karen Olivo, with the full support of the Broadway show,
quit her Tony-winning turn as Satine to protest the power dynamics
central to the industry. Beck says the significance of this moment
coupled with the stillness afforded by the pandemic-forced global
shutdown saw production company Global Creatures introduce
a cultural statement with honesty and transparency at its heart.
“We were ready to have these conversations 20 years ago but didn’t
have a safe space [that meant] your career wasn’t compromised,” she
says. “We want to create a world where you’re not afraid to say I go
by they-them. We want to create a culture of self-care. The show
doesn’t have to go on anymore.
“Our entire team has learned how to listen to each other,” she
continues. “The show is about this band of misfits who come together.
When I think about inclusion, I think about truth,
beauty, freedom and love – and [how] it can be
threaded into the fabric of the show.”
Burke, a stately presence who is renowned for
roles in The Sound of Music to Phantom of the Opera,
tells me that portraying Zidler demanded every
skill he’s honed in the course of his five-decade
career. “I like playing with the extremes of the
character,” he says.
He believes the show, which was plagued by
Covid cancellations, makes a statement about how
precarious – and powerful – art-making is.
“When we were performing in Melbourne after
[lockdown for] 18 months we would get rounds of
applause because of the visceral feeling people get
every night,” he says. “Last year, it was like, ‘Will
I ever work again?’’’
Omaji, who migrated from Nigeria to Canberra as a baby, plays the
consummate starving artist Toulouse-Lautrec. Moulin Rouge! The
Musical gave him the freedom to infuse Toulouse with his African
heritage. It’s proof that inclusivity isn’t just about who you see on
stage. It can be about changing how you see them.
“In stature, he was very small but in spirit, he was a fighter,” says
Omaji, who speaks with a rich musicality. “He stood for people who
were outsiders, so to bring my Africanism to the role only felt right.”
He pauses. “Toulouse doesn’t sound like any French person. I gave
him a unique voice. And it is such a joy.”
Moulin Rouge! The Musical is at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre now and will
tour nationally in 2023.

132

Top row, left: Chidzey wears a Jarrod Reid dress, $1,290. Tiffany & Co. earrings,
$21,100, necklace, $135,500, and bracelet, $67,000. Meshki gloves, $30. Sportmax
shoes, $1,040. Right: Gonzalez wears a Salvatore Ferragamo top, P.O.A. Jarrod Reid
skirt, $990. Paspaley earrings, $32,280. House of Emmanuele earrings, worn as
brooch, $375. Meshki gloves, $30. Bottom row, left: Scalzo wears an Hermès shirt,
$1,830, pants, sold as part of suit, $8,670, and boots, $1,660. Christian Dior sunglasses,
$1,080. House of Emmanuele earrings, worn as brooch, $295. Middle: Ngwenya wears
a Balmain dress, $1,415. Right: Dodemaide wears a Saint Laurent dress, $8,695,
and shoes, $1,620. Tiffany & Co. earrings, $191,000. Meshki gloves, $30.
Hair: Rory Rice Make-up: Stoj
Associate director: Jacinta John
Associate choreographer: Danielle Bilios
Lighting design associate: Gavan Swift

J A M E S TO L I C H

“When I think
about inclusion, I
think about truth,
beauty, freedom
and love – and
[how] it can be
threaded into the
fabric of the show”

A breathtaking ode to Lee Alexander
McQueen’s genius will be the talk of the
summer when it opens at the National
Gallery of Victoria this month. Hannah-Rose
Yee gets a preview of this groundbreaking
exhibition. Styled by Miguel Urbina Tan.
Photographed by Jo Duck.

Look 50 (left) and Toile
for dress, Widows of
Culloden collection,
autumn/winter 906/907.

he job of a curator is to curate. To build a collection
and nurture it, to assemble the story of an artform in
pieces, sculpting a whole that is always both greater
than and totally reliant on its parts.
This is the reason curators from the fashion
department at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)
were in London in the summer of 1996. The city was in
the grips of a creativity boom; English designers such as John
Galliano were the talk of the industry. The curatorial team purchased
pieces directly from a brace of up-and-coming young talents to speak
to this sartorial moment: Walter Van Beirendonck, Owen Gaster,
Martin Margiela, Steven Jones, Patrick Cox and Christian Louboutin.
(“We had a lot of money that meeting!” jokes Danielle Whitfield,
curator of fashion and textiles.) The curators also paid a visit to the
buzzing Hoxton Street studio of a rising star designer and purchased
– “for a few hundred pounds”, shares NGV’s senior curator of fashion
and textiles, Katie Somerville – the very first items by Lee Alexander
McQueen to be secured on behalf of NGV’s fashion archive.
These items – a mercurial silver set comprising an exquisitely
tailored pair of trousers and a matching blouse, runway samples
worn during McQueen’s autumn/winter ’96/’97 ‘The Hunger’
collection – are on display as part of Alexander McQueen: Mind,
Mythos, Muse, an ode to the designer’s staggering genius, co-curated
with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and opening
in Melbourne this month. Both institutions have the largest public
holdings of McQueen in their respective countries; NGV’s collection
is the biggest in the entire southern hemisphere, and has recently
been bolstered by the financial support and dogged pursuit of
priceless pieces over the past four years of Krystyna CampbellPretty AM, NGV fashion champion and philanthropist.
Of the 56 McQueen pieces from NGV on display in the exhibition,
50 of them were purchased thanks to Campbell-Pretty: It is
→

DECEMBER 2022 135

she herself who mans the phones when an important auction takes
place. “I’m up in the middle of the night,” she shares proudly. We’re
sitting in NGV’s portrait gallery in May, the morning Mind, Mythos,
Muse is announced to the media. (The anticipation in the room for
the first major McQueen exhibition to be mounted in Australia is
electric. “It’s going to go off,” declares Danny
Pearson, Melbourne’s Minister for Creative
Industries, to cheers.) “You can’t outsource [the
bidding], because when you’re going to get
something, what do you do? Tell them to stop at
what level?” Campbell-Pretty continues. “I mean, no.
There’s a point at which you know you can’t [go any
further]. But mostly I say yes,” she says with a laugh.
Every piece in NGV’s collection has a story behind
it. A wood-grain printed skirt suit from the spring/
summer ’09 collection ‘Natural Dis-tinction,
Un-Natural Selection’, McQueen’s searing indictment
of climate change, was pieced together as a complete
look by Campbell-Pretty, the jacket purchased at
auction and the skirt from an online vintage dealer.
“We had to white-knuckle it, hoping we could get
both,” Sommerville admits. The bustled ball gown
from autumn/winter ’06/’07’s ‘Widows of Culloden’

