Style queen Collette Dinnigan opens door to her home at Christmas

Collette Dinnigan’s love of food, styling and all things Italian will be on show when she gathers her family for a relaxed get-together in country NSW. See her tips for creating a beautiful Christmas table.

Since creating her legendary namesake clothing label in the 1990s - the one which saw her become the first Australian to mount a full-scale ready-to-wear collection in Paris - fashion and interior designer Collette Dinnigan has become synonymous with style, beauty and lots and lots of hard work.

But when it comes to the best way to spend Christmas Day with her husband Bradley Cocks, and two children Estella and Hunter, for Dinnigan the aim is to do as little work as possible.

“We’re very flexible and we don’t plan too far in advance,” she starts. “We just take it easy.”

There is one caveat. “No emails. No social media. That’s the rule,” she says.

Dinnigan has invited The Sunday Telegraph to her home in Bowral, in the NSW Southern Highlands.

Dinnigan and her family share the picturesque six acres with three dogs (Sooty, Riley and Bosco), chickens (the eggs of which are given to veteran chef Neil Perry’s to use in his Double Bay restaurant Margaret) and alpacas.

Among the blooming hydrangeas, wisteria, apple and plum trees and vegetable gardens (all of which Dinnigan herself tends to) she also has her studio.

Australian designer Collette Dinnigan preparing her Bowral home for Christmas. Picture: Richard Dobson

While she might have closed down her fashion label in 2014 at the peak of her success (her designs were seen on the likes of Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts) to spend more time with her growing children, she’s never stopped creating.

Whether that be collaborating with Cotton On Kids for a collection, or creating her own range of ceramics, candles and linens.

Her latest creation, a book, has been two years in the making.

A passionate cook, Dinnigan was a finalist on Celebrity MasterChef in 2021 and was approached to create a cookbook.

However Dinnigan didn’t want to fill it just with recipes.

Instead Bellissima: An Australian-Italian Affair, is a treasure trove of “Little moments in life,” Dinnigan says.

A picture from Dinnigan's new book Bellissima.

It reveals her design inspirations, her travels, her friends.

It’s filled with never before seen photos of her homes in Australia, but also Italy.

France might have been where Dinnigan dominated the catwalks but Italy has her heart.

She has a home in Puglia, which they visit a couple of times a year.

“We spent quite a few years living in Italy and it’s still a big part of our lives. The children went to school there. And we spent a lockdown in Puglia.

“I don’t know many Australians who say ‘I could take or leave Italy’ because it’s about family, it’s about food.”

The 59-year-old reveals since the publication of the book, she’s had “everyone sort of come out of the closet, really starting to ask questions again about design projects.”

Friends have also been asking Dinnigan to design women’s couture again. Even if it’s just a few select pieces. And she hasn’t ruled it out.

“I’ve always sort of said, right team, yes,” she says. Because, “It was kind of lonely having my own company and on my own having to make decisions about finances and business.”

The Australian Fashion Industry is having a major reckoning when it comes to its own business.

A picture from Dinnigan's new book Bellissima.

The owners of Australian Fashion Week, IMG, withdrew from the event last month forcing the Australian Fashion Council and NSW Government to step in and save the showcase for 2025 while esteemed designer Josh Goot, whose designs have been worn by global superstar Taylor Swift, went into administration.

On the current state of the industry, Dinnigan is reflective.

“I get asked a lot of the time by people who want to design, what’s my advice? I say in whatever you do, you have to be incredibly passionate because you have to work so hard. And so it shouldn’t seem like hard work. And that goes for any industry really,” she says.

A picture from Dinnigan's new book Bellissima.

“I think there’s been a period of time where people have wanted fame or whatever, through the industry. And I don’t think, particularly fashion, is the right way to go to do that.”

Twenty years ago Dinnigan was an advocate for sustainable fashion and making sure the artisans who helped make her clothes were paid fairly, and believes that’s even more important now.

“Maybe the industry does need to shift because I don’t think disposable clothing is the way to go for anyone for our pockets and companies. But on the other hand, people are struggling economically, they need to also be given a good choice of what they can buy.

A picture from Dinnigan's new book Bellissima.

“Perhaps it’s about finding a balance where it’s not disposable and bad quality. I think the focus in the industry needs to be on good design and good value and I think there’s a lot of exciting things if you change the shift.”

But she admits it’s never been an easy industry.

“I started in the 90s. There was a terrible recession. It was very difficult because no stores wanted to buy a new brand. There’s always a challenge whatever you do in life. And I think, you know, passion is one thing and having a great idea is another thing. Timing is imperative.

Dinnigin prepares her Bowral home for Christmas. Picture: Richard Dobson

And I think you need to be able to understand how to read the market and where it might take you and what the market needs and wants, not what you want to deliver to the market or what you think it needs and wants.”

As to what Dinnigan wants, right now the focus is on Christmas.

The day will combine her two loves. The food will be Italian in theme. Hunter is cooking gnocchi while her husband has a lasagne planned. But the setting will be all Australian.

“It’s very much family down time and we’ve decided to have Christmas by the pool. It’s the best place to be,” she says.