Historical information

The Gown of the Year Program was a gala event in Melbourne's cultural calendar. Australia's supermodels of the day, such as Diane Masters (pictured), Bambi Shmith, and Betty Jackson modelled clothes by Melbourne's leading designers, Hall Ludlow, Le Louvre, and others. Diane Masters has played a seminal role in contributing to the Design Archives through her personal and professional fashion archive, her role in the Hall Ludlow collection and archive, the Laurie Carew collection, and her generosity in gifting items from the Frederick Romberg archive to the RMIT Design Archives. She has been and remains a key figure in Melbourne and Australian fashion.

Suzanne Davies, 2017

Physical description

Black and white photograph features fashion designer Hall Ludlow (right), holding his trophies for winning the 1959 Gown of the Year at the Menzies Hotel, Melbourne. Model Diane Masters (right) is wearing the winning gown: a pale full length gown with short sleeves, scoop neck, and ruffled skirt. The matching coat also features small ruffled down its length.

Inscriptions & markings

Verso:
Stamped in black ink, bottom right: 'Photographed by/ ATHOL SHMITH/ F.R.P.S . . F.R.S.A/ 125 COLLINS STREET, MELBOURNE/ TELEPHONE MF 5[illegible]4