BRAND POWERS
As Vogue Australia turns 60, another of our country’s leading fashion institutions is celebrating a new chapter in its storied history with the unveiling of luxe shopping experiences at the David Jones Elizabeth Street store in Sydney.
From pillbox hats and paisley to shoulder pads and scrunchies, a lot of trends have come and gone – and often come again – in Vogue Australia’s 60 years. Few local brands have stood the test of time throughout it all, and fewer still have been around even longer. David Jones, which marked its 180th anniversary last year, is a notable exception. The department store opened in Sydney in 1838 with the mission to sell “the best and most exclusive goods” and while much has changed over the years, this guiding principle remains at the heart of what has become one of Australia’s most enduring fashion institutions.
OUT OF THE PAST
From its ambitious beginnings with a prominent store in Sydney’s George Street in 1838 to a bold move to the Elizabeth Street flagship in 1927 and its current suite of 50 locations and an online store, David Jones has continued to delight customers as it’s evolved over the past 181 years – and played a starring role in a few historic moments. In 1948, David Jones hosted Dior’s first runway show outside of Paris when it brought designer Christian Dior’s New Look collection to Sydney and, in 1954, when Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to visit Australia, a state banquet in her honour was held in the Great Restaurant at the David Jones Elizabeth Street store.
Into the future
The recently unveiled Designer Shoe Floor and the Australian and International Designer Womenswear Floor, which will be complemented by the new Luxury Beauty and Designer Accessories Floor opening on December 11, are the latest results of a $400 million redevelopment of the David Jones Elizabeth Street store set to be completed in March 2020. As well as bringing together a carefully curated selection of the best local and international brands, including many nationwide exclusives, the new spaces offer an elevated shopping experience complete with bespoke in-store services. Along with the Personal Shopping Suite, which provides a complimentary service, the designer womenswear floor on level three houses concept spaces from Australian brands such as Aje, Carla Zampatti, Bianca Spender, Camilla, Zimmermann and Dion Lee, and stocks some of the world’s most covetable labels, including Toni Maticevski, Balmain, Roksanda, Johanna Ortiz, Tibi, Ganni, Carolina Herrera and J.W. Anderson. Shoe lovers, meanwhile, will be in level seven heaven, with footwear from brands such as Valentino, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Christian Louboutin and Roger Vivier. The reimagined 12-floor department store demonstrates David Jones’s continued commitment to the vision it started with all those years ago: bringing together “the best and most exclusive goods” all in one place.