{"id":295558,"date":"2025-10-11T20:43:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T20:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/295558\/"},"modified":"2025-10-11T20:43:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T20:43:20","slug":"philanthropist-krystyna-campbell-pretty-is-ngvs-secret-fashion-weapon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/295558\/","title":{"rendered":"Philanthropist Krystyna Campbell-Pretty Is NGV’s Secret Fashion Weapon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tPARIS \u2014<\/strong> As the market for vintage<\/a> fashion booms and competition at auction<\/a> heats up, the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne has emerged as a force to be reckoned with.<\/p>\n

\n\tIts secret weapon? Krystyna Campbell-Pretty, a style aficionado with deep pockets and a quiet purpose: to build a world-class collection of rare and historic clothes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe philanthropist has bought and donated more than 600 items to the museum\u2019s fashion and textiles department. Among her recent trophies is a Jean Paul Gaultier evening gown in denim and ostrich feathers, which went under the hammer for 377,000 euros, a new world record for a Gaultier piece.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tA denim and ostrich feather gown from Jean Paul Gaultier\u2019s spring 1999 couture collection.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGeorge Mavrikos\/Courtesy of Kerry Taylor Auctions<\/p>\n

\n\tA former researcher and management consultant, Campbell-Pretty stumbled upon her new calling after the sudden death of her husband Harold in 2014.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis was not planned. This was not a vision,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe couple had been longtime supporters of the museum, known as the NGV, and after his passing she stepped up her involvement by joining its foundation board.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen NGV director Tony Ellwood informed her that French fashion designer Dominique Sirop was offloading his trove of 130 fashion designs from 1800 to 2003, including pieces by Worth, Chanel, Vionnet and Madame Gr\u00e9s, Campbell-Pretty initially suggesting asking top donors for help in securing the \u201cimpressive\u201d collection \u2014 but no one was interested.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI have to say, 10 or 11 years ago, I don\u2019t think people in this country realized what vintage<\/a> fashion would become. So I talked to my solicitor and my accountant, and they said, \u2018You can do what you like.\u2019 So I did: I gave him the money,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n

\n\tUntil then, the museum had relied largely on the generosity of wealthy patrons donating the contents of their wardrobe. Campbell-Pretty knew a more strategic approach was required.<\/p>\n

\n\tSoon, she was actively in the market for acquisitions. \u201cI got this bug,\u201d she recalls.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHe would treat everyone as if you were an unwanted reptile, you know \u2014 but we developed a relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Krystyna Campbell-Pretty<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\t\tStrategic Acquisitions \t<\/p>\n

\n\tA regular visitor to Paris, Campbell-Pretty found Didier Ludot\u2019s\u00a0now-shuttered vintage emporium<\/a>\u00a0at the Palais-Royal as a great source \u2014 though the owner could be famously frosty with newbies. She eventually won his trust. \u201cHe would treat everyone as if you were an unwanted reptile, you know \u2014 but we developed a relationship,\u201d she relates with dry candor.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs someone who always had an interest in fashion, she now combined her burgeoning passion with her background as a researcher, working together with the NGV\u2019s curators to develop a cohesive collector\u2019s strategy.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019d scour every auction<\/a>, look at all the things we wanted, develop wish lists, and it became quite a serious thing,\u201d she says. \u201cLittle by little, it has developed and expanded, and with each new expansion, there\u2019s new joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAmong her acquisitions are instantly recognizable pieces, like Karl Lagerfeld\u2019s 1992 black Chanel dress with gold chains, worn by Pen\u00e9lope Cruz in the Pedro Almod\u00f3var film \u201cBroken Embraces,\u201d and a Paco Rabanne metal dress from 1967.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Christy<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tChristy Turlington at Chanel\u2019s spring 1992 couture runway show.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWade Watson\/Fairchild Archive<\/p>\n

\n\tShe has introduced into the NGV collection designers such as Elsa Schiaparelli and Christian Lacroix, alongside design classics like Gabrielle \u201cCoco\u201d Chanel\u2019s little black dresses. By 2019, her gift had grown so large that the museum dedicated an entire exhibition to it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tCapitalizing on her close relationships with the directors of the Mus\u00e9e des Arts D\u00e9coratifs, the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles, the NGV also named Campbell-Pretty as its ambassador to France. She\u2019s keen to emphasize that the title is symbolic, and that she has no say in the NGV\u2019s programming decisions.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI don\u2019t think I have the deep fashion knowledge of a curator to be able to make those kinds of decisions. That\u2019s not my place. My place is to give them what we need to develop the best collection we can,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI buy everything, even if I don\u2019t like it. In fact, I\u2019ve probably bought more that I didn\u2019t like than I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Krystyna Campbell-Pretty<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\t\tA Formidable Rival\t<\/p>\n