is the only example of that dress in existence. “It’s upholstery fabric,
it’s not dress fabric,” Campbell-Pretty explains, too heavy to be worn
outside of the runway. And yet, it is ravishing to behold. Of the
designer’s importance, Campbell-Pretty is adamant. “He was an
artist in every possible sense of the word.”
Few fashion designers in recent memory have
made as much of an impact on the art form as Lee
Alexander McQueen. The son of a taxi driver and
a teacher from London’s East End, McQueen got his
start on Savile Row as a pattern cutter before he
caught the eye of Central Saint Martins’s legendary
Louise Wilson, who offered him a coveted place in
her program.
His graduate collection was purchased in its
entirety, direct from the runway, by Tatler’s fashion
director Isabella Blow, whose initial assessment of
McQueen after that first catwalk was that “he
could cut like a god”. Blow would go on to become
McQueen’s close friend. One dress in NGV’s
holdings courtesy of Campbell-Pretty, featuring a
strapless bodice in verdant green that bursts into
a plume of feathers, was adapted from the autumn/
winter ’00/’01 ‘Eshu’ collection especially for Blow.
In the 90s, McQueen made a name for himself
through a combination of showmanship, bravado
and raw, unbridled talent. Sarah Burton, who
succeeded McQueen at the head of his brand after his 2010
death, joined the label in 1996 as an intern and has described
those years as a “baptism of fire”.
“I remember him being able to have a piece of flannel on the floor
and being able to draw a pair of trousers with a piece of chalk, cut it
out, sit at a sewing machine and ‘rrrr’, sew up a perfect pair of
trousers just by eye. It gave you goosebumps,” Burton recollected in
the 2015 McQueen biography Blood Beneath the Skin. “He was a very
hands-on designer,” confirms Somerville. “[The seamstresses] were
all in fear of him coming in with the scissors.”
Campbell-Pretty guesses that “he probably touched every one of
these dresses” in the NGV’s collection. “Touching the fabric was
critical to his art.” Before the autumn/winter ’95/’96 ‘Highland
Rape’ collection, in which McQueen channelled the Jacobite
rebellion in his Scottish ancestral homeland into slashed tartan
tailoring, McQueen’s mother Joyce was distressed to find her son
backstage, hacking at dresses with a pair of shears. “I was crying,
‘No, don’t spoil them!’” she once recalled.
By October 1996, McQueen had been appointed creative director at
Givenchy, by the noughties, his runways were the ticket of the
season, featuring holographic supermodels, robotic spray-paint
installations, models battling gale force wind machines, skeletons
seated in the front row and soundtracks of crescendoing gunfire.
Behind the theatrics – or rather, bolstering them – was a depth of
creativity and inspiration, with influences as varied as Goya,
Buddhism, the Scottish nationalist movement, climate change,
Australian performance artist Leigh Bowery and the works of
celebrated film directors Stanley Kubrick, David Cronenberg and
Jane Campion. McQueen drew on a kaleidoscope of inspiration,
refracting it back through his own life experience and into his
→

From left: Looks 28, 27, 29
and 30, 8Widows of Culloden9
collection, autumn/winter 906/907.

J O D U C K R O B E RT FA I R E R

“Fashion can be
dismissed as not
being that deep.
It can’t provide
that opportunity
[of criticism]
for viewers. But
I think that this
exhibition shows
that it really can”

From left: Looks 35,
33 and 30, 8Widows
of Culloden9 collection,
autumn/winter 906/907.

From left: Looks 50,
52, 47 and 48, 8Widows
of Culloden9 collection,
autumn/winter 906/907.

Look 1, 8It9s a Jungle
Out There9 collection,
autumn/winter 997/998,
with face veil by
Sarah Harmarnee.

clothing, kickstarting conversations around history, identity,
sexuality and the environment that are still taking place today.

Look 1,
8Natural
Dis-Tinction,
Un-Natural
Selection9
collection,
spring/
summer 909.

ind, Mythos, Muse is the brainchild of LACMA
curators Clarissa Esguerra and Michaela Hansen.
And it began, as the best stories often do, with
a phone call. LACMA’s fashion department
received a cold call in 2015 from a woman named
Regina J. Drucker, a third-generation Mexican
American living in Pasadena, whose family had
fled to California in the 1920s. She had a really big fashion collection
and asked if LACMA wanted to see it. “We get these cold calls every
now and then, and we’re always like, um …” jokes Esguerra. But she
went to Pasadena anyway, just in case. “And I was blown away,”
Esguerra recalls. Drucker’s collection comprised every major
foundational designer of the 20th century. “From Azzedine Alaïa to
Zandra Rhodes,” Esguerra says. “But the single largest component
was Alexander McQueen. She was just so inspired by the way he
told stories through his clothing.”
We’re standing at the entrance of Mind, Mythos, Muse in LACMA
on a perfect California morning in July. The museum is empty;
LACMA has opened its doors early to give Vogue a private tour of the
exhibit before it makes its way to Melbourne. Unlike previous
McQueen retrospectives, such as the record-shattering Savage Beauty
mounted by New York’s Metropolitan Museum and London’s V&A
in 2011, Mind, Mythos, Muse juxtaposes garments with artworks,
objects, sculptures and photographs from each gallery’s holdings
that speak to some of the varied influences and conversations
sparked by McQueen’s key collections. The snaking gallery space
walks you through some of these legendary moments and the
creative process behind them – such as the raucous ‘Deliverance’
dance marathon collection from spring/summer ’04 – until, at the
very end, you enter an enormous room featuring only garments
and nothing else, so as to better witness McQueen’s staggering
technical proficiency.
The result is an exhibition that seeks to bring you into McQueen’s
creative mind; there’s very little of his personal life in Mind, Mythos,
Muse. Instead, you are left with an overwhelming sense of his
singular vision, of his once-in-a-generation genius. “His shows are
so cinematic and when you watch them, the themes really come out,
with the music and the sets and the models and their hair and makeup and everything. It all is like one big cinematic production,”
reflects Esguerra. “But when you pull things out from that context,
and you see them alone … You can see that one little piece is imbued
with a lot of thought.”
When Mind, Mythos, Muse transfers Down Under, the exhibition
will undergo both a slight redesign and a major expansion. Where
LACMA’s exhibition was confined to just two rooms – albeit two
large ones – NGV’s offering will take over its cavernous groundfloor space. A new theme NGV is calling ‘Dangerous Bodies’ will be
introduced, exploring McQueen’s evocation of the female form.
Examples of McQueen’s design skill will be staged in the middle of
the exhibition, instead of revealed during a final epilogue. The
centrepiece will be a room dedicated to ‘Widows of Culloden’, from
which NGV holds 10 pieces – six of which have been photographed
exclusively for Vogue – in addition to LACMA’s two, and that will be

J O D U C K R O B E RT FA I R E R

staged together in a breathtaking tableau. “We quite literally need
Kleenex as a sponsor,” Somerville jokes, “because that will be utterly
beautiful and moving.” It’s apt; this is the runway that concluded
with a hologram of Kate Moss, flickering behind glass, set to the
John Williams’s score for Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List. Guests
left in tears. “Fundamentally, the collection is luxurious, romantic
but melancholic and austere at the same time,” McQueen said at the
time. “It was gentle, but you could still feel the bite of the cold,
the nip of ice on the end of your nose.”
A large number of the mannequins will be accompanied with
headpieces by Michael Schmidt, a master craftsman who spins
high fashion millinery for artists including Lizzo and Beyoncé
out of a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles. When Vogue visits,
he’s halfway through completing the 42 headpieces he
is creating for NGV; Schmidt’s assistant is putting the finishing
touches on a spindly diadem resembling two outstretched
bare branches by dipping the entire thing into a vat of glitter.
Everything in Schmidt’s studio sparkles. There’s a floral Swarovski
crown atop a circlet of golden thorns, and the crystal unicorn
horn that will emerge, stalagmite-style, from the centre of
a mannequin’s forehead.
If it doesn’t sparkle, it looks as if it has sprung fully formed from
the earth. There are mossy veils, flowers fashioned from reclaimed
pine cones and a handwoven chestnut twine mask that morphs into
two proud, curved antlers, worn with a black silk organza dress
delicately embroidered with silver thread from the ethereal autumn/
winter ’08/’09 collection titled ‘The Girl who Lived in a Tree’. “I like
to think he would’ve liked that one,” Schmidt reflects with a smile.
In the 90s, Schmidt owned a nightclub in New York and was friends
with McQueen. He remembers him fondly as “such a sweet guy …
really caring and giving”.
Throughout the process of working on his exhibition pieces,
Schmidt has been constantly reflecting on McQueen’s own creative
force. “He’s ever-present in my mind and I’m trying to channel him.
I never want to step outside of what he would hopefully have
responded to,” Schmidt says. The collaboration is, he reflects, “really
a full-circle moment”.
Schmidt’s headpieces, alongside original runway footage,
backstage imagery from photographer Robert Fairer, the
corresponding historical objects and works of art and then
the garments themselves come together in Mind, Mythos, Muse to
create an indelible window into the designer’s world.
“It is very much a show that makes you think about bigger things,”
reflects Whitfield. “Even as you are looking at the materials that he
used, the way that he cut, the references within the clothes to
costume history, and then being surrounded by the context of the
collection and the runway – it’s a really great exhibition for proving
once and for all that fashion has meaning, and that it is capable of
expressing so much about not only our own identities, but the times
that we’re in.”
Adds Hansen: “Fashion can be dismissed as not being that deep.
It can’t provide that opportunity [of criticism] for viewers. But I
think that this exhibition shows that it really can. Especially with
someone like McQueen behind it.”
Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse opens at NGV on December
10 with the NGV Gala; it opens to the public on December 11.

