BULLETIN:
'La Jago' himself is feature artist this month at Melbourne's melbournestyle> gallery and concept store.
Launching his first ever winter collection 'Exotique' in the form of fab felt berets and in conjunction with the exquisite baroque jewellery of William Llewellyn Griffiths, Jago is resplendent in his craft, and in the association.
The combination of these two extraordinary talents is the occasion for an outrageous soirÈe, marking the opening of the melbournestyle gallery space nextdoor to the South Melbourne store.
PROFILE
Melbourne's most famous and flamboyant milliner and designer, Peter Jago, added "another feather to his extraordinary cap" with his appointment in 2004 as the Ambassador to Champions ‚ the Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame.
Renowned for his exotic millinery creations, Peter has been a proud supporter of the Museum for many years and has donated a collection of vintage hats and his own designer outfits that he has worn as a celebrity guest at the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
A long standing judge of the prestigious MYER Fashions on the Field competition at Flemington over the Melbourne Cup Carnival, Peter's keen eye for detail and originality has made him an expert in his field.
Peter's appointment as Ambassador added to his official role as Patron of the Kids Help Line. He also has the distinction of having a French rose named in his honour ‚ La Jago.
Peter has held his own couture label for 21 years and is the proud recipient of 3 national grants and 1 international award for his ability. In 2003 he was the inaugural inductee into the Australian Millinery Hall of Fame and has twice been inducted into the Stonnington Hall of Fame for his influence on Australian fashion.
Peter began his millinery study in Melbourne through amateur theatre and then became Assistant to the Head Milliner of the Australian Opera wardrobe in Sydney. In this position Peter developed his skills as tailor and costumier whilst designing masks and fantasy costumes for Mardi Gras.
Peter has a University degree for training in the millinery field and introducing formal regional millinery training and workshops. He has taught as far north as Cairns and Townsville, covered the rest of Queensland, NSW and South Australia as well as teaching at RMIT, Melbourne College of Fashion and Kangan Batman TAFE in Melbourne.
Permanent collections of Peter's work can be seen at:
þ Cairns Regional Art Gallery, Queensland
þ Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, New South Wales
þ RMIT Fashion Library, Pru Acton Collection, Melbourne, Victoria
þ Australian Racing Museum, Federation Square, Melbourne, Victoria
Peter has conducted seminars, forums and fashion showings both in Australia and overseas. His parades are an eagerly awaited highlight of the racing season Australia wide and his international profile has been enhanced by his conduct of such events as the first Ladies Day at Singapore Turf Club ‚ a complete sell out!
Both he and his creations have been in the spotlight and received extensive coverage in Australian press and radio for more than a decade. On the other side of the cameras Peter has worked in film and TV production and was for some time milliner for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Peter credits his passion for head adornment and "the exotique" to his upbringing in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea ‚ but that's another story.
