On its own the word hunter conjures images of a determined, even ruthless stalker of prey. Expand the description to “hunter and collector” and the picture changes to one of an ernest enthusiast fossicking through bric a brac, trawling market stalls in search of an elusive treasure. What it definitely does not call to mind is the image of a collector of a particular fashion designer’s work walking into a store to buy it. Yet that is how, in essence, the NGV International’s exhibition Hunters & Collections, now on show in its Fashion and Textiles Gallery, was acquired by the four collectors who amassed the clothes on display.

Perhaps, more accurately, it should have been called Shoppers & Collections, since each of the four simply purchased their garments from designer stores in Australia and Europe. To criticise the name is not, of course, to deride either the collectors or their trophies. There is much of interest in this sampling of work from four innovative and internationally renowned designers: Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood (the latter two mostly through their partnership in their World’s End label, so cutting edge in the early 80s). They were collected by four Australians: Melburnians Mavis Powell, who, over 40 years, filled three wardrobes with Chanel clothes, Gabrielle Pizzi and Sandra Velik, both of whom favoured YSL’s Rive Gauche ready-to-wear, and Neil Taylor, from Western Australia. Unlike the others Taylor was not well off and financed his obsession with the creations of McLaren and Westwood by lay-bying and paying them off at a Perth boutique. He even had their label tattooed on his back. But the inappropriate name is just one of several oddities associated with this rather strange little exhibition.

The garments are displayed on white, mostly headless mannequins, standing like sentinels behind glass, soul-less and disconnected from the observer. The space itself contributes to this sense of coldness and disconnection – black floors, white walls, three oblong rooms, the central one little more than a connected hallway, each with glass cabinets along the two longer walls.

There is no music, no sound other than the (loud) hum of the air conditioning In each of the two main rooms screens a short soundless video, one relating to Neil Taylor’s collection, one to Mrs Powell’s. They comprise snapshots or short video clips interspersed with lines of text silent movie style. The text – “Mrs Powell dressed in a Chanel suit”, for instance – contributes nothing to our understanding. In fact, interesting though it is to see these clothes, and a welcome opportunity to view a part of the NGVI collection normally in storage, the exhibition raises numerous questions. Why these collectors? Why these garments? What curatorial reasoning lay behind these choices? Why is it so static, so poorly supported with information? While the garments themselves are well supported by individual labels - designer, date, composition - learning more is a challenge. The wall panels offer only a paragraph about each collector, and there is no explanation of the exhibition’s rationale. Nor is there any indication that a catalogue exists.

In fact it does, but to acquire one it is necessary to go downstairs to the shop and ask for it, so obscurely is it displayed in a section devoted to “room brochures”. And here’s a hint: go to the relevant page on the NGVI website (www.ngv.vic.gov.au/huntersandcollections/index/html), click on download the room brochure and save $5. It merits reading before seeing the show, to provide some much-needed context.

The brochure itself has detailed information about the clothes on show, some useful and interesting facts about the design houses involved, and a little more about the collectors and their relationships with their chosen designers creations. It mentions, in passing, that this is a relationship “which reinforces the identity of both designer and client” – an insight which could have been developed into interesting and enlightening background reading.

But despite this disappointing lack of information, analysis and rationale, Hunters & Collections is worth seeing, particularly for those with an interest in the history of fashion. It offers a snapshot of four very different personal wardrobes at several points in recent history, and some insights into the development of the fashion houses favoured by the collectors. Mrs Powell’s for instance, shows the evolution of the boxy Chanel cardigan suit dating from 1965, through to the ‘70’s, to 1980, both couture and Lagerfeld- designed ready to wear.

But don’t expect any of the elaborate beading, embroidery, appliqué, pleating, luxury fabrics or surface design usually associated with designer garments. There is little evening wear and the garments chosen from all four collections are mostly plain and unadorned.

Several of Neil Taylor’s World’s End garments, tame today, were considered outrageous in their day. The 1984 soccer top and pants for instance, feature an all-round crotch zip the designers had used in the bondage trousers a decade earlier (the video shows Taylor struggling to undo this), and there is a fine example of their groundbreaking collaboration with Keith Haring featuring his trademark dog.

The YSL garments range from sleek black suits to – personal favourites – the gorgeous full skirted 1984 silk blouse, skirt and sash in purple and teal and the 1983 black dress with huge pink puff sleeves. They are two of the few flashes of bold colour (World’s End orange and lime tops and tube dress are the others) in an otherwise muted collection.

ends

Sue Green is a writer and textile artist

Last modified 23-Mar-2005

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