Look 7, 8Widows
of Culloden9, autumn/
winter 906/907

From left: Looks 21, 22
and 20, 8Natural Dis-Tinction,
Un-Natural Selection9
collection, spring/summer
909, with McQueen at centre.

Valentino haute couture
dress, headpiece and shoes.
Opposite page: Jean Paul
Gaultier haute couture top,
skirt, earrings, cuff and shoes.

The lavish shapes and exquisite feats of artistry that are this season’s
couture creations are thrown into relief as they take a turn in the real
world. Styled by Audrey Hu. Photographed by Alex Huanfa Cheng.
DECEMBER 2022 141

142

A L E X H U A N FA C H E N G

Maison Margiela haute
couture bralettes, briefs,
caps and gloves.

Rahul Mishra haute
couture dress, and
tights. Gianvito Rossi
haute couture shoes.

DECEMBER 2022 145

A L E X H U A N FA C H E N G

146

A L E X H U A N FA C H E N G

DECEMBER 2022 149

A L E X H U A N FA C H E N G

TREASURE SEEKER
glistening foil, from subtle sparkle to bold unmissable shine. Modern heirlooms all.
Styled by Tabitha Simmons. Photographed by Martin Parr.
DECEMBER 2022 151

152

M A RT I N PA R R

JW Anderson
shoes, P.O.A.

M A RT I N PA R R

Balenciaga bag, $9,650.

DECEMBER 2022 155

M A RT I N PA R R

Roger Vivier
shoes, $2,810.

156

Saint Laurent bag, P.O.A.
Producer: DMB Represents

A dress that has crisscrossed the country, combines cultures and
draws on multiple artisans is the result of the National Gallery of
Victoria’s first ever Indigenous Fashion Commission. Here, the
gallery’s curator of First Nations art, Shonae Hobson, tells its story.
Styled by Miguel Urbina Tan. Photographed by Daphne Nguyen.
overned by elegant silhouettes and
a commitment to close collaboration with
First Nations artists and creatives,
Yuwaalaraay designer Julie Shaw of
fashion label Maara Collective celebrates
the intersections between high fashion
and cultural craftsmanship. Her designs
are driven by a desire to tell stories; stories of people,
places, and Country. With each design, the brand
channels the richness and creativity of Australia9s
oldest continuing culture, and in doing so, forges a new
space for Indigenous fashion that breaks free of
convention to illustrate a new cultural dialogue.
Founder and creative director of Maara Collective,
Shaw is the recipient of the National Gallery of Victoria9s
(NGV) inaugural Indigenous Fashion Commission. The
Commission was established in 2021 to support a First
Nations designer to produce a major couture garment
for the NGV permanent collection. The project has been
two years in the making, following a series of snap
lockdowns in Melbourne in 2021 which led to the
cancellation of the NGV9s most anticipated fashion
event, the NGV Gala. This year marks the garment, and
the Commission9s, debut.
Now, with the easing of restrictions and a newfound
sense of normality, Shaw has been busy creating her
most ambitious work to date – a voluminous couture
gown – made from a combination of deadstock fabric
and hand-dyed and woven pandanus fibres. The
garment is a collaboration between Shaw and master
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Serena Gubuyani, Mary Dhapalany and Margaret
Malibirr from Bula9bula Arts in the remote community
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158

Reflecting on the influences behind the gown, Shaw
says, <I have always loved and been inspired by that
golden age of couture, from the late 40s through to the
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Christian Dior, Balenciaga and Givenchy, with those
beautifully fitted bodices leading into dramatic,
voluminous skirts made from swathes of fabric,
masterful draping techniques creating long, elegant
lines.= She adds: <My vision was for this couture style
dress to be inherently Australian and to hold the
influences and craftsmanship of Indigenous artists. For
this project, I see the weavers as the couturiers, and
Country as their atelier.=
In June this year, Shaw made the journey from Sydney
to Ramingining to collaborate with the artists at
Bula9bula Arts. This is the second collaboration between
the designer and weavers following the successful
debut of the label9s resort collection at 20199s Country to
Couture, a showcase of First Nations fashion in Darwin.
Shaw shares that the best time to visit the art centre is
during the dry season, when the roads are accessible
and materials are ready to harvest and collect. When
asked about how she felt extending the project by a year,
she says, <It was as if we had to wait for Country to tell
us that it was the right time, which I love.=
Artists from Ramingining, a community of
approximately 900 people, located 435 kilometres west
of Nhulunbuy, have been working with natural fibres
to create conical mats, mindirr (dilly bags), djerrk
(bush string bags) and fish traps for thousands of
years. It is a practice passed down through generations
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each other, their Country, and their Ancestors.
Weaving is not only a contemporary art form but
→

H A I R : P E T E L E N N O N M A K E- U P: G I L L I A N C A M P B E L L
MODEL: CHARLEE FR ASER

“The weavers are
excited to use their
skills in new ways.
When Julie showed
them the gown, it
was met with squeals
of excitement”

DA P H N E N G U Y E N R E N A E S A X BY

has special connotations with the sacred and ceremonial – it is
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present and future.
Each weaving project begins with a trip out bush. Pandanus leaves
are pulled from the tree using a long-hooked stick and then taken
back to the art centre where they are stripped into small pieces of
fibre. The stripped fibres are placed into a billycan over an open fire
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The process of harvesting materials for weaving is incredibly timeconsuming but one that offers a space for reflection and collaboration
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explains: <The weavers are very proud of who they are and their
culture. They love that weaving is part of their ancestorial history
and that they are continuing this tradition. It is also a way they can
get together and talk. It is a respite for them. The weavers tell me
they are excited to try new things and use their skills in new ways.
When Julie showed the weavers her drawings and concept for the
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The construction of the woven bodice for the gown was as
painstakingly and lovingly crafted as making the fibres. It9s made
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which were handcrafted by Shaw9s father on her Yuwaalaraay
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this project was to me and wanted to help make it perfect. It was
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RIWKHSURMHFWZDVPDGHDWKRPHRQ<XZDDODUDD\&RXQWU\ZKLFKLV
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hand-stitched back together in Sydney by Shaw in her design
studio. <It was a process of deconstructing the bodice – then
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D PDQQHTXLQ WR HQVXUH WKH\ PDWFKHG DQG IORZHG DHVWKHWLFDOO\
Shaw then completed the trimming on the neckline using pandanus
the women had collected and prepared during the Arnhem Land
trip. The finishing trim was woven using a coil stitch she had learned
IURP<ROƌXZHDYHUV\HDUVDJR
Each element of the garment reveals the many hands involved in
the project – from the construction of the wire panels to the laborious
SURFHVVRIKDUYHVWLQJDQGZHDYLQJWKHERGLFHWRWKHGUDSLQJRIWKH
skirt – the gown is a culmination of the creativity and cultural
ingenuity of each maker. There is a beautiful synergy between all
involved. Combining Shaw9s vision for storytelling through
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working together. When it finally debuts on the red carpet at the
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but a reminder of the richness and beauty that exists within ancient
■
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DECEMBER 2022 161

