Long before vintage became the language of fashion, one of Melbourne’s most discerning fashion eyes was assembling a collection that charted its future. More than a personal pursuit, her instinct helped shape the city’s understanding of luxury itself, introducing daring ideas and global influences that would leave their mark on Melbourne’s fashion identity. Where others followed magazines, she treated them like maps. On trips to Europe she would stop in Singapore, raid the Changi airport bookstore for British, American and French titles, and carry them home in stacks. Pages would be torn out and marked, not as fleeting inspiration but as guides to what mattered next. Fashion, in this sense, was never about impulse. It was instinct, discipline, and discovery.
Her taste was unwavering. The conviction that something truly special was recognisable at a glance defined her choices from the beginning, and it never left.
Luxury in Melbourne: A Private Archival Collection spans decades of bold choices and singular vision. It is not a conventional wardrobe but a body of work that reflects shifts in fashion itself. Thierry Mugler’s sculptural tailoring, Tom Ford’s sensual Gucci, and early Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga are all represented, each a reminder of when fashion was driven by ideas rather than algorithms.
Gil Gonzalez/ABACAPRESS.COM / Alamy
What makes the archive compelling is not just the labels. It is the way pieces were chosen to embody their era: the broad shoulder of an 80s jacket, the precision cut of a 90s dress, the futuristic flash of a 2000s silhouette. Together, they map the rhythm of change. The archive also speaks to the fragility of innovation. True breakthroughs often come from young, independent designers, yet these voices are too often absorbed into the machinery of the major houses. Their originality is fleeting, swallowed into a cycle of repetition where shoulders grow broad, then narrow, skirts lengthen then shorten, and heels swing between high and low.
That same tension, between safety and risk, repetition and originality, is what makes vintage resonate so strongly today. In a landscape where big houses recycle their own archives, individuality is increasingly found in the past.
Vintage offers both protection and permission. A bold cut or unusual print that might feel “too much” when new is softened by its age, contextualised as history. In that sense, this collection feels prophetic. It anticipates the current hunger for authenticity, rarity, and narrative.
Some pieces in the archive serve as milestones of fashion history. A sharp-shouldered Balmain blazer from the 2000s captures the bold power dressing of its era, while Tom Ford’s Gucci and Mugler’s architectural tailoring embody moments of pure theatricality.
The archive also nods to what may be next. With its sharp tailoring, brass buttons and disciplined silhouettes, military style is poised for a resurgence. A range rich in structured blazers and precise cuts anticipates that shift. It reminds us that great fashion does not just reflect history, it forecasts it.
Accessories tell the story just as powerfully. The Bleu Jean Hermès Birkin, playful yet timeless, reflects the house’s mastery of craft, while a gold crocodile embossed Chanel Classic Flap, rare and radiant, stands as a symbol of enduring glamour. These are not simply luxury items, they are cultural markers, objects that hold their value because they embody both artistry and aspiration.
What links it all is instinct, the ability to see beyond trend to what endures. It is that same instinct that makes this archive not just private but cultural.
In the end, this archive is not only a record of what was worn but of how fashion itself has shifted: the audacity of Mugler, the sensuality of Ford, the sharp precision of Balenciaga, the opulence of Hermès and Chanel. It is a reminder that the most enduring pieces are those chosen by conviction, not by consensus.
And whilst the future remains uncertain, with designers endlessly swapping houses in a kind of musical chairs, the past remains fabulous, daring, and worthy of celebration.
The Luxury in Melbourne: A Private Archival Collection auction will take place on Tuesday 14 October 2025 in Melbourne. For viewing times and to see the full catalogue please visit our website.
By Julia Gueller, Luxury Specialist
Top Image: A model walks the runway for Saint Laurent in Paris, 2014. Photo by Laurent Zabulon/ABACAPRESS.COM / Alamy
October 2025