60 years of The Australian, 60 years of fashion
We chart the trends, the bold names and the fashion moments that not only dressed us but also shaped our attitudes.
What do our clothes say about us?
When you comb through 60 years of fashion, as published in The Australian, the answer is, well, quite a lot actually.
As director Nel Minchin said in an interview for the recent documentary on Australian fashion, The Way We Wore, “I think once you dig into people’s clothes, you get really close to who they truly are.”
Turning through the pages of 60 years of The Australian is to see all the changes in the way people dress. “What do ‘80s brides want”, reads one headline and the answer is, of course, puff sleeves and Baby’s Breath. You can see that men’s ties widened, slimmed, disappeared and then made a comeback among the fashion crowd. Hemlines went up in the sixties and down in the nineties. We’ve cycled through grunge and punk and whatever the early 2000s were.
Look back through several decades of clothes and you’ll see that trends really do cycle in and out every 20 years or so (that said, social media platform TikTok may have sped things up with the introduction of micro trends and so-called “aesthetics”.) In any case, judging by past cycles, rumours of the death of skinny jeans are likely to be greatly exaggerated.
An image of a model wearing a long slip skirt and cardigan in 1993 for a fashion shoot published in The Australian would be just as relevant for a Gen Z fashion lover today. Indeed the crisp minimalism of this decade – the one where Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy reigned supreme — remains the universal if unofficial blueprint for “good taste”.
Speaking of good taste, and otherwise, the eighties might finally be having a moment right now – this bombastic era’s big shoulders have been seen again on recent international runways, along with the return of yellow gold watches. But to look at the original era is to be reminded that sometimes you do need a little distance. It’s interesting too to look back at the free love, flower-power swirl of the seventies and see its traces in this year’s major fashion trend – the return of boho. Albeit with a little less cheesecloth and a lot more gloss.
It’s not only how we dress that has evolved but also how we think about our fashion industry. Australian fashion has made a significant impact on a global stage. This includes Zimmermann becoming Australia’s first fashion “unicorn”, a $1bn brand, as well as the slew of other brands that challenge the idea of what Australian style is on a global stage.
Then there’s the impact of Australian Wool on international fashion with the International Woolmark Prize. The prize, created by a resourceful and big-thinking cohort of Australian, New Zealand and South African wool growers, has been won by the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Yves Saint Laurent and in recent years Gabriela Hearst and Belgian designer Christian Wijnants.
And speaking of clever ideas, the burqini was invented by Lebanese Australian Aheda Zanetti in 2004.
Fashion has shaken things up, challenged us, been a source of patriotism and many a water-cooler conversation starter.
Who can forget the famous moment when model Jean Shrimpton flouted the dress code of Derby Day by wearing a miniskirt in 1965? Or when Australian fashion designers staged the somewhat infamous 1988 Bicentennial show when international designers were flown in for an event at the Sydney Opera House? There was the establishment of Australia’s first fashion week in 1996, and yes, those rats down the Ksubi (then Tsubi) runway in 2001. Christian Dior held his first show outside of Paris for the David Jones’ spring parades in Sydney in 1948.
Visiting members of the Royal Family have delighted us by wearing Australian designers such as the Princess of Wales, then the Duchess of Cambridge, in Zimmermann and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, in Dion Lee for her first, and very likely only, Royal Tour in 2018. And let’s not forget the koala-front Jenny Kee jumper Princess Diana wore in 1982. Vogue Australia, now published by News Corp Australia, the publisher of The Australian, launched in 1959 and was only the fifth international edition of the fashion bible.
Clippings throughout The Australian’s history chart the rise, and sometimes fade, of our most bold faced names in the industry. They’ve all shown the world new ideas about Australia dresses, and how it sees itself. Australian fashion doesn’t just mean one thing.
Throughout the past 60 years The Australian has reported on and showcased the designs of Jenny Kee, Peter Morrissey, Akira Isogawa, Christopher Esber, Romance Was Born, Camilla & Marc, Nicky and Simone Zimmerman to name barely a few. The late Carla Zampatti, whom the paper reported on for her entire career, forged a new way for women to get dressed with the launch of her brand in 1970.
Not all brands will make it. The recent descent into voluntary administration of Dion Lee, one of Australia’s brightest talents, shows just how tough the fashion game is.
In recent years a focus on First Nations fashion and design has been an important shift in the Australian fashion industry and reported on as such. In 2021 the first, momentous, First Nations Fashion and Design all-Indigenous fashion showcase at fashion week signalled a new dawn of Australian Fashion Week.
The powerful thing about fashion is that it’s always in flux. Change is inevitable. The clothes we wear can tell us a lot about where we’ve come from and also where we’re heading. Even the fashion trends you thought you’d left behind.
Below see images from The Australian’s archives that chart the trends and the fashion moments that not only dressed us, but shaped us too.
The 1960s
A feeling for freedom. British designer Mary Quant popularised the miniskirt, a trend that trickled down to Australian women’s wardrobes. Jean Shrimpton shocked the nation by wearing one to Derby Day in 1965.
The 1970s
Free love! The spirit of the ‘70s meant both free-flowing dresses and futuristic, space-age fashion. Clothes for liberated, working women such as wrap dresses and new takes on the suit gained popularity.
1980s
The bombastic, excessive ‘80s ushered in big shoulders and big suits and on the other end of the spectrum, the dawn of punk.
1990s
This was the time of both sleek minimalism and grunge, waifs on the runway and Blossom hats. It was, to be sure, the beginning of the eternal reign of the slip dress.
2000s onward
The mid-aughts were a challenging time for fashion, from the low-rise jeans to the uggboots. Still, some of the world’s best designers – and Australia’s brightest talents – made their ascent in this time. Right now, the boho of the early aughts has made a glorious comeback and First Nations fashion and design has become a highlight of Australian Fashion Week.
Louis Vuitton named official title partner for 2025 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix
The driver who wins the first race of the 2025 Formula 1 season won’t just take home glory – he’ll be delivered a trophy in a monogrammed trunk, courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Snakes or snake oil?
By all means celebrate the Lunar New Year, but take horoscope predictions with a grain of salt.