Charlotte Casiraghi, the Monégasque writer, journalist and
film producer has, since childhood, been immersed in as well
as captivated by the world of Chanel. Alice Cavanagh catches
up with the mother of two in her native Monte Carlo
at the maison’s resort ’23 collection.
n a cool evening in May, in a suite at the Maybourne
Riviera hotel – an ultra-modern, cube-like edifice
perched high on the cliffside overlooking Monaco and
designed by French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte –
Charlotte Casiraghi, the Monégasque writer,
journalist, film producer, avid equestrian,
humanitarian, and the eleventh in line to the throne in
the principality of Monaco, is readying herself for the evening
ahead. The 36-year-old, dressed in a T-shirt and
Chanel quilted denim jeans, scrutinises the highpony position of a scrunchie in her hair. “I look
like a teenager”, she says with an uncertain tone to
her hairstylist.
The preppy look won’t fly tonight: Casiraghi is
guest of honour at the after-show event of the
Chanel Monte Carlo resort ’23 show, staged earlier
in the day on the pebbled shoreline of the MonteCarlo Beach hotel. This evening’s celebrations, a
sit-down dinner and afterparty for 300 guests,
will take place at La Vigie – a Belle Époque Italianstyle villa overlooking the beach from its hilltop
position and the summer residence of Karl
Lagerfeld, from the late 80s until the year 2000.
Casiraghi knows Villa La Vigie well. She spent
many afternoons as a young child playing there
with her mother, Caroline, Princess of Hanover, the eldest child of
Prince Rainer III of Monaco and silver-screen legend Grace Kelly,
who was a great friend of Lagerfeld’s. “I was obviously too young for
the parties, but I have many memories in this house. There was
always a group of people around, including Helmut Newton, who
lived here [in Monaco] at the time,” she says. Newton reportedly
boasted he could use his telescope to spy on Lagerfeld from his highrise apartment nearby.

It was at La Vigie, too, that Lagerfeld photographed some
of his most memorable Chanel campaigns in the late 80s and 90s.
The imagery featured supers such as Linda Evangelista and Christy
Turlington leaning up against the white stone balustrades of its
balcony with the deep azure of the Mediterranean stretching out
behind them. Casiraghi was photographed here, too, in 2020 by Inez
and Vinoodh for Chanel’s spring/summer ’21 campaign – an
occasion that marked the beginning of her official ambassadorship
with the French house. Earlier this year, Casiraghi
dramatically opened the Chanel haute couture
spring/summer ’22 show by riding her eight-yearold Spanish bay horse, Kuskus, down the runway
in Paris’s Grand Palais in a sparkly tweed jacket.
Since Lagerfeld’s time as a resident, the magic of
Monte Carlo has turned over in the mind of
Chanel creative director Virginie Viard. “I’d
wanted to do something in this place for a long
time,” says Viard of the resort presentation.
“Monaco, Charlotte, Caroline, it’s an obvious
choice. I remember Caroline when I first met her;
she was at the beach in a chiffon dress, sheer
tights and high heels. There’s something about her
walk, her legs, her look that’s so elegant.”
“What I remember most about my mother’s
Chanel wardrobe,” says Casiraghi, “was the
jewellery. She had boxes and boxes. It was the 80s, too, so it was all
these fantasy bijoux – huge, impressive pieces with fake stones,
which meant I was allowed to play with them.”
In addition to taking inspiration from the Monégasque royals, for
this collection Viard also drew on the house’s own long history in
the region, the origins of which can be traced back to when Gabrielle
Chanel opened a boutique here in 1913. The area was a much→
frequented holiday destination for the designer, and Chanel

“What I remember
most about my
mother’s Chanel
wardrobe was the
jewellery. It was
the 80s, too, so it
was all these
fantasy bijoux …”

162

embraced the Riviera lifestyle, eventually building her villa, La
Pausa, in the nearby hills of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. In the show,
one black silk satin ensemble worn by Dutch model Jill Kortleve was
inspired by a pair of beach pyjamas Chanel wears in a photo from
that time. Such elegant looks were in contrast to a line-up of sporty
silhouettes and accessories inspired by everything from Formula 1
to tennis and the Monte Carlo casino. “I went to a Grand Prix, and
I loved it, the noise … the drivers’ jumpsuits”, says Viard, who
clearly had a good time putting it all together.
Later that night, at dinner, Casiraghi looks just as slick as the
models in a leather quilted Chanel jacket, her dark hair pulled back
from her face. She is a natural fit for the fashion house: in 2019 she
wore a custom dress inspired by a Chanel haute couture gown for
her second look during her wedding to Dimitri Rassam, the son of
actor and model Carole Bouquet, a former face of Chanel No. 5.
However, all who know her will tell you that Casiraghi’s raison
d’être is literature. Since 2021, she has produced and hosted a video
and podcast series for the house of Chanel called Literary Rendezvous
at Rue Cambon, a panel-like discussion with big-name female authors
such as Leïla Slimani, Jeanette Winterson and Chantal Thomas, in
whose company she holds her own. Coco Chanel had relationships
with the writers and great minds of her time, and of course,
Lagerfeld was a famous bibliophile whose 300,000-strong book
collection covered every wall and surface of his Paris home. “I had
a strong relationship with Karl centred around books and culture …
so when Virginie arrived in her role, she said it was obvious to keep
that spirit as well.”
Casiraghi, for her part, has said in the past that reading was a way
for her to make sense of the world. After high school, she studied
philosophy at La Sorbonne. A desire to better understand the world
is perhaps not surprising, given that when she was just four, her
father – the Italian businessman and powerboat racing world
champion Stefano Casiraghi – died in a speedboat accident while
defending his 1990 Class 1 World Powerboat Championship title. For
a time, her grieving mother gave up her royal duties and relocated
the family, Charlotte and her two brothers, Andrea and Pierre,
to the French village of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
It was in this rural setting that Casiraghi became an accomplished
horse rider, going on to compete professionally, though she says it’s
the connection with the animal more than the sporting spirit that
holds appeal. “I’m not a very competitive person, meaning that a lot
of the time, I wouldn’t care to win or anything; but just to do
something great with my horse, no matter what happens, is always
what carried me more than just winning,” she says. “It’s about how
you understand your horse and what you can accomplish with
a horse, using patience, communication and intuition.”
Casiraghi presents as an earnest intellectual, serious and sincere,
though she is also a quiet radical. After all, the succession to the
Monegasque throne is governed by Princely law, in which males are
given priority (unlike in the United Kingdom). Although she might
not have an official role in the monarchy – Princess Caroline decided
not to give her children royal titles at birth – this is still the
patriarchal framework of her heritage. “I believe that we are all

164

Casiraghi rides her Spanish bay Kuskus onto
Chanel9s haute couture spring/summer 922
runway in Paris9s Grand Palais.

imprisoned in prejudices, projections, determinations, stories which
precede us,” she told Madame Figaro, the supplement of French
newspaper Le Figaro, in 2020. “What is interesting is to seek to escape
the law, the rule, the lineage, what is planned and assigned. I have
a memory to honour, a transmission to respect, but it is essential to
knit things differently, to be surprised, to choose your life.”
In both her reading habits and for the curation of the podcast
series, Casiraghi seeks to highlight the work of writers and thinkers
who explore the topic of female emancipation. Women who tackle
the limitations of the female experience throughout history, such as
Simone de Beauvoir, Marguerite Gérard, and Virginia Woolf. She
cites Woolf’s text, Professions for Women, in which the author talks
about releasing oneself from the expectation of the feminine ideal –