\n\tIn recent months, she\u2019s been sweeping up vintage Vivienne Westwood in preparation for the \u201cWestwood \u2014 Kawakubo\u201d exhibition,<\/a> set to bow on Dec. 7. Among others, Campbell-Pretty has secured the platform shoes that Naomi Campbell wore when she famously took a tumble on the catwalk.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe collector gravitates to feminine designs from the likes of Dior and Dolce & Gabbana and treasures her vintages Yves Saint Laurent pieces, but she\u2019s careful to separate her personal taste from the requirements of the museum. \u201cI buy everything, even if I don\u2019t like it. In fact, I\u2019ve probably bought more that I didn\u2019t like than I did,\u201d she tells WWD Weekend<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"UNITED<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tNaomi Campell in Vivienne Westwood\u2019s fall 1993 ready-to-wear runway show.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGuy Marineau\/Conde Nast via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\n\tAs demand for vintage fashion explodes, there is stiff competition from major museum collectors. She often finds herself bidding against another fashion force from the southern hemisphere: textile and banking heir Jorge Yarur<\/a>, founder of the Museo de la Moda in Santiago, Chile.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\n\tCampbell-Pretty concedes her rival has the better collection. \u201cHe\u2019s been at it for a lot longer than I have and he has money,\u201d she remarks. Whether she\u2019s in the room or on the phone, she can usually sense when Yarur \u2014 who mostly bids online \u2014 is in the mix.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI know the sorts of things he buys. Sometimes we align very closely, and sometimes we don\u2019t,\u201d she explains. \u201cThere\u2019s a thrill, and there\u2019s also a time when I think I\u2019m against him, but I\u2019m going to let him have that one, because I want something else later in the auction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tLeaving a Legacy\t<\/p>\n

\n\tShe\u2019s never set a budget for her endeavors, instead spending on an ad-hoc basis. \u201cIt\u2019s all the things your accountants tell you you mustn\u2019t do,\u201d she says with a laugh. \u201cI\u2019m just buying when I can, and hoping for the best. You only live once.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOver the past decade, Campbell-Pretty has seen many changes in the vintage market, including bigger prices for key pieces, partly driven by celebrities and their stylists buying vintage pieces to wear on the red carpet. The Kardashian-Jenner clan often opt for archival Gaultier, while Zendaya has worn everything from Versace to John Galliano-era Dior.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cA lot of these people are not actually valuing the garment or the item for its history,\u201d laments Campbell-Pretty. \u201cThey\u2019re buying for an event, and they\u2019re one-off, and then it\u2019s forgotten about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"NGV<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKrystyna Campbell-Pretty at an NGV gala in 2022.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLucas Dawson\/Courtesy of National Gallery of Victoria<\/p>\n

\n\tShe sees her motivation as more long-term. \u201cI\u2019m actually a great believer in museums,\u201d she says, noting that many exhibitions at the NGV are free. \u201cIt\u2019s trivialized, but without beauty, people are not at peace emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn recent years, she\u2019s diversified her acquisitions to the field of performing arts. She bought dozens of items \u2014 including Olivia Newton-John\u2019s custom blue Steinway baby grand piano \u2014 on behalf of the Arts Centre Melbourne\u2019s new Australian Museum of Performing Arts, set to open at the end of this year. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIn recognition of her charitable initiatives, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2019. But Campbell-Pretty isn\u2019t keen on the idea of seeing her name on a wing at the NGV.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cName doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d she says. \u201cThe depth of what you leave, that\u2019s what matters.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PARIS \u2014 As the market for vintage fashion booms and competition at auction heats up, the National Gallery…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":295559,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[648,1032,38545,1033,171,151011,151012,67,132,68,55486,150555],"class_list":{"0":"post-295558","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-auction","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-fashion-and-textile-museum","14":"tag-kerry-taylor-auctions","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-vintage","19":"tag-wwd-weekend"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115357484306984581","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}