Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria have scored the ultimate coup again, by playing host to the prestigious retrospective exhibition ‘The House of Dior – Seventy Years of Haute Couture’, making this a perfect opportunity/excuse for a blockbuster, fashion getaway!

The exhibition highlights work by the seven designers who have played key roles in shaping Dior’s renowned fashionable silhouette: Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and current designer (and first female), Maria Grazia Chiuri.

The exhibition runs until 07 November, 2017 so grab your passport and make a convenient escape to Melbourne for this rare, up close and personal opportunity to experience one of the most prestigious names in fashion.

While you’re in Melbourne, discover some of our favourites…

SLEEP AT

QT Melbourne

Located in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD with an industrial-inspired interior design and innovative restaurants, bars and shops, including The Cake Shop, a decadent patisserie in the hotel’s lobby, the signature French-style brasserie, Pascale Bar & Grill, the edgy laneway bar, Hot Sauce and the buzzy rooftop bar which overlooks Melbourne’s city skyline. Expect exuberant service, verging on the theatrical, and beware or be amused by the saucy comments from the elevator voice!

Adelphi Hotel

Perfectly positioned on Flinders Lane, and just steps away from major city centre shopping locales and cultural institutions, including NGV Australia. This boutique design hotel takes on a decadent desert-theme with quirky ‘licorice allsorts’ stools and rich chocolate toned furnishings and bowls of candy mixed with Deco shapes. Delight your sweet tooth at signature ‘Om Nom’ restaurant and be sure to try out the cantilevered rooftop lap pool with glass bottom, which juts out two meters from the hotel’s façade above Flinders Lane!

SHOP AT

Melbourne is Australia’s undisputed fashion capital and Collins Street is where to get your luxury label fix (including Dior) along this premier street. Head to St. Collins Lane for high-end street wear and a curated offering of lux international brands and local designers.
Nearby, Marais is a multi designer boutique with an edge stocking such designers as Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, Balenciaga, and Isabel Marant.

Emporium Melbourne is a relatively new addition to the Melbourne shopping scene with this mall in the heart of the city on Londsdale Street. Local and international fashion is well represented with labels including Boss, Kate Spade, and Jac + Jack, but the center also includes plenty of fantastic lifestyle options—like Japanese department store Muji—for those keen to explore beyond fashion. The food court on level three has some excellent, fresh offerings.

EAT & DRINK AT

Melbournians are caffeine aficionados with a strong coffee culture scene. Everyone is raving about Higher Ground on Little Bourke Street for their specialty coffee and they’re quite the institution for brunch too in a fantastic reimagined industrial space.

Try lunching at summer hotspot, Arbory – a casual outdoor bar on the Yarra, and walking distance from the NGV! Or Asian fusion inspired Coda on Flinders Lane is a great spot for lunch or dinner.

For dinner, try Embla wine bar for their fantastic range of weird and wonderful wines, accompanied by home grown and local – true to ingredient seasonal food. Directly opposite the QT Melbourne and always busy. Or Uncle on Collins Street is a laid back, fun modern Vietnamese eatery and great cocktails!

For cocktail aficionados, Transit Rooftop Bar offers great views near the Yarra in Federation Square, or Bar Americano, the bar where bartenders want to drink, which only fits 10 people or Eau de Vie, which paved the way for experimental cocktails (plus they have a hidden lounge behind a book case).

SEE & DO

Street art tours are hugely popular, so for a greater insight into the city’s hip street art culture, why not take a walking tour, led by the artists themselves, taking in Union Lane, Caledonian Lane, and Centre Place – all within walking distance.

Head 20 minutes south of the CBD to the upscale bayside suburb of Brighton.  Its beach is best known for its brightly painted bathing boxes (beach huts), which were built more than a century ago.  Along the beach, there’s also the historic Brighton Baths, a pier, and a number of cafes.

Ride the City Circle Tram, also known as route 35.  This free tram is an easy way to get around the city quickly—and it’s also a popular tourist attraction. The route, which runs in a circuit that includes Flinders Street, Harbour Esplanade in Docklands, LaTrobe Street, and Spring Street, features audio commentary with details about landmarks and major attractions around Melbourne.

Thanks to Qantas, it’s never been easier to get there

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