CO U RT E S Y O F C H A N E L

that of a selfless carer, obsequious and pure. “The questions that
interest me most are moral issues and ethics … critical thinking
about gender,” Casiraghi says, also referring to the work of the US
psychologist Carol Gilligan and her ethics of care theory, which
examines how caring is socially engendered to women and
consequently devalued.
As the mother of two boys – Raphaël, whose father is the MoroccanCanadian comedian Gad Elmaleh, and Balthazar Rassam – the
idealisation of motherhood seems particularly front of mind. “The
mother is still a mythical figure who has to be
perfect,” she says, elaborating that a perceived ability to do it all,
like a kind of ‘superwoman’, only creates more unrealistic
expectations. “Women have more pressure because they are free to

work, to do whatever, but there is so much shame and guilt around
the relationship to motherhood.”
It’s not the first time this year we’ve been reminded of how women
perceive equality, but there is a pervasive force – impossible
expectations, to say nothing of the actual battle being fought in the US
courts – that threatens to hold us back. Like Woolf and Chanel before
her, Casiraghi recognises that writing and fashion remain potent tools
and platforms with which to challenge the status quo, along with
constant learning. “I think the aim of education is emancipation and
to become capable through critical thinking, of questioning norms
and identity,” she says. “When you have a critical mind, you can see
how absurd it is that certain situations are not equal.”
Vogue celebrates the world of the equestrian in this issue’s special booklet.

DECEMBER 2022 165

VO G U E PA R T N E R S H I P

The newest renditions of Moncler’s Maya 70 jacket, re-imagined
by Rick Owens, Giambattista Valli and Hiroshi Fujiwara among
others, show the ski stalwart’s only gathering pace when it comes
to ski wear. All that’s left to do is book a next cool-weather escape.
Styled by Harriet Crawford. Photographed by Levon Baird.

Opposite page, left: Moncler
Maya 70 jacket, $2,780, and
sweater, $1,230. Right: Moncler
sweater, $1,230, balaclava, $580,
and ski goggles, $490. This page:
Moncler Maya 70 jacket by Rick
Owens, $4,165. Moncler boots,
$1,195. All other clothing and
accessories, stylist9s own. All
prices approximate; details
at Vogue.com.au/WTB.

VO G U E PA R T N E R S H I P

Moncler Maya 70 jacket
by Francesco Ragazzi,
$6,405. Moncler skirt,
$1,260, gloves, $375,
and boots, $1,195.
Stockings and socks,
stylist9s own.

LEVON BAIRD

Left: Moncler Maya
70 jacket, $2,780,
sweater, $1,155, skirt,
$1,050, scarf, $1,015,
and gloves, $375.
Socks, stylist9s own.
Right: Moncler Maya
70 jacket, $2,780,
sweater, $1,315, socks,
$795, and boots,
$1,195. Jewellery,
model9s own, worn
throughout.

Moncler Maya 70 jacket
by Giambattista Valli,
$25,615. Moncler skirt,
$1,260. Top and socks,
stylist9s own. Jewellery,
model9s own.

LEVON BAIRD

Moncler Maya 70 jacket by
Hiroshi Fujiwara, $3,100.
Moncler pants, $1,180,
ski goggles, $490, bag,
$1,155, and sneakers, $895.

LEVON BAIRD

Left: Moncler Maya 70 jacket,
$2,780, socks, $795, and boots,
$1,195. Middle: Moncler Maya
70 jacket, $2,780, skirt, $1,260,
and shoes, $1,115. Stockings
and socks, stylist9s own.
Right: Moncler Maya 70 jacket,
$2,780, and pants, $1,765.
Hair: Joel Forman
Make-up: Stoj
Models: Ayesha Djwala, Awèng
Malou, Rowena Xi Kang

From quiet quitting to the great resignation, the desire to check out of regular
life feels more widespread than ever. But, increasingly, people are discovering
the transformative benefits of taking an extended break from work without
necessarily needing to resign: the sabbatical. By Amy Campbell.
1 74

here is a scene in the 2010 film Eat Pray Love that feels
profoundly ahead of its time. Julia Roberts, who plays
the journalist Elizabeth Gilbert, is cursing the feeling
of emptiness she can’t seem to shake. “I used to have
this appetite for food, for my life, and it’s just … gone,”
she says, announcing her plans to quit her job, throw
caution to the wind and travel the world for a year. Eat
Pray Love was based on the memoir that transformed the real-life
Gilbert into a global publishing phenomenon, selling more than
12 million copies. A decade later, the story is still a reference point
for aspiring soul searchers everywhere.
The pandemic’s role in exacerbating this universal malaise has
been well-publicised, as have the many movements that are
emerging in its wake – from quiet quitting to the great resignation,
suddenly, there are an abundance of buzzwords to choose from when
describing the act of checking out. And statistics show women are
disproportionately affected. According to Deloitte’s 2022 Women
@ Work study, which surveyed 5,000 women from 10 countries,
53 per cent of women say their stress levels are
higher than they were a year previously. The
report also showed Australian women are more
burnt out than our international counterparts,
with women aged 18 to 25 being the most at-risk
group. But it’s not just a work thing. The amount of
invisible labour women do in the household is
also taking its toll. A recent study by the University
of New South Wales Business School and careers
hub Women’s Agenda found 31 per cent of women
are spending more time on domestic duties than
they were before the pandemic.
When you consider the fact that many of us
haven’t been able to take a long holiday in almost
three years, it’s no wonder we’re desperate to rest
and reset. But today, quitting and booking a trip
or simply sucking it up aren’t our only options.
More and more, workers are learning about the advantages of
a different kind of leave: a sabbatical.
A sabbatical is an extended period of time spent intentionally
away from routine work. Where once, sabbaticals were associated
with academics, they’re increasingly being taken by people in many
different fields. A sabbatical can stretch from six weeks to a year, but
according to research organisation The Sabbatical Project, those
who take longer breaks tend to experience the greatest shifts in
perspective. In most cases, sabbaticals are unpaid, though some
progressive companies such as Patagonia offer sabbaticals as part of
their employee benefits programs.
People take sabbaticals for all kinds of reasons. Burnout isn’t the
only conduit. Many people take extended leave to travel before
starting a family, or to explore an interest that lies beyond the
perimeters of their day-to-day job. Often, a person will choose to
take a sabbatical with the intention of returning to their job when it’s
over, but you might take a sabbatical because you’ve resigned, and
you want a breather before throwing yourself into the next thing.
Essentially, you’re giving yourself time and space to recharge, and
figure out what’s important to you. At a time when burnout is being

classified as an epidemic of global proportions, sabbaticals are
emerging as a potential salve.
“A sabbatical can give you the time and space to really look at
things,” says British-Australian author and life coach Kemi Nekvapil.
She works with women from a variety of industries, at all different
stages of their careers, and says the concept of sabbaticals is coming
up in discussions more than ever – two of her clients are currently
taking one. “Ideally, you don’t want to take a sabbatical because
you’re already approaching burnout; you want to take a sabbatical
so that you don’t get so burned out,” she clarifies. “Taking
a sabbatical when you’re feeling well, and you have the energy to
invest in things, is very different to, ‘I’m taking time out because my
body or my mental health needs me to.’ As women, so many of us
think we have to be crawling on the floor before we ask for what it
is that we want. And that comes at a cost in the long run.”
Nekvapil is confident that one day soon, sabbaticals will become
less of a last-ditch effort to cure work-related burnout and more of
a measure to promote overall wellness and lifelong learning. But in
most Western countries – Australia included –
stigma around stepping away from work still
lurks, and we’ve become experts at internalising
it. Research conducted by The Sabbatical Project
found that Harvard Business School alumni were
seven times more likely to worry about how
others would perceive their decision to take time
off, as they were to judge their own friends,
colleagues or employees for doing the same.
Therefore, convincing yourself a sabbatical is
necessary is often the biggest barrier. Many people
feel daunted by the expanse of time, and whether
taking four, six or 12 months off will jeopardise
the momentum of their career. Talking to someone
who’s done a similar thing – a sabbatical mentor
of sorts – can help normalise the experience, says
Nekvapil. For those harbouring more existential
anxieties, she shares the following advice: “If a client said to me, ‘I’m
concerned I’ll be taking a step backwards,’ I think I’d be asking
them, ‘What would be the positives of stepping into yourself?’”
Jade Sarita Arnott made the choice to step into herself in 2012.
She had been running her beloved Melbourne-based fashion label
Arnsdorf for six years, and the relentless speed of the fashion
cycle, coupled with the extent of waste produced by the industry,
had her questioning whether fashion was the right fit for her.
Sarita Arnott was also pregnant with her first child. She had
always wanted to be a mother, but as the demands of her business
multiplied, the difficulty of juggling both became clear. So she made
the difficult call to put Arnsdorf on indefinite hiatus. “Another
person might’ve been able to pivot within their career and transition
to that next step,” she recalls. “But for me, I needed to pause to see
things more clearly.”
The designer knew she wanted to use her time away from fashion
to explore old hobbies, and try new ones on for size. She enrolled in
a photography course and later, a furniture design class. “Doing
those classes was exciting; being around new ideas and helping
generate new ways of doing things,” she recalls. “I’d always had →

GET T Y IMAGES UNSPL ASH.

“As women, so
many of us think we
have to be crawling
on the floor before
we ask for what it is
that we want. And
that comes at a cost
in the long run”

DECEMBER 2022 175

these heavy deadlines looming with the brand, it was ‘output,
output, output’. But to be in class, learning new things … that really
filled me back up.”
In addition to the amount of time taken off, experts say that
mastering a new skill – or, at the very least, dabbling in something
different – is what sets a sabbatical apart from a regular holiday.
Sarita Arnott discovered the benefits of this when, in 2017, she
relaunched Arnsdorf with a revamped business model that included
her own manufacturing facility. “There were little things I learned
that I was able to weave back into my fashion practice. You’re out
there having these seemingly unrelated experiences, but then they
come together at the end and create this new thing,” she observes.
Dr Juliet Bourke had a similar experience. In 2018, the highly
decorated UNSW Business School professor and former leader
of Deloitte Australia’s National Diversity &
Inclusion Consulting Practice broke with
corporate tradition when she took a six-month
sabbatical. She moved to Tuscany with her
husband and daughter and diligently went to
language school for two months. When Bourke
first floated the idea of taking a sabbatical with
her company, she says it “certainly wasn’t
a normal thing for people to do”. Nevertheless,
her managers at Deloitte, where she was also a
partner, were supportive; one even expressed
a desire to do something similar. Bourke also
intended to return to work. “There’s a difference
between stepping away from your career because
you don’t want to do it anymore, and taking
a pause,” she explains. “It’s about putting ‘refresh,
restore and reframe’ activities into place, so you
can enjoy your career in the longer term without
hitting rock bottom, and needing to go through
a more intense period of recovery.”
But even sabbaticals can present challenges,
and for Bourke, returning to work in Sydney
following six months of “a life lived in slow
motion” was more difficult than she’d anticipated.
“I’d had this life of freedom and interest and
friendships, so when I got back and my workplace was exactly the
same as I’d left it, that was very, very difficult,” she reflects. If she
had her time again, and she was in a position to influence people
who are coming back into the workplace post-sabbatical, Bourke
says she would recommend giving them something new to do.
“Because they’ve got all these new ideas and relationships and
skills. And if you put them back into the box they were originally in,
it’s going to feel quite confining.”
Today, the onus to initiate a sabbatical tends to fall on employees,
as so few companies around the world offer formal programmes.
Another obvious barrier, therefore, is money. Not a lot of people can
afford to go without income for six months, especially not as the cost
of living rises. If you’re not on the brink of burnout and taking
a sabbatical is something you’re able to work towards, your workplace
might be able to assist you with saving part of your salary, perhaps
with a 48/52 plan, so you can have money coming in when you do

take time off. If your reasons for taking a sabbatical are more urgent,
it’s worth talking to your HR department – there might be paid or
partially paid time-off policies your company doesn’t openly
advertise that you’re eligible for.
But ultimately, sabbaticals won’t become truly affordable until
organisations start to recognise them in their leave policies. One
company pioneering this change is luxury ecommerce retailer
Farfetch. In 2019, following a successful 12-month trial, the
organisation launched its Boomerang program, which gives
employees who’ve been with the company for five years or longer
the opportunity to take up to eight weeks leave, partially paid.
Sian Keane, Farfetch’s head of People, and her colleague Ana Sousa,
VP of People Lifecycle, have been instrumental in bringing
the program to life. Both have also experienced the benefits of taking
a sabbatical firsthand. In 2019, Sousa travelled
around Australia and New Zealand in
a motorhome for two months; something she calls
“the experience of a lifetime”. Keane, who is
originally from Melbourne, toured the West
Coast of America with family, before ending with
a solo yoga retreat in Wales.
Both women say they returned to work with
a newfound sense of energy and purpose. “My
thoughts were clear, and I was much more
motivated to embrace the challenges and support
my team and they noticed that change,”
comments Sousa, adding that since her sabbatical,
she’s become much better at sensing when she
might need time off, and acting on that intuition.
Keane points out that the sabbatical program has
also benefited Farfetch’s staff retention. “We’ve
actually found that engagement with Farfetch has
increased after five years of tenure for people
who have taken a sabbatical.”
Meanwhile, by carving out their own breaks,
employees are in a unique position to inspire
their companies in the process. Recently,
Genevieve Nelsson became the first person
at Bloomsbury Publishing’s Sydney office to
take a sabbatical. She explains it was a difficult decision at first.
“It felt impossible to step away from my life, career, family
commitments and my whole routine for such a long time,” reflects
the senior marketing manager. But her company was supportive
of the idea. Nelsson spent four months travelling Europe, collecting
experiences, perspective – and even a marriage proposal from
her longtime partner.
“I got into such a strange routine during Covid; I was working just
to work, rather than working to live. Breaking that routine and the
monotony of it has really reminded me just how big and beautiful
the world is,” says Nelsson. “It has given me a reason to reflect on
work-life balance, what I really enjoy about my job and what I want
from the future.
“I’m starting to see how important it was, after several years of fulltime work, to step away. Having the chance to disconnect and reflect
■
is something that I think only comes with an extended break.”

“I got into such
a strange routine
during Covid;
I was working just
to work, rather
than working to
live. Breaking that
routine and the
monotony of it has
really reminded
me just how big
and beautiful
the world is”

176

VOGUE PROMOTION

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vogue voyage

THE WALKER WOMEN
Kokomo is more than a Fijian island in the sun for
this close-knit Australian family. It’s a home away from
home where three generations can retreat, reconnect and
recharge. Katrina Israel gets a rare insight into this private
family and their passion for a very special private island.
Styled by Emma Kalfus. Photographed by Dan Roberts.

