Inside the NGV Gala

For the first-time in its history, the NGV Gala had a co-chair, with Troye Sivan joining NGV director Tony Ellwood AM in the role.

“I am so, so proud to be co-chairing the NGV Gala,” says Troye, who wore Prada shorts and Canturi diamonds to the event. “I love few things more than I love the arts, especially the arts in Australia. And so to be part of a night that really celebrates and champions that at such a grand level is very, very exciting.”

Guests arrived at the NGV to walk the blue carpet in front of the water wall and a beautifully wrapped Mercedes-AMG G 63.

Among the special guests on the night were Ronan and Storm Keating, Sarah Ellen, Aisha Dee, Baker Boy, Emma Kate Boyd, and British milliner Stephen Jones OBE, who arrived at the event in a Mercedes-AMG G 63.

Stephen met the late Vivienne Westwood in the 1970s while he was a student at St Martins School of Art, after standing on her foot at a bar in London. They collaborated throughout her career, with Stephen creating pieces like the signature tweed crowns for her Harris Tweed collection in 1987. He subsequently met Rei Kawakubo at an airport during a layover to Japan in 1984. They began working together in 1985, when they would trade sketches by FedEx and later by fax. