This evening ensemble consists of a dress, belt, fur bolero and shoes. The floor length high waited evening dress is made of black and ecru chiffon. The belt is made of black grosgrain ribbon. The cropped bolero jacket with a short capped sleeve is made of cream coloured fur. The high heeled sandals have looped straps trimmed with diamantes. Designed by Collette Dinnigan of Sydney the ensemble was worn by Catherine Martin in 2006 to the wedding of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. It is part of a collection of Australian and international designer clothing, shoes and bags from the personal wardrobe of Catherine Martin.

Catherine Martin is one of Australia's outstanding creative talents, working as a production designer, film producer and costume designer on significant film, theatre and event productions including Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet, La Bohème and Australia. Martin's creative collaboration with husband Baz Luhrmann has produced a visually lush, musically exhilarating, poetic style of storytelling.

Her personal wardrobe reflects Martin's romantic style, knowledge of fashion history and passion for handcrafted, artisanal textiles; an aesthetic that is also a key part of her designs for film, theatre, interior design and fashion. The collection includes outfits Martin wore to premiers and award nights including the evening dress she wore to the 74th Academy Awards where she received two Academy Awards for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction.

Catherine Martin's personal wardrobe enhances the Museum's contemporary fashion and dress collection with significant examples of work from Australian and international designer labels including Easton Pearson, Collette Dinnigan, Willow, Akira Isogawa, Chanel, Mui Mui, Jill Sander, Comme des Garçons and Prada.

In addition the Catherine Martin collection includes a group of costumes and accessories from the films Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Australia (2008), set models from the film Australia (2008) and costumes and accessories from the theatre production of Puccini's opera La Boheme (2003). A key feature of these productions is the costuming and sets which reflect the extensive research and inventive interpretation of references drawn from across history and cultures. These costumes enhance the Museum's existing collection of costumes for the Baz Luhrmann films Strictly Ballroom (1992) (92/1900-92/1939) and Moulin Rouge! (2001) (2008/199/1-17).

This collection reflects the diverse approaches Martin and her team take in costuming film and theatre productions. In Romeo + Juliet, Leonardo DiCaprio's Romeo wears an off the shelf Prada shirt that has been skilfully distressed to appear dirty and bloodied, while his companions the Montague boys appear in colourful screen printed and hand painted Hawaiian shirts. The Australia costumes reflect the design and production teams' careful research into 1930s and 1940s clothing which they have skilfully re-interpreted and reproduced for the film. In contrast the costumes for the four key characters from La Bohème are an eclectic mix of contemporary mass market work wear, designer labels and newly created garments.

- Glynis Jones, Curator, Fashion and Dress, December 2010

Custom made for Catherine Martin by Collette Dinnigan.

This ensemble was worn by Catherine Martin to Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's wedding in 2006. It was custom made for Catherine Martin by Collette Dinnigan.

Catherine Martin was born in Sydney in 1965. She completed a Diploma Design course at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in Sydney. It was here that she met and started working on projects with her future husband and creative partner Baz Luhrmann (b 1962).

Martin's first design project with Luhrmann was his experimental opera entitled Lake Lost devised for the Australian Opera in 1987, for which she and her co-designer Angus Strathie won a Victorian Green Room Award for Best Design. She has designed all of Luhrmann's subsequent productions including Strictly Ballroom (1992), Romeo + Juliet (1996) for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Art Direction, A Midsummer Night's Dream (various season's 1993, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2003) Moulin Rouge (2001) for which Martin won Academy Awards for Best Costume Design and best Production Design, La Bohème (various productions, 1990, 1993, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2004) and Australia (2008).

Catherine Martin and Baz Luhrmann married in 1997 and in the same year co-founded their film, theatre and entertainment production company Bazmark Inc and its subsidiaries Bazmark Live and Bazmark Music.

Evening ensemble comprising evening dress, belt, fur bolero and shoes.

Floor length high waisted evening dress in black and ecru chiffon. Sleeveless dress has fitted bodice with black bra top in black tulle embellished with black bugle beads and sequins over ecru lace bodice with shoestring straps trimmed with sequins and beads. Petersham band around waist with applied faux gems. Ecru chiffon skirt trimmed with rows of silver sequins with black chiffon overskirt split down the front to reveal the ecru underskirt. Fastening down proper left side with three black buttons. Lining in thicker ecru chiffon.

Black grosgrain belt with applied clear [glass] gems at either end.

Cropped bolero jacket with short capped sleeve in cream fur tipped with brown. Lined with ecru silk. Hook and eye fastening.

Pair of thin 3 1/2 inch high heeled sandals with looped straps over vamp and round ankle trimmed with diamantes.

Designed: Dinnigan, Collette; Sydney, New South Wales; 2006

Owned: Martin, Catherine; Sydney, New South Wales; 2006

2011/43/51

2006