One a breezy, cool day in Sydney, over looking Coogee Beach, I arrived on location for
Vogue Australia's photo shoot carrying six gowns.
The theme of the shoot was 'Dressing Up'.
Out of three beautiful young models, Anya Molochkova was chosen to wear the stunning Oscar de la Renta gown, which features in my new book, One Enchanted Evening, illustrated by Grant Cowan.
The dress is also the book's cover star.
Here is the story: " This dazzling Oscar de la Renta evening dress is a glorious salute to Spain with its lush matador red colour, the carnation print of the silk taffeta and the glorious effusion of frills and ruffles.
Red was the legendary designer's favourite colour. He wore a red carnation in his buttonhole every day when he lived in Madrid as a tribute to the red carnations thrown into the bullfighting ring before each show.
A chance commission in 1950 to design a dress for the daughter of the US Ambassador to Spain wound up on the cover of Life magazine, which led to an invitation to Madrid to apprentice for Cristobal Balenciaga. De la Renta's future as a fashion designer was secured.
This spectacular dress is worthy of being worn by Carmen Amaya, the greatest flamenco dancer of all time. Different styles of flamenco dancing convey different emotions, but they all have duende - the genius to masterfully convey passion and emotion.
Without doubt, this dress conveys Oscar de la Renta's duende - and all his elegance and style."
Thank you Anya and thank you Vogue Australia for celebrating and featuring
the art of dressing up and the beauty of couture.
One Enchanted Evening
(Affirm Press) from all good bookstores from 1st November
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| Onya wears de la Renta from his 2012 collection. |
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| Behind the scenes - in the mid century modern bathroom. One can ask..."How many people can you fit in a bathroom?" 12 in this case! |
