Lisa Ho runs one of Australia's most popular and long-established fashion labels. A graduate of East Sydney Technical College, Ho produced her first collection in 1982 and by 1989 was recognised with a Fashion Industries of Australia Award. Ho has worked across all levels of the industry; designing, manufacturing, wholesaling and retailing a wide range of womeswear designs including swimwear, jeans, daywear, active wear, evening wear and special occasion dresses.
Ho's evening wear received prominent media coverage in 2003 when Australian actor Sarah Wynter wore a Ho designed beaded chiffon dress to the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. The Sydney Morning Herald's fashion writer Natasha Silva-Jelly reported the American commentators surprise at finding Wynter wearing a dress by an Australian designer at a time when most celebrities were dressed in high profile European designer labels 'Apparently stepping out in an ensemble from her homeland was the fashion equivalent of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon, never mind that designer Lisa Ho has long been a well-known name on the Australian fashion scene.' Sydney Morning Herald November 11 2003.
Lisa Ho received further attention when Australian TV star and musician Delta Goodrem wore this beaded chiffon gown to the ARIA Music Awards in Sydney in October 2003. Goodrem won an unprecedented seven awards resulting in substantial media coverage of her in the dress. Ho's success reflected the growing importance of fashion designer/celebrity relationships with celebrities and their stylists looking for the ultimate photo opportunity dress to wear down the red carpet. The confluence of Goodrem's ARIA success and Ho's elegant gown made for an indelible image that also led to numerous media articles reflecting more broadly on the recent international success and 'coming of age' of Australian fashion through the success of Australian designers on the international market.
The dress was designed and made in Lisa Ho's workrooms in Sydney in 2003.
The dress's elegant silhouette suggests it was inspired by 1930s bias cut evening gowns but Ho has given it a contemporary edge through the deeply slashed skirt, revealing a hint of leg, and the deliberately frayed hems.
Young Australian pop singer/songwriter and actress Delta Goodrem wore this dress to the 17th Annual ARIA Music Awards held at the Sydney Superdome, Sydney Olympic Park on Tuesday October 21, 2003. She won seven awards including best female artist and this, combined with her popularity and recent battle with Hodgkins disease ensured photographs of Goodrem graced the front pages of Australia's major newspaper's including the Sydney Morning Herald and The Daily Telegraph.
While the major focus was on Goodrem's achievements, her dress also sparked its own stories and commentary reflecting the increasing importance of celebrity dressing in contemporary American and Australian fashion. It is a symbiotic relationship; for celebrities attending major red carpet award nights like the Academy Awards and Golden Globes in the USA and the Logies and ARIAs in Australia what they wear and the impression it makes on the public and media can enhance their reputation and in turn that of the outfit's designer.
Under the title 'Great southern brands' Sydney Morning Herald journalist Natasha Silva-Jelly looked at celebrity dressing and how the work of Australian designers like Lisa Ho and Collette Dinnigan are now being worn by local and international celebrities for red carpet occasions. According to Silva-Jelly when Australian actress Sarah Wynter wore a Lisa Ho dress to the Emmy Awards in the USA she caused a stir not simply because the actor and her dress was stunning but because she had chosen to wear an Australian designer label over celebrities customary choice of established international labels like Chanel and Armani.
The dress was acquired as part of the Museum's Fashion of the Year program. Established in 1991 the annual Fashion of the Year program draws together a panel comprising the Museum's fashion & dress curators and fashion commentators/editors from Australian Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph, The Australian Women's Weekly and The Australian. Together they consider the key designers, trends and themes in the year's international and Australian ready-to-wear collections and select 4-6 outfits and accessories to become part of the Museum's permanent collection, ensuring the Powerhouse Museum develops and maintains a well-considered collection of contemporary fashion.
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