Opening at Melbourne Museum on March 2 as part of Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival’s 2018 esteemed Arts Program, You Can’t Do That highlights six Melbourne fashion figures who heard “you can’t” and showed that they could.

You Can’t Do That – or can you?

Photo credit

Sometimes, hearing “you can’t do that!” can be the catalyst to show what you’re really made of. In the exhibition, the stories of Stella Dare, Prue Acton, Lois Briggs, Jenny Bannister, Christopher Graf and Andreja Pejić demonstrate how they turned opposition into opportunity and left their mark on Australian and international fashion.

From Stella Dare’s lavish suits that broke away from war austerity in the 1950s, to Andreja Pejić’s journey as a transgender supermodel, You Can’t Do That charts the success of true originals in fashion. Graeme Lewsey, CEO, Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival said the exhibition provides a compelling cultural experience for Festival visitors.

“After two years of using the stunning backdrop of the Royal Exhibition Building and the Melbourne Museum precinct, we are thrilled and proud to be working with the creative teams within Museums Victoria to bring the stories and history of groundbreaking fashion figures to the Festival’s Arts Program”.

You Can’t Do That is Melbourne Museum’s first exhibition co-presented with the Festival. Michael Reason, Curator, Museums Victoria said the exhibition offers visitors an insight into the influential figures that create fashion rather than follow it.

“You Can’t Do That shines a spotlight on six influential figures who’ve created memorable fashion moments through the decades, starting in the 1950s and incorporating a remarkable story of today. Displays styled as shop windows within the exhibition will follow their unique paths to success and capture the spirit of the time, with original garments from the designers and footage from catwalks, both old and new, on display.” – Michael Reason

You Can’t Do That is at Melbourne Museum from 2 March 2018 – 15 July 2018.

Melissa Reid

Melissa Reid

View all posts

Stay Ahead of the Trends

Receive the latest fashion, beauty and lifestyle updates from us.

You have Successfully Subscribed!