Grand Marnier / Powerhouse Museum Fashion of the Year 2001.

Vintage fashion
Everything old is new again and this year vintage fashion was a major
trend led by celebrities such as Julia Roberts, who accepted her Academy Award in vintage Valentino. Vintage fashion can be defined as quality clothing created in years past but
still stylish today. An evening coat
by French designer Hubert de
Givenchy in 1970 was selected this year to represent the fashion for vintage.

Tom Ford for YSL
One of the most celebrated fashion shows for 2001 was the Yves St. Laurent (YSL) autumn/winter ready-to-wear parade designed by Tom Ford. Mostly in black, the YSL collection featured off-the-shoulder blouses and romantic ruffled skirts. Teamed with heavy hand-tooled and riveted leather belts and high-heeled platform sandals, the 'bohemian' or 'gypsy' look was given a contemporary, urban and very chic qualit

Established in 1991, the Grand Marnier/PowerhouseMuseum Fashion of the Year program draws together a panel of discerning fashion commentators and Powerhouse Museum representatives to select the designers, outfits and accessories that represent some of the year's most influential fashion themes and trends.

The Grand Marnier/Powerhouse Museum Fashion of the Year 2001 selection of seven garments and accessories will be displayed at the Powerhouse Museum from 29 November 2001. Drawn from the ready-to-wear collections of international and Australian designers, the selection becomes part of the Museum's permanent collection of over 30,000 items of dress.

The advisory panel for 2001 included an impressive array of experts from the fashion industry including: Jane de Teliga, The Australian Women's Weekly Style Director and Harper's Bazaar Editor-at-Large; Alison Veness-McGourty, Editor, Harper's Bazaar; Fiona Lane, Vogue's Fashion Editor; as well representatives from the Powerhouse Museum - Jennifer Sanders, Deputy Director and Louise Mitchell, Curator, Decorative Arts and Design.

As major partner in the event since 1998, Grand Marnier's sponsorship of Fashion of the Year has enabled the Museum to continue to develop an exemplary collection of fashion. This important collection forms the basis of exhibitions, research and publications on contemporary international and Australian fashion - a source of information and inspiration for all Australians.

The Grand Marnier/Powerhouse Museum Fashion of the Year 2001 selection included:

Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton
Inspired by an old Louis Vuitton travelling case covered in black paint, Marc Jacobs collaborated with celebrated New York underground artist Stephen Sprouse to create the 'speedy' bag that features graffiti scrawled over the traditional Louis Vuitton monogram canvas, which caused a fashion sensation.

sass and bide
One of the most inspiring stories comes from Australian designers, Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton, whose label sass and bide has taken the world by storm. Their new-look denim, paint-splattered, distressed and worn, was a significant trend in fashion for 2001. The label's signature look is low-slung jeans and micro-minis, individualised with different effects and accessories. The result is sexy, quirky fashion that has been scooped up by stylish celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Kylie Minogue and Victoria Beckham.


Easton Pearson
For the second year in a row, the Brisbane design duo of Pamela Easton and Lydia Pearson have been selected forFashion of the Year. Many of Easton Pearson's items feature intricately handcrafted and embellished fabrics. This year the dynamic duo was inspired by "women like Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keeffe, Tina Modotti, Jane Bowles - artists, intellectuals, free thinkers of the 30's, 40's, and 50's who had entrees to established society but chose to live out of it."

Tsubi
Streetwear label Tsubi is the brain-child of a group of friends from Sydney's northern beaches. Dan Single, George Gorrow, Gareth Moody and Oskar Wright were playing in a band and couldn't find any suitable clothes to wear on stage, so they made their own. Their creations were so innovative, they were asked to show them at Mercedes Fashion Week in May 2001, where they caused a stir when they released 169 live rats onto the catwalk. Inspired by art, poetry, street people, politics, music and film, Tsubi creates clothes with a heavy dose of attitude.

John Galliano for Christian Dior
Trailer park chic and beauty queen glamour were the inspiration behind the spring/summer 2001 ready-to-wear collection John Galliano created for Christian Dior. Clothing adorned with zips, chains and mesh featured along with fishnet stockings with oversize holes. Available in a range of flamboyant colours, fishnets were one of the must-have accessories for 2001.