Cakelaw's Travel Tales

    “ Non-conformist designer seeks unusual models – the conventionally beautiful need not apply. ” ─ Ad placed by Jean Paul Gaultier in the French daily newspaper Libération   Recently, the National Gallery of Victoria hosted an exhibition entitled   The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier .  My friend Sandra and I decided to go on the last day, being 8 February 2015.   Neither of us had any particular expectations, and I think this was a good thing, as it added to the element of surprise.  On the last day of the exhibition, the lineup to go in snaked outside the gallery door and down towards Flinders Street Station.  There was no denying what everyone was there for:   Because we had pre-purchased our tickets, Sandra and I were able to skip the long ticketing queue, giving us a head start to view the exhibition.  This was an advantage worth having, as the exhibition soon became very crowded. On entry ...

On a gorgeous sunny Saturday, Sandra and I went to see Love, Desire and Riches - The Fashion of Weddings at Rippon Lea House.   The exhibition features more than 50 wedding gowns and accessories from around the world. Some of the gowns were old:   Some were newer, including Jennifer Hawkins wedding dress: Some were worn by royalty, like this Valentino worn by a Greek princess:     There were also some stunning bridal accessories:     And costumes from movies based on novels featuring weddings:         There was a spooky room dedicated to Miss Havisham:     And a Jane Austen-esque empire line gown:   A couple of stunning Collette Dinnigan numbers were on display:     The boys were not left out, with their clobber on display in a room that smelled distinctly  of aftershave: As a bonus, we got to enjoy the glorious house and grou...