Historical information
Evening dress owned and donated by Kew architect, and Life Member of the Kew Historical Society, Dione McIntyre. The dress was created by the Sydney company Simona Couture, founded 1963 by Inge Fonagy. Inge Fonagy trained in Switzerland and migrated to Australia in 1950. The chief designer of the company from the late 1960s was her son, John Recek. The fashion house won a number of awards including: David Jones' Supreme Award for Fashion Excellence (1972); David Jones Award for High Grade Fashion (1972); and David Jones Award for Pret-a-porter (1973),
Significance
The McIntyre Collection of clothing and clothing accessories forms one of the largest single donations to our Fashion & Design collection. It includes clothing and clothing accessories worn by four women in the Cohen and McIntyre families across three generations. The items worn by Melbourne architect, and Kew resident, Dione McIntyre date from the 1960s and 1970s, and include evening wear, day wear, hats and shoes. As Dione McIntyre often accompanied her husband, fellow architect Peter McIntyre, to formal events, there are a number of pieces of evening wear among the items. The McIntyre Collection also includes items worn by women of an earlier generation: by Lilian Cohen, Dione McIntyre's mother, and by her mother-in-law, the wife of the architect Robert McIntyre. At the other end of the chronological spectrum are a number of outfits belonging to, worn and donated by Annie McIntyre. These include outfits created by notable late 20th century Australian and/or international fashion designers. The McIntyre Collection is significant historically and artistically as it includes examples of design that demonstrate changing tastes in fashion over an 80-year period. The collection is also significant in that it includes the work of a large number of Melbourne designers from the 1960s to the 1990s.
Physical description
Cream coloured long sleeve evening gown with cross-grain same colour trim and belt. The skirt features heat-treated sunray pleats.
Inscriptions & markings
Label: Simona Couture
