Scout Finch

The iconic costumes of Judy Garland, Grace Kelly, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rodgers, Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis and Marlon Brando (to name a few) will be made available to the public in a magical exhibition late November at the Museum of Brisbane.

I’m beside myself.

My love of old glamour and vintage combined with getting a glimpse of beautifully made costumes, you couldn’t make this gal any happier if you tried. But what’s more the exhibition is thanks to the wonderful private collection of local lad (and collector) Nicholas Inglis. Brisbane you are just beautiful.

The exhibition, titled Costumes from the Golden Age of Hollywood, will showcase Inglis’ extraordinary private collection of iconic costumes and props from the Golden Age of Hollywood after remaining hidden for decades in suburban Brisbane.

Mind blown. A wonderful local man has been collecting these gems and is now going to swing open the doors and let us view these iconic pieces. Give the man a medal I say! And did I mention the show is free…oh my.

Inglis has spent the last two decades acquiring hundreds of costumes, alongside countless items of memorabilia.

The show is made up of a selection of nearly 70 costumes, dozens of accessories and props and more than 100 photographs and sketches from the 1920s to 1960s.

I’ve been told highlights include a stunning two-metre wide ball gown from Marie Antoinette (1938) created by the legendary designer Adrian, Gloria Swanson’s elegant pink silk nightgown from Sunset Boulevard (1950) and swimsuits worn by the ‘million dollar mermaid’ of the 1940s and 1950s Esther Williams.

I’ve also been told that the exhibition is the result of a chance meeting between co-curators, Museum of Brisbane Deputy Director Christopher Salter and fashion curator Dr Nadia Buick. They had both heard of a mysterious Hollywood collection, rumoured to be stored somewhere in Brisbane.

“Nadia and I met through a mutual friend and had begun conversations about locating this almost mythical collection and investigating its exhibition potential. As luck would have it, it turned out I had a link to Nicholas through Facebook and we were able to reach out to him and discuss developing an exhibition,” Mr Salter said.

“To create Costumes from the Golden Age of Hollywood, we spent hundreds of hours cataloguing the collection and have been working with one of Australian’s leading textile conservators who is slowly bringing the garments back to life.

“I think visitors will be astounded by the quality of the workmanship in each costume, the corsetry and beading, the luxurious fabrics. People will also be surprised by how colourful some costumes are, considering on screen they only appeared in black and white.

“There is still so much nostalgia for this period of films, and the costumes and props are a very real but magical link to some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, which is very exciting to share with people.”

As mentioned above, Costumes from the Golden Age of Hollywood runs from November 22, 2014 to April 26, 2015. Museum of Brisbane is open daily from 10am to 5pm on Level 3 of Brisbane City Hall, entry is free. For more details visit here.