How Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson invented Australiana high fashion – in pictures

A new exhibition celebrates four decades of work from one of the most influential pairings in Australian fashion, Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee.

Their first major survey, Step Into Paradise, comprises more than 150 pieces across garments, textiles, photos and art, bringing the designers’ personal archives together with the museum’s own collection, and encompassing everything from the Frock Salon to the Flamingo Follies to Karl Lagerfeld’s favourite opal print. Curator Glynis Jones talks us through 10 years of couture, colour and cockatoos.

• Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson: Step Into Paradise opens at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney on 17 October

Glynis Jones

Main image: Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee wear Jackson’s Bondi Blue and Opera House outfits at Bondi Baths in 1975. Photograph: Annie Noon

  • Jenny Kee in Kee knit, at the Flamingo Park Frock Salon, 1976

    After working with Vern Lambert at the Chelsea Antique Market in London, Kee returned to Australia inspired. She opened the Flamingo Park Frock Salon in Sydney’s Strand Arcade in 1973. Named after a painting by former husband Michael Ramsden, Kee created a retail environment like no other. She sold her original knit designs and Linda Jackson’s garments in a red lacquer salon decorated with hot pink taffeta curtains, concrete flamingos and retro kitsch decorations.
    Jenny Kee in Kee knit, posing at Flamingo Park Frock Salon in 1976

  • Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee wear Jackson’s Bondi Blue and Opera House outfits at Bondi Baths, 1975

    Kee and Jackson’s first Flamingo Follies fashion parade was held at the Hingara restaurant in Sydney’s Chinatown in 1974. Drinks and yum cha were served as the show opened with Linda Jackson’s blue linen outfit, worn here by Jenny Kee. With its applique of white arcs, it paid tribute to the new Sydney Opera House. Annie Noon’s photographs of the designers modelling at Bondi Baths capture the retro-infused character of their early work.
    Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee wearing Linda’s Bondi Blue and Opera House outfits at Bondi Baths, 1975.

  • The Flamingo Follies at Bondi Pavilion, 1975

    The annual Flamingo Follies parades became key events in Sydney’s social calendar. Each was focused around themed collections, ranging from early 20th century artists to Australian opals, flora and fauna, bushfires, rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef. The shows were dynamic, combining original painted backdrops, high-energy music and Kee and Jackson’s singular designs, interpreted by charismatic models who danced and twirled down the runway. Actress Kate Fitzpatrick MCed the 1975 show and is seen here in the finale with model Joy Smithers.
    The 1975 Flamingo Follies at Bondi Pavilion.

  • Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson modelling Kee’s knitwear, 1976

    The pair’s work has always been more aligned to a fine art aesthetic, as they followed their own passions and interests rather than commercial imperatives of fashion trends. Experimentations with colour and shape were key. In this image they wear Jenny Kee knit outfits inspired by the work of artists Piet Mondrian and Fernand Léger.
    Kee and Jackson modelling Jenny’s knitwear, 1976.

  • Jenny Kee wearing her Wattle knit dress in the Blue Mountains, 1995

    Soon after Kee’s family moved to the Blue Mountains in NSW, Kee and her daughter Grace were involved in the 1977 Granville train disaster. Using drawing as therapy while recovering, Kee discovered her own design language and began to have her sketches translated into wool and cotton garments. One of her first pieces was this Wattle dress, celebrating Australia’s national flower.
    Model wearing Kee’s Opal Oz outfit, with brooch by Andrew Logan, 1982

  • Jenny Kee wearing Linda Jackson’s Black Cockatoo outfit in Blackheath, 1977

    In the late 60s, Jackson studied photography and film-making with auteur film-maker Paul Cox at Prahran Technical College in Melbourne. Photographing her garments in the environment that inspired the design became an important part of her creative expression, and Kee was her first muse. Here, Kee models Jackson’s silk taffeta outfit next to a large tree, near Jenny’s bushland home in the Blue Mountains.
    Kee wearing Jackson’s Black Cockatoo outfit in Blackheath, NSW in 1977.

  • Jenny Kee wearing Linda Jackson’s Scribbly Gum outfit in the Blue Mountains, 1977

    Kee and Jackson were the first fashion designers to engage with Australia’s natural environment as their primary source of inspiration. They built a comprehensive and poetic body of work around its forms and colours, combining fantasy, whimsy and imagination with a nuanced understanding of the country’s biodiversity and environment. Jackson’s Scribbly Gum outfit, made of silk taffeta, captures the effect of bark shedding off gum trees – with the dress camouflaged in the landscape.
    Kee wearing Jackson’s Scribbly Gum outfit in the Blue Mountains, NSW, 1977.

