Crown Princess Mary’s iconic Carla Zampatti gown is coming to Australia
A gown worn by Denmark’s Crown Princess Mary will be headng Down Under to go on display in an exhibition of late Australian designer Carla Zampatti’s life and work.
The dusty pink brocade gown worn by the Australian-born royal for a set of official portraits in 2015 will be among over 100 designs Zampatti created over her 50-year career on display at Zampatti Powerhouse at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum from November 24.
Other items in the exhibition will include personal items from Zampatti’s estate and even clothes borrowed from members of the public from earlier on in her design career.
The gown, originally commissioned for the 2013 80th anniversary cover shoot for The Australian Women’s Weekly, was accessorised with historic Danish jewels in the 2015 photographs, taken at Frederick VIII’s Palace in Copenhagen.
Known as the Queen Ingrid Ruby parure, the jewels include a tiara, necklace, earrings, bracelet, brooches, hair clips, and a ring, and have become the most-worn of the Danish royal collection by Mary.
"At the end of the (2013) shoot she asked if she could keep the dress [and] I was delighted," Zampatti later told Fairfax Media.
"She looks so beautifully regal in their 2015 official portraits. I am so proud.
"When I was asked to design a gown for Princess Mary, I was thrilled. She is such a beautiful representation for this country."
But Mary’s gown isn’t the only iconic garment to be included in Zampatti Powerhouse, with the jacket worn by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard during her 2011 US Congress address, the white jacket Christine Holgate wore while speaking at the Australia Post Inquiry, and Tina Arena’s jumpsuit that was fitted for her induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame also set to appear in the free exhibition.
The exhibition is said to be the first international retrospective exhibition of Zampatti’s work, over a year after she died at the age of 78 following a fall during an opera in Sydney.
Zampatti’s son Alexander, who is the CEO of Carla Zampatti, said it was an “incredible honour” for his mother’s designed to go on display.
“It is an incredible honour for Mum’s design legacy to be showcased in a major exhibition at Powerhouse Ultimo,” he said.
“Mum loved the magic of fashion, the big runway shows as well as hearing her customers’ personal stories and how her designs often played a small part in moments of significance in the lives of many Australian women.”
The exhibit will also be accompanied by other events, including an International Women’s Day symposium in March, late-night programs, and the showing of a new performative work by the Sydney Dance Company.
Images: Frances Voigt, Marinco Kojdanovski (Supplied), Getty Images