Fashion Stylist and Creative Director Philip Boon and Fashion Director Sonia Audino are long term friends who have a great passion for the fashion, art, design, architecture of the 1970's.
[The late] Mary Lipshut was a fashion Doyenne who through the repercussion of political decisions accumulated a divine collection of what is now 'unworn' vintage fashion. Philip Boon and Sonia Audino have inherited responsibility of the ML Vintage collection and through their love of vintage plan to take it to the world.
[In Marys words] 'I had a fashion imports business and had exclusivity over the import of Courréges and Missoni in Australia. But in the early 1970's the French tested their first nuclear bombs in the Pacific, and Australia black-banned all french products for two years.
The fashion changed very quickly and two years later, by the time I could sell my shipment - a shipment that was meant to be for the whole of Australia - the fashion was too far behind!'
At the advice of famed Italian fashion journalist Anna Piaggi, Lipshut held on to her massive collection of two year old Courréges.
'She had great foresight , in 1973 she said 'Pack it away, because all over the world museums are going to want to open fashion galleries and vintage fashion will come into it's own'.
Mary added to this initial collection over the following decades buying from some of the worlds most famed designers which lead her to open a vintage showroom in the late 1990's that became ML Vintage.
Sonia Audino [SA] 'I guess working with this collection a driver for me is actually being able to work with a piece of fashion history, and that's very exciting. And I think also, [I guess] being Australian and I [I guess] having my roots on Perth, you don't actually get to see something like this and I think probably 'globally' you don't really get to see a collection like Mary's.'
'We both have a love of Vintage.. it's the perfect partnership, both have a massive love of the 1970's, all things design. We have a very clear vision of where we'd like to see the collection, we're very very proud of it, to carry on Mary's legacy' [SA]
'I always loved vintage, I wore vintage myself for many years. I used to back when I was a clothing designer just wear vintage suits [you know] nine 'til five all the time, and basically went on to really look into and research vintage and that's what lead me to Mary I suppose'. Philip Boon [PB]
In the foyer of the ML Vintage collection there is a breath taking collection of framed photographs and newspaper cuttings a 'fame wall' that encapsulates Mary Lipshuts unrivalled passion and life in fashion, her friends and accomplices. Messages and photographs from Gianni Versace, Anna Piaggi and Missoni - Rosita and Octavio. Frank Sinatra, Danni Minogue, Geoffrey Rush, to see this is fascinating to anyone.
The excitement that Philip and Sonia have for the ML Vintage collection is inspiring and infectious. To see two people surrounded by this particular treasure trove is akin to making a wish and it actually happening. To see vintage unworn from bathing suits to dresses and accessories was overwhelming.
'When I first met Sonia she was driving around in her Mum and Dads 1960's Mercedes - what colour?' PB
'It was Baby Blue' SA
'Mmmm, blue, not pale blue' PB
'Baby Blue.. she was lovely' SA
Philip Boon & Sonia Audino'Mmmm, blue, not pale blue' PB
'Baby Blue.. she was lovely' SA
pbsavintage@gmail.com
Contributing Visual Director
