/ Current Exhibitions

HAT TRICKS!
Fabulous, Frivolous and Functional:
150 years of headwear in Melbourne
30 September – 26 November 2006

A splendid feast of hattish delights awaits visitors to City Museum this Spring. Be overwhelmed by an array of hats of all shapes, sizes and uses – from the profoundly frivolous to the ponderously utilitarian.

Hat Tricks! plots a history of Melbourne from first white settlement in 1835 to the present day, as told through its head wear. Showcasing hats from all periods and styles in a collision of lace, felt and ornament, Hat Tricks! includes a wide range of hats from present-day milliners, to celebrate the Spring Racing Carnival in style!

Whether for the discerning hat enthusiast or the merely follically-challenged, Hat Tricks! will be a treat for all, and leave you pining for your next bad hair day.

Exhibition Supporters

Making Melbourne

Tracing the story of the city from early settlement to the present day.

Built on Gold

The story of Victoria’s gold, its journey and legacy in the years 1852-1862.

Growing Up in the Old Treasury

Recreating the caretaker’s apartments, as occupied 1916-1928.

Gold and Prosperity

The Vizard Foundation collection of colonial gold and silver.

/ Coming Up

On the Beach: Exposing Melbourne Beach Culture
From 2 December 2006 to 25 February 2007

On the Beach tackles the mysterious allure of Melbourne’s beaches head-on in a kaleidoscopic pageant of artefacts, images, art and popular culture. Beaches and beach culture possess a magnetism that cannot be explained away by mere beach balls, bathers and bottoms, with Melburnians flocking to the shores in Summer since the nineteenth century, revealing a passion at odds with our ‘conservative’ nature.

In this fun and celebratory exhibition there lies a dark undercurrent, in which the ‘otherworldly’ aspects of the beach are also explored. As Hollywood actress Ava Gardner said during filming of Stanley Kramer’s 1959 classic On the Beach, shot in Melbourne: ‘If you’re going to film the end of the world, this is certainly the place for it’.

/ Events

Friday 29 September
Grand Final Parade
Steps of City Museum at Old Treasury

Sunday 8 October
10.00am-5.00pm
Create your own Hat with Peter Jago
Peter Jago reveals the (hat) tricks of the trade. Starting with a base hat, learn the art of design and trimming to create a hat that suits your individual style in this full day workshop. Includes base hat, trim (limited), individual consultations with Peter and lunch.
$195 / $185
Friends of Champions – Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame
Bookings and Enquires: 1300 139 407

Tuesday 10 October
12.00-2.00pm
Fed Square Five Minute Fashion Tips
Need some quick fashion tips? Visit Fed Square at lunch time to see Peter and colour consultant Imogen give free fashion tips to the men and women of Melbourne. The first 50 to arrive receive a personalised five minute fashion consultation.
Free Event
Meet at Champions – Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame, Federation Square, Melbourne
Bookings and Enquires: 1300 139 407

Thursday 12 October
6.00-8.00pm
Does this hat suit my face?
Milliner Extraordinaire, Peter Jago solves the age old dilemma – what hat to choose that suits you best! Join us for an after work drink at this exclusive entertaining and informative presentation. Gents welcome.
$49 / $39
Friends of Champions – Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame
Bookings and Enquires: 1300 139 407

Saturday 14 October
and
Tuesday 17 October
10.00am-3.00pm
Peter Jago’s Metrossential Shopping Tour
Don’t know where to get this year’s hottest accessories? Stroll through the boutiques of Melbourne with Peter Jago. Walking tour includes personalised advice, admission to Champions and City Museum, lunch, and end of day sparkling. Purchases additional.
$95 / $85
Friends of Champions – Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame
Tour starts at Champions – Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame, Federation Square, Melbourne
Bookings and Enquires: 1300 139 407

Thursday 19 October
6.00-9.00pm
Design your own head piece
Prefer something smaller? In this three hour workshop Peter reveals the secrets of creating your very own fabulous headpiece. Includes sparkling wine, delicious canapés and materials (trim limited – extra available to purchase).
$75 / $65
Friends of Champions – Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame
Bookings and Enquires: 1300 139 407

Friday 20 October
10.00am
Walking Architecture
Discover the secrets surrounding Melbourne’s built environment on this walking tour, led by architectural historian Peter Andrew Barrett and City Museum curator Simon Gregg.
$22 / $15 concession (includes coffee)

Sunday 29 October
10.00am-4.00pm
City Museum Open Day
Join us to celebrate City Museum’s first annual Open Day and see what Melbourne’s been talking about.
2.00pm
Hat secrets
Join members of the Australian Millinery Association for an informal talk about their work on show in Hat Tricks.
Free entry all day!

Friday 10 November
10.00am-1.00pm
Hat secrets
Join members of the Australian Millinery Association for an informal talk about their work on show in Hat Tricks.
Free with entry

Friday 17 November
11.00am
What is it that is so fascinating about Hats?
Actress Anne Scott Pendlebury takes us back in time, to discover a handful of interesting women all with one thing in common – they all wore Hats. For those who may enjoy a reminder of past days, a peek at some colourful hats and a glance into the lives of a variety of Ladies.
Duration: 40 to 50 minutes
$20 / $15 concession

Wednesday 22 November
10.30am
Collins Street: from Gold Rush to Boom Town
Join Isabel Simpson for this informative walking tour through the heart of nineteenth-century Melbourne.
$25 (includes coffee)

Friday 24 November
2.00pm
Hat secrets
Join members of the Australian Millinery Association for an informal talk about their work on show in Hat Tricks.
Free with entry