Final farewell for Melbourne's pioneer of the pant suit, Simon Shinberg
It is often said that fashion is a labour of love. But in the case of a parade of vintage outfits by legendary designer, the late Simon Shinberg on Sunday, the saying took on a whole new meaning.
Mr Shinberg, who died in 2012, pioneered the pant suit for women when wearing a skirt or dress was still considered the only appropriate attire for leaving the house.
His labels, first Sharene Creations and then Mr Simon, made him a household name in the 1960s and 1970s.
His daughter Debra Dascal spent 12 months locating about 140 of her father's original designs so she could stage the show, part of the Melbourne Fashion Festival.
Opening the show were Mr Shinberg's great-granddaughters, two-year-old Ness and four-year-old Ella, in miniature replicas of a 1950s black chiffon ball gown.
The parade then followed the decades and the changing silhouettes: the minis, babydolls and shifts of the 1960s, the jumpsuits and exaggerated sleeves of the 1970s, and the "power shoulders" of the 1980s.
Fashion historian and photographer Tom McEvoy helped to unearth several Mr Simon pieces for the show, as he has with several vintage Australian labels.
"I was driving to a job when I got the first call from Debra ... and I had a Mr Simon dress in my car. It was a sign."
The Melbourne Fashion Festival continues until March 19. vamff.com.au.
Melissa Singer is Fashion and Lifestyle Editor of The Age and The Sunday Age
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