‘Australia’s golden girl of fashion’: Prue Acton

Prue Acton OBE She is an Australian fashion designer and is often referred to as “Australia’s golden girl of fashion” in the 1960s. (Image, circa 1990.)

Framed on this wrought-iron balcony of a terrace house in Richmond, Acton’s striking camel earring complemented this portrait perfectly.

According to 1963 Wikipedia:

… Acton started her own fashion design business She was based in Melbourne and by the age of 21 she was delivering over 350 designs a year and selling an average of 1,000 dresses a week through 80 stores in Australia and New Zealand… In 1967, she became the first Australian female designer to showcase her clothing range in New York.

Acton’s website he tells it ‘lifelong love of color and light’ He talks about the awards he received throughout his career:

‘… including three international awards for the Olympic Opening Ceremony Uniforms, five Australian Wool Board Awards, three David Jones Awards for Fashion Excellence and four Australian Fashion Industry Lyrebird Awards, as well as an OBE award in 1982.’

**This photo is part of an IA. A series that looks at Australia through the eyes of award-winning photojournalist Bill McAuley.**

Bill McAuley’s 40-plus-year news career began in 1969 as a student photographer at ‘The Age’ in Melbourne.

He has several published collections including ‘Portraits of the Soul: A lifetime of images with Bill McAuley’ and ‘Last Light on Victoria Dock, 1999’. Click to see more from Bill Here.

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