Carla Zampatti was undoubtedly Australia’s most recognised and celebrated fashion designer, with a career spanning more than 50 years in the industry. In her honour, The Carousel is sharing a series of our video interviews with the fashion icon. Here, we talk to her about the ‘designer life’.
‘Taking each day as it comes,’ Carla told me at the time of her 50th anniversary as a fashion designer. Ever stylish, eloquent and utterly impressive, she said ‘loving the adventure, challenge and excitement’ of fashion was one of the many reasons she stayed at the top of her game for so long.
As The Carousel’s Editor and a former Editor of The Australian Women’s Weekly, I was fortunate to interview Carla many times, and she remains my designer of choice. My enduring memory of her is her quiet sophistication and effortless style. She spoke with a soft voice and was always generous in the way she shared her insights about life and business, talking passionately about her creations, work-life balance and her many achievements.
My mother and I both wore Carla Zampatti. In Mum’s case, she wore Carla’s outfits every day and became known as the Lady in White — her staple was Carla’s signature white crepe jacket and pants. Like so many women who wear Carla’s clothes, she knew she looked good in them, and importantly, that made her feel good. For my son’s wedding last year, I wore a silver satin outfit from Carla’s latest collection, and in honour of my late mum, I bought a midnight blue chiffon dress for her funeral. That may sound sombre, but it was far from it — Mum would have loved it. Like Carla, she believed in dressing appropriately and taking care in the way you looked.
So, in honour of two incredible women — Carla and my mum — I have pulled together some of our interviews with Australia’s greatest designer, the legendary Carla Zampatti.