I

t’s the school holidays and Sydney’s Walker family is descending
on Kokomo: the tropical Fijian hideaway that patriarch Lang
Walker AO transformed from the jungle-covered remains of
a half-built Aman resort into a sustainability-minded six-star
paradise. The exclusive resort, a billionaire’s vision of barefoot
luxury, sits on Yaukuve Levu island, part of the Kadavu archipelago.
It first opened to guests in 2017 and Lang, with the help of his travelastute family, has been perfecting perfection ever since.
The legacy of the founder and executive chairman of one of
Australia’s biggest private development companies, can be seen
through the transformation of Sydney’s Woolloomooloo Finger
Wharf, the reimagining of Parramatta’s CBD, Melbourne’s Collins
Square, Queensland’s Hope Island, and Fiji’s most luxurious
island retreat, Kokomo, which he built with families in mind,
particularly his own.
For the extended Walker clan, this intergenerational South
Pacific pilgrimage usually takes place during the island’s New Year’s
Eve white party celebrations, or for the Easter holidays, when the
Easter Bunny miraculously arrives via
stand-up paddleboard.
But with Lang and his wife Sue en
route home from Europe, where much
of the European summer was spent
onboard their Northern Hemispherebased Kokomo superyacht, their three
children’s families are more than
happy to meet them in Fiji to say bula.
Camille Walker, communications
director for Kokomo and wife of Sue
and Lang’s son Chad, and sister-in-law
Georgie Walker, who is married to the
Walkers’ eldest child Blake, have flown
in from Sydney, while the couple’s
daughter
Georgia
Vesperman,
executive director of the Walker Family
Foundation, arrives via Singapore. Each has their families in tow.
When the Walkers are in residence, family gatherings centre on
Sue and Lang’s vast thatched-roof residence overlooking the west side
of the 57-hectare island. The residence is located at the end of
a secluded row of villas, each with its own private pool and lush tropical
gardens. The Walkers’ holiday home also overlooks the pristine
white sandy beach that first captured their imagination back in 2011.
“It’s most unusual for Fiji to have a long, white sandy beach that is
accessible at all times,” explains Sue. “Often the tide goes out and it’s
coral. But we always have deep-water access. That’s the thing that
really sold us on it,” she says of the initial discovery. “We’d sleep on
the boat, and then go ashore every day and have a barbecue lunch. It
was all lots of fun. We thought, ‘We can fix this up and transform
it into a beautiful resort.’ We didn’t know anything about hotels,
except the places we love to stay in, so that’s all we could go on –
something that we would enjoy.”
Vision is not something Lang Walker lacks. “Of course, he certainly
thought he could do it quite cheaply,” smiles his wife of more than
five decades, “and of course, it turned out to be about 100 times more
expensive than expected, but we’ve ended up with something
→
beautiful, so it’s been worth it.”

H A I R : M A R I A H R OTA M A K E- U P: M A K E- U P: F I LO M E N A N ATO L I

“It’s definitely
a passion
project for our
family, and
Lang’s vision is
for Kokomo to
be recognised
as one of the
top resorts in
the world”

From left: Georgia
Vesperman, Sue Walker,
Camille Walker and
Georgie Walker.

“It was a long journey,” Sue continues, “But it wasn’t as though we
were doing it from afar, we were there a lot of the time.
What does he say? ‘Vision into reality.’ It was ‘challenge accepted!’”
“When Lang and Sue first came across the island, we came ashore
with them,” recalls daughter-in-law Georgie. “Our
[twin] girls, who were four at the time, asked, ‘Why
do you want other people to come to our island
Gamma?’ she says, laughing. “But Kokomo is a
unique island that had to be shared and we were
lucky to experience its progression in all its
chapters. To now see and hear couples and families
all drawing different individual but special
moments from their stays is very rewarding for our
family and the Kokomo family. As our children are
getting older,” she says of sons Hugo, 21, and Will,
20, and daughters Jemima and Matilda, now 17, “it’s
fabulous to be all together and they love celebrating
special milestones with us at Kokomo.”
“From the moment you step off the seaplane and
feel that warm Fijian air, you feel a sense of
relaxation,” agrees Camille, “and then comes the beautiful welcome
singing … there are a lot of hugs and tears of happiness running up
the jetty and into the arms of their nannies,” she says of her three
children Milla, 10, Lang, 8, and Lachlan, 3. “That [feeling of] ‘We’re
home’ …”
Fiji has long been known as a family holiday destination, but
Kokomo Private Island is unique because of its encouragement of

intergenerational travel. Here, children are not only welcome but
thoughtfully catered to, starting with a playroom at Kokomo’s private
airport hangar to a resort menu that kids absolutely love.
“There has been a huge amount of thought put into accommodating
children of all ages,” says Camille, who has clearly
been pivotal in much of the implementation. “You
may find the only problem is that you don’t see your
kids for the duration of your stay,” she says with
a laugh, referring to the Kaji Club, which entertains
children aged four and up, with activities ranging
from arts and craft to glass-bottom boat rides over
the surrounding coral reef.
“Our grandkids range from 21 right down to
three,” shares Sue with a knowing smile. As a result,
the resort has evolved with the Walkers and is
forever being finessed to cater to their family’s
changing needs: a win-win for guests. “We found
that when they get to about 14 they start to get a bit
old for kid’s club, so we put in a teens’ retreat.” It’s
thoughtfully located away from the beachside villas
in the central part of the island, and includes a generous pool,
complete with waterfall, a pizza restaurant, games room, tennis and
basketball court. “Last time we started a big roundtable conference
with our 16-year-olds to arrange programs for them like sailing
races and volleyball games.” Sue and Lang have also added
a ‘bunkhouse’ within their compound: “It can sleep about 10, so the
→
older ones bring their friends,” she smiles.

184

DA N R O B E RT S

“We have a program
where you can
sponsor a manta ray.
Sustainability is so
important for our
whole family and we
need to help protect
these impressive
creatures”

vogue voyage

Georgia wears her own
Banana Republic dress,
and her own jewellery.
Georgie wears a Zimmermann
blouse, $395, and pants, $495.
Tiffany & Co. bangle, $36,300.
Other jewellery, her own.

Palm fronds overhang the
walkway to the beach.

vogue voyage

Sue, pictured on
the sandy beach
that first captured
the couple9s
imagination back in
2011, wears a
Melissa Odabash
dress, P.O.A., from
Kokomo Private
Island store. Tiffany
& Co. earrings,
$10,600. Her own
hat, bracelet,
watch and rings.

DA N R O B E RT S

A tropical canopy.

Happy snaps: Georgia,
Georgie and Camille.

The rest of the family battle guest reservations for one of the island’s
21 villas or five additional expansive residences. “Chad and I love the
three-bedroom Sunrise Villa for its privacy and large gardens,” says
Camille, who also covets the five-bedroom Dravuni residence with
oceans views from sunrise to sunset: “It is always booked!”
Seclusion is central to Kokomo’s appeal, as is the guest to staff ratio
of 1:3. “The people are what makes Kokomo the most magical place,”
assures Camille, who says they kept their staff employed during the
travel pause, using the time to implement upgrades across the resort’s
interiors and landscaping. “The island was designed to always feel
a sense of privacy,” she adds of the Philip Garner-decorated villas,
separated by stone-walled tropical gardens. “We often get told by
guests even when it is at full occupancy you can walk around and
not run into anyone.”
For Sue, Kokomo days begin
with a walk around the island. At
11am there is always a boat booked
for snorkelling and, at this time of
year, swimming with the manta
rays. “We have a program where
you can sponsor a manta ray,” she
explains. “Sustainability is so
important for Lang and our whole
family and we need to help protect
these impressive creatures so they
are thriving for future generations
to enjoy swimming alongside
as well.” Georgia agrees: “They
really are the most incredible and
majestic creatures, and to be so
close to them makes me feel
unbelievably lucky.”
For Georgia, Camille and Georgie, a typical morning includes the
steep climb to the top of the island for 360-degree views of the
surrounding reef, followed by beach time with the kids. It’s hard to
venture past Kokomo’s overwater trampoline, or a deck chair on the
beachfront pontoon, where drinks arrive via stand-up paddleboard.
The afternoon can be anything from a long lunch at Walker
d’Plank – whose Asian fusion menu utilises Kokomo’s 2.2-hectare
organic farmland and dock to dish seafood philosophy – to diving
the Great Astrolabe Reef or visiting Kokomo’s coral nursery and
restoration project, which has already transplanted 2,000 corals back
onto the house reef. “The perfect ending is watching the sunset at
the Beach Shack bar with a margarita,” says Camille.
On Kokomo guests are encouraged to do as much or as little as
they like, but because the family often stays for extended periods,
they have also ensured the activities are endless. Special occasions
for the Walkers – such as Georgie’s son Will’s most recent birthday
– will include a picnic on a nearby uninhabited atoll. “The staff
create a very special set-up with beach activities, a beautiful
barbecue lunch and we relax on daybeds under the beach umbrellas,”
says Camille. “We usually watch the sunset before heading back;
you feel a million miles away from the world.”
And that’s entirely the point. “It’s definitely a passion project for our
family,” she says, “and Lang’s vision is for Kokomo to be recognised
■
as one of the top resorts in the world.” Mission accomplished.

“There has been
a huge amount of
thought put into
accommodating
children of all
ages. You may find
the only problem
is that you don’t
see your kids for
the duration of
your stay”

DECEMBER 2022 187

vogue soiree
Sydney Dance
Company perform
on stage.

The decor was disco
all the way.

Rafael
Bonachela,
artistic
director,
Sydney
Dance
Company.

Dance N

oir9s Sally

Burleigh

.

Entertainment on the night.
From left: Romany Brooks,
Hon Julie Bishop and Ellie Aitken.

Dance Noir9s
Michelle
Walsh and
Adam
Williams.

GLITTER BALL
From left: Nicky Oatley,
Deborah Symond-O9Neil
and Nadia Fairfax-Wayne.

pender.

The glamorous venue
decked out in
shimmering silver.

188

an (left)
Sascha Callagh
les .
and Rebekah Gi

B E L I N DA R O L L A N D P H OTO G R A P H Y

Bianca S

Violinist
Scarlett Rigby.

Chef Josh

Niland.

Serving Dom Pérignon
Vintage 2012.

JAKE SCEVOL A

oherty
Lu c y D
Dancers Daniel Mateo.
and

POP STAR

Live performance before
guests in the moodily lit
St. Peter9s church.

DECEMBER 2022 189

VOGUE PROMOTION

vogue horoscope

A S T R O LO G E R : S T E L L A N O VA

SAGITTARIUS

23 November-21 December

CAPRICORN 22 December-20 January

Home is your happy place again as Neptune brings a sense of
sanctuary chez vous. Stability is a priority with planets offering new
beginnings with your values and finances, though be wary of slipups with spending. Pleasure is back on the agenda with your ruler
Jupiter enhancing romance and a Full Moon encouraging commitment.
STYLE ICON: Zoe Kravitz

Your empathy levels have been way down lately but sensitivity and
awareness return. A New Moon and Venus in your sign boost your
energy and Mercury retrograde could jump-start an image or lifestyle
reassessment. While asteroid Ceres brings a more caring feel to your
career, home is where you’ll truly thrive now under Jupiter’s influence.
STYLE ICON: Florence Pugh

AQUARIUS 21 January-18 February

PISCES 19 February-20 March

Neptune out of reverse allows you to dream big after a recent reality
check. You’re into more committed emotional territory now, focusing on
long-term plans around love, money and stability. Mercury retrograde
will help you make schemes work. A Full Moon may disrupt your fun,
but Jupiter makes you smarter, wiser and ready to be taken seriously.
STYLE ICON: Chloë Grace Moretz

Your ruler Neptune’s retrograde spell in your sign ends now with a
lesson learned: you can’t always get what you want but you can get
what you need. Money matters flourish, and while a New Moon and
Venus attract new friends and ambitions, Mercury retrograde hints
that past collaborations and dreams could also be worth revisiting.
STYLE ICON: Lily Collins

ARIES 21 March-20 April

TAURUS 21 April-21 May

Emotional fog clears now and the healing can begin. Your career
energises with a sharing, caring vibe urging you to nurture others, and
a New Moon and Venus add freshness, rewards and even romance at
work, too. While Jupiter in your sign brings lucky breaks and a safety
net, Mercury favours a step back rather than a rash move forward.
STYLE ICON: Lady Gaga

Use your idealism to make your world a better place now. Neptune
moves out of retrograde to heighten your creativity and ambitions so
get serious about what’s important and long-term, including love.
Channel compassion and shake off your material girl rep under the
Full Moon’s beams. It’s never too late to change your outlook or opinion.
STYLE ICON: Gigi Hadid

GEMINI 22 May-21 June

CANCER 22 June-22 July

Your creative mojo returns with Neptune on track in your career zone.
It could be time to look for your ideal role, as the Full Moon hints at
overwork or not enough job satisfaction. Jupiter’s optimistic spin
targets collaborations and ambitions but don’t push your luck as your
retrograde ruler Mercury could bring romantic or financial rethinks.
STYLE ICON: Natalie Portman

You’re opening up to life’s options after a spell of feeling overwhelmed.
It’s all about relationships for you, as Venus and a New Moon put fresh
energy into ongoing and new connections. As Mercury retrograde
incites a partnership review, a Full Moon aids an emotional declutter
and your career is happier – and luckier – than it’s been in a long time.
STYLE ICON: Eve Hewson

LEO 23 July-23 August

VIRGO 24 August-22 September

The urge to merge returns as Neptune ends a retrograde phase in your
zone of commitment and intimacy. An ambition could feel fulfilled
or a friendship curtailed, and you’re open to new adventures with
Jupiter bringing extra joy and luck. Serious about success? Put in the
work but stay patient as Mercury retrograde may slow your progress.
STYLE ICON: Dua Lipa

A glow returns to partnerships. You’ll see what you want to see, but
is it the real deal? Help relationships work by getting serious as
a Venus and New Moon combo could relaunch romance. Money and
intimacy get a boost from Jupiter, but your ruler Mercury will be
retrograde until 2023 so hold back before cementing any commitments.
STYLE ICON: Beyoncé

LIBRA 23 September-23 October

SCORPIO 24 October-22 November

If you’ve felt less than fabulous lately things get back on track now.
Focus on situations chez vous as your health and lifestyle deserve TLC
with your ruler Venus ‘in the house’. Relationships bring luck, and
asteroid Ceres in your sign makes you more nurturing, as Mercury
retrograde takes you back to the past to reshape your future.
STYLE ICON: Felicity Jones

You’re back in the zone of romance, dreams and escapism this
month. Communication is where this may manifest most strongly
for you, with a cosmic boost from Venus and a New Moon. You
might even return to a past project. Work and health routines
blossom with Jupiter bringing joy and luck to both areas.
STYLE ICON: Katy Perry

DECEMBER 2022 191

SHINING EXAMPLE

ST YLING MIGUEL URBINA TAN

192

PHOTOGRAPH BANANAS CLARKE

W O R D S : J O N A H WAT E R H O U S E
A L L P R I C E S A P P R OX I M AT E D E TA I L S AT VO G U E .CO M . A U/ W T B

FINAL NOTE

DECEMBER 2022

Te l . 13 0 0 0 0 3 4 67
AVA I L A B L E O N D I O R . C O M

Te l . 13 0 0 0 0 3 4 67
AVA I L A B L E O N D I O R . C O M