Book Launch: April Calahan | The Art of Haute Couture: Observations from the Closet of the NGV

Schedule

Tue Aug 26 2025 at 08:30 am to 09:30 am

UTC+10:00

Location

NGV International | Melbourne, VI

Advertisement
THE ART OF HAUTE COUTURE: OBSERVATIONS FROM THE CLOSET OF THE NGV | BOOK LAUNCH & KEYNOTE: APRIL CALAHAN

US-based fashion historian and co-host of Dressed: The History of Fashion podcast, April Calahan joins us in Melbourne for an exclusive talk on the history of haute couture to celebrate the release of the NGV publication Observations: Dress in Art & Design History – the third volume in the Observations series.
Despite a history dating back more than 150 years, the hallowed halls of haute couture remain shrouded in mystery to most. Join us as we trace the haute couture industry’s origins in nineteenth century Paris through to the present day.
April Calahan will crack open the closet of the NGV’s Fashion and Textile Collection to reveal the stories behind the Gallery’s rare and exceptional haute couture holdings and shine a light on the importance of fashion in museum and gallery collections.
This program will be held in person and livestreamed. When booking, you can choose to purchase an in-person ticket or a virtual ticket to access the livestream.

📍NGV International
🗓️ Tue 26 Aug
⏰ 6:30–7:30pm

ABOUT THE BOOK
Observations: Dress in Art & Design History is the third volume in NGV’s Observations series. Writers, scholars and curators from around the world explore over 400 years of fashion history across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas in a series of edited transcripts following the 2024 online talks series of the same name.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
April Calahan is an art and fashion historian, writer and professional podcaster living and working in New York City. She is the co-host of the podcast Dressed: The History of Fashion, which she created with her friend and fellow fashion historian Cassidy Zachary to celebrate the who, what, when and why we wear throughout history and around the world. For more than a decade April served as a Special Collections curator at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she also taught in the History of Art department. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, WWD, The New York Times and The Guardian. She has lectured at cultural institutions around the world including Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Yale University, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne and Parsons School of Design.

BOOK NOW. https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/program/the-art-of-haute-couture-observations-from-the-closet-of-the-ngv/?utm_medium=advertising&utm_source=self+serve+meta&utm_campaign=programs&utm_content=standard&utm_term=awareness
Advertisement

Where is it happening?

NGV International, 180 St Kilda Rd,Melbourne,VIC,Australia

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

National Gallery of Victoria

Host or Publisher National Gallery of Victoria

It's more fun with friends. Share with friends

Discover More Events in Melbourne

Alex Warren in Melbourne
Mon, 25 Aug at 08:00 pm Alex Warren in Melbourne

Margaret Court Arena

CONCERTS MUSIC
Keith Urban at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Victo
Mon, 25 Aug at 10:00 pm Keith Urban at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Victo

Rod Laver Arena

ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC
Tue, 26 Aug at 12:00 am Keith Urban in Melbourne

Rod Laver Arena

CONCERTS MUSIC
The Gayatri Yantra Drawing Meditation ~ Melbourne
Tue, 26 Aug at 08:00 am The Gayatri Yantra Drawing Meditation ~ Melbourne

Mystik River Gallery Southbank Melbourne

ART MEDITATION
Keith Urban - High and Alive World Tour
Tue, 26 Aug at 09:00 am Keith Urban - High and Alive World Tour

Rod Laver Arena

ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC
Reproducible Computing Environments with Docker
Tue, 26 Aug at 10:00 am Reproducible Computing Environments with Docker

21 Bedford St

WORKSHOPS IT
Melbourne Job Fair - Melbourne Career Fair
Tue, 26 Aug at 11:00 am Melbourne Job Fair - Melbourne Career Fair

Melbourne

JOB-FAIRS VIRTUAL-RUN
Melbourne Marketing Forum 2025 | August
Tue, 26 Aug at 06:00 pm Melbourne Marketing Forum 2025 | August

level 7/30 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC, Australia

BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
BUSINESS GROWTH EVENT: Want More Business? - Networking Breakfast
Wed, 22 Jun at 06:45 am BUSINESS GROWTH EVENT: Want More Business? - Networking Breakfast

Henry and The Fox

BUSINESS ART
Building Your Resilience Course (Melbourne)
Mon, 30 Oct at 09:00 am Building Your Resilience Course (Melbourne)

123 Queen St

WORKSHOPS ART
Leading Meetings (Melbourne)
Mon, 27 Nov at 09:00 am Leading Meetings (Melbourne)

123 Queen St

WORKSHOPS ART
An epic fun-filled scavenger hunt! - Marvelous Melbourne Extravaganza!
Thu, 29 Aug at 08:00 am An epic fun-filled scavenger hunt! - Marvelous Melbourne Extravaganza!

173 Swanston St

ART TRIPS-ADVENTURES
A Team Building Adventure! - Marvelous Melbourne Extravaganza!
Mon, 21 Oct at 12:00 am A Team Building Adventure! - Marvelous Melbourne Extravaganza!

173 Swanston St

TRIPS-ADVENTURES ART
A Date Night Adventure! - Marvelous Melbourne Extravaganza!
Tue, 29 Oct at 08:00 am A Date Night Adventure! - Marvelous Melbourne Extravaganza!

173 Swanston St

TRIPS-ADVENTURES ART
Paint and Sip Classes Melbourne : Acrylic Art, Canvas & Wine Fun
Sun, 03 Nov at 06:00 pm Paint and Sip Classes Melbourne : Acrylic Art, Canvas & Wine Fun

555 Flinders Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

WORKSHOPS ART
Art and Heritage Collection Tour
Fri, 03 Jan at 02:30 pm Art and Heritage Collection Tour

Melbourne Town Hall

ART NONPROFIT
SAPPHIRE SERENADE by The Sugar Showgirls
Sat, 21 Jun at 07:00 pm SAPPHIRE SERENADE by The Sugar Showgirls

pride of our footscray

PERFORMANCES LIVE-MUSIC
L'Art de la Table
Tue, 15 Jul at 12:00 pm L'Art de la Table

Pullman Melbourne On The Park

PARTIES FOOD-DRINKS
Cult Vault: Akira Kurosawa's RAN (1985)
Mon, 11 Aug at 08:00 am Cult Vault: Akira Kurosawa's RAN (1985)

Palace Cinemas

ENTERTAINMENT PERFORMANCES

What's Happening Next in Melbourne?

Discover Melbourne Events