From princess gowns to Ford Lasers: Carla Zampatti’s greatest hits

There were many layers to Carla Zampatti, which is ironic considering the lithe designer’s preference for clean lines unimpeded by excess fabric, vulgar froufrou, or even bras.

“She was incredibly sexy,” remembers Kellie Hush, the former fashion magazine editor who has worked with the Powerhouse Museum preserving Zampatti’s memory since her death in April 2021. “Even in her seventies she would wear a blazer with nothing beneath it. Sometimes there would be a lace bra, but not always.”

In conversations with fans, friends and customers you encounter a different Zampatti, the only common factor a veneer of glamour. There’s the driven businesswoman, unconventional mother, multicultural success story, inspiring mentor and determined designer.

This pile-on of perception comes from donors to the exhibition Zampatti Powerhouse, opening on November 24, following a public call-out to fill gaps in the collection.

“When we first met with Carla to look at putting a show together, there were significant years missing,” says Powerhouse curator Roger Leong. “Like many people in fashion, she was always looking ahead and wasn’t worried about the holes.

“In the end, she was right. We found these pieces, which had been loved and treasured in people’s wardrobes for decades, and the stories that came with them.”

1. Carla plunge halter and flare pants, 1972

A jumpsuited Carla Zampatti in the 1970s.

“When pieces came in from the sixties and seventies, it was clear that Carla moved with the times, analysing what her customers needed, wanted and were willing to pay for. There are these boho and mod styles that we forget,” Leong says.

“These pants were Carla’s, and we struggled to find a mannequin small enough to wear them.”

2. The ‘Royal Princess’ gown, 2013

Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark wearing Zampatti at a royal dinner in March 2014.Credit: Getty

Zampatti was top of Australian Women’s Weekly’s list for a secret shoot with Denmark’s Crown Princess Mary to celebrate the magazine’s 80th anniversary in 2013. In the special edition, Mary wore designs by Jayson Brunsdon, Alex Perry, Aurelio Costarella and Toni Maticevski, but it was the pale pink Zampatti gown with a train that the princess requested join her personal wardrobe.

“At the end of the shoot, she asked if she could keep the dress [and] I was delighted. She looks so beautifully regal in their 2015 official portraits. I am so proud,” Zampatti said at the time. “She is such a beautiful representation for this country.”

Mattie Cronan, style director for AWW, worked with the princess on the selection of Australian designers and knew that Zampatti’s ability to dress royalty and Australian women would produce winning results.

“Carla understood all women,” Cronan says. “She put a version of the dress in production, without the train, for everyone to enjoy. Months after the shoot, my mother wore the dress to my wedding and looked just as beautiful.“

3. Naples evening maxi dress, Autumn-Winter 1983

Susan Cowan with the dream Zampatti dress she bought in lay-by instalments.

“I called it the Lady Di dress and I hardly ever wore it,” says Susan Cowan, who was among those who heeded the museum’s public call-out. “I didn’t buy it for any occasion. I just needed to have it.”

For Cowan, the ruffled black taffeta maxi dress with voluminous sleeves and daring neckline was a silken symbol of survival and success.

“I grew up in housing commission, living hand-to-mouth and wearing hand-me-downs,” Cowan says. “On my way to my first real job with a regular salary, I walked past a shop with this dress and would dream of owning it. ‘Could I justify buying it? Would I be able to pay my car rego and insurance?’

“When it went on sale, I knew I had to have it. After four to six weeks on lay-by, it was finally mine but I didn’t have anywhere to wear it.”

The dress remained in Cowan’s wardrobe and was pushed to the back over the years by Carla Zampatti power suits, more suitable for the office.

“My husband says I have four-and-a-half metres of Carla, when you look at it on a rack. When I look at that dress, I can still see the inspiration it triggered.”

In the exhibition, the dress purchased on lay-by sits beside Princess Mary’s pale pink gown.

“I’m chuffed,” Cowan says. “I’ll be bringing my daughter to the exhibition. I will be wearing Carla Zampatti and she will wear Bianca Spender [the label founded by Zampatti’s daughter in 2009]. It only seems right.”

4. Ford Laser, Carla Zampatti edition, 1985

Zampatti’s limited edition Ford Laser.

Tracking down the Carla Zampatti edition of the Ford Laser was difficult work for the Powerhouse. It became one of a handful of pieces in the exhibition provided by a man.

“I was the third owner of the car taking it on as a COVID project,” says Mark Kimmorley. “I absolutely love it. It gets lots of attention from people.”

Receiving the car third-hand, Kimmorley missed out on the matching handbag that came with the original purchase.