  • Robina and Gael McKay wearing Linda Jackson’s Black and White Patchwork series at Bondi, 1979

    Inspired by the colour experiments of modernist artist Sonia Delaunay, the shape and cut of Chinese dress and traditional quilt patterns, Jackson’s patchwork outfits were exercises in rhythm and colour.
    Robina and Gael McKay wearing Linda’s Black and White Patchwork series on Bondi Beach in 1979.

  • Robina and Gael McKay wearing Linda Jackson’s Black and White Patchwork series at Bondi, 1979

    Robina and Gael McKay wearing Linda’s Black and White Patchwork series on Bondi Beach in 1979.

  • Joy and Sue Smithers wearing Jenny Kee’s Cretan Snake Goddess knitwear, 1981

    The 1980 Flamingo Follies parade was held at Sydney Town Hall and featured an eclectic theme: Kee and Jackson’s most recent travel experiences, combining influences from Minoan frescoes, Hindu temples and the landscape of Central Australia. Kee’s cheeky bare-breasted Snake Goddess knit dresses were inspired by figurines found at the Palace of Knossos in Crete.
    Joy and Sue Smithers wearing Kee’s Cretan Snake Goddess knitwear, 1981.

  • Deborah Hutton, Jenny Kee’s daughter Grace Ramsden, Kee and Linda Jackson, wearing designs by Jackson at the Flaming Opal show, 1981

    Inspired by their fascination with the Australian opal’s shimmering rainbow of colours, Kee and Jackson created a body of work capturing the gemstone’s diversity and beauty. Here, Deborah Hutton models Jackson’s Opal Angel Auroraustraloz outfit in the finale of the Flaming Opal show at the Jamison Street Nightclub.
    Deborah Hutton with Jenny’s daughter Grace Ramsden, Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson, wearing designs by Jackson at the Flaming Opal show, 1981.

  • Model wearing Jenny Kee’s Opal Oz outfit, with brooch by Andrew Logan, 1982

    Kee developed a bold graphic style that was originally interpreted in hand-knitted garments. As her designs became more complex, she worked with Italian printer Fabio Bellotti at Rainbow Fabrics in Milan to capture her artwork in silk. This print became one of her most popular. In 1982, Karl Lagerfeld sought permission to use the Black and White Opal prints in his first prêt-à-porter collection for Chanel. Later Sheriden also used the print in a popular range of bed linen. This image was taken for Pol magazine.
    Model wearing Kee’s Opal Oz outfit, with brooch by Andrew Logan, 1982

  • Nell Schofield wearing Linda Jackson’s Bush Couture outfit with a Sturt’s Desert Pea scarf, at Menindee Lakes, 1984

    The creative collaboration between Kee and Jackson continued until 1982, when the designers found themselves moving in different directions. The next year, Jackson established her Bush Couture label, a style of art and fashion that combined her love of couture and the Australian bush. Fran Moore’s photo, taken at Menindee Lakes in 1984, shows Nell Schofield modelling Jackson’s hand-painted taffeta gown with silk Sturt’s Desert Pea scarf.
    Nell Schofield wearing Jackson’s Bush Couture outfit with a Sturts Desert Pea scarf, at Lake Menindee, 1984.

  • Nell Schofield wearing Linda Jackson’s Waratah evening dress, 1984

    Australia’s unique flora with its vibrant colours and unique forms have inspired some of Jackson’s most inventive outfits. Flower-form dresses are an important part of her creative signature, and in this silk taffeta Waratah dress, she captured the flower’s individual beauty.
    Nell Schofield wearing Jackson’s Waratah evening dress, 1984.

  • Gael McKay wearing Linda Jackson’s Gum Leaf in hand-printed silk taffeta, 1986

    Central to Linda Jackson’s work is her original textile designs in the form of prints, applique, patchwork and hand-painting. This Gum Leaf gown was part of Bush Couture, and is being modelled at Tamarama Beach by Gael McKay, who commissioned it. The dress reflects Jackson’s unorthodox printing processes using stencils, gum leaves and string.
    Gael McKay wearing Jackson’s Gum Leaf in handprinted silk taffeta, 1986.
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