5. Carla’s marabou jacket, Autumn–Winter 2018

Carla Zampatti in marabou in 2019.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Zampatti many times, and on almost every occasion in her final years, a version of this black and white marabou jacket was present, along with dark sunglasses and valuable life advice.

For me, it represents Zampatti’s playful side, so different from the crisp lines of the lapel on one of her signature jackets. At each interview Zampatti would speak softly, with her unique accent, forcing you to lean in closely to be tickled by her words and the marabou against your cheek.

6. Belted utility jumpsuit, Spring-Summer 1975

The jumpsuit on display at the Powerhouse Museum.Credit: Janie Barrett

“Carla is well known for her jumpsuits, and this one stood out when we were going through her wardrobe,” Leong says.

“Like many of the pieces in the exhibition, this was worn by Carla. There were a few paint splatters on it, so I think she really meant for it to be a utility jumpsuit.”

7. Christine Holgate’s shawl detail white jacket, Autumn-Winter 2021

Christine Holgate wearing Zampatti at her Senate inquiry in April 2021.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“Carla is celebrated for her amazing commitment to the arts and fashion,” says Christine Holgate, chief executive of Team Global Express and former chief executive of Australia Post. “What a lot of people don’t recognise is that she made enormous amounts of time to support women through different things.”

In 2021, Holgate appeared at a Senate inquiry following her departure from the Australia Post role over a scandal involving Cartier watches given as bonuses to high-performing employees. “It wasn’t as though Carla could give advice about the Senate inquiry, that’s quite specific, but she was a safe person to talk to.”

Zampatti selected a shawl collared jacket in suffragette white for Holgate to wear through the ordeal and devised the “Wear White 2 Unite” campaign, urging the executive’s supporters to show solidarity through wearing white.

“She had this idea that in your most challenging moments your clothes are like armour,” Holgate says. “You have to look your best. At the time I wasn’t worrying about how I looked.

“Sadly, she died 10 days before I appeared before the Senate. The next day the front page of every newspaper had Carla’s jacket on it. She was right.”

8. Manyana cowl neck top and wide leg pants, 1967

Zampatti’s print work, rescued from a bag of donated items in Queensland. Credit: Janie Barrett

“This piece shows Carla as a collaborator, with the print coming from Tennyson Textile Mills when Australian textiles were at the heart of fashion,” Leong says.

The surprisingly psychedelic outfit was rescued from the bottom of a garbage bag of donated items at the Templin Museum in Boonah, Queensland. It was the feel of the fabric that caught the eye of Templin curator Karen Douglas, before she saw the name on the tag.

9. Carla cape, Spring-Summer 2016

Zampatti at her home in Edgecliffe in 2016, with her animal print cape with “Carla” written on the back.Credit: James Brickwood

“I’ve been to their shows and they are mind-blowing,” Zampatti told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2016 after asking Romance Was Born designers Luke Sales and Anna Plunkett to style her show.

“I think they are our only haute couture company and designers. They belong to haute couture in Europe. So I wanted a bit of their romance and they have certainly given it to me.”

Part of that romance came in the form of an animal print cape with “Carla” written across the back in gold, cementing Zampatti’s superwoman status.

10. Rose dupion blouse, 1988

Zampatti’s rose dupion blouse (1988), worn by Florence Zietsch and lent to the Powerhouse by Nicole Trotter and Tracey Zietsch.

“I can’t remember which came first, Mum’s Carla Zampatti blouse or my wedding dress and the bridesmaids’ dresses, but they all ended up being quite similar,” says Nicole Trotter, who lent the item to the exhibition. “Mum liked nice things and would look at outfits from Peter Weiss and Trent Nathan. Saving up to get her ‘Carla’ was a big deal.”

Trotter’s mum Florence Zietsch died last year, but the piece is a vibrant reminder of her personal style. “You can just take it out and admire the way it was made. I’m just sorry Mum’s not here to see it.”

Zampatti Powerhouse runs at the Powerhouse Museum from November 24 to June 11, 2023.

To read more from Spectrum, visit our page here.

A cultural guide to going out and loving your city. Sign up to our Culture Fix newsletter here.

---

In case you missed it: the culture stories that start conversations

• A 20-year-old Melbourne TikToker has been called a modern-day Scorcese for his snapshots of everyday life. Dylan Walsh is changing the way the world thinks about Australian suburbs.
• They’ve been hunted, mocked and pulled apart - Olivia Wilde, Amber Heard and Evan Rachel Wood have found themselves in the eye of the #MeToo backlash. Genevieve Novak asks will every woman suffer the same fate?
• Chess, cheating, a sex toy and Elon Musk: it was the international chess cheating scandal that gripped the world and this Q&A almost makes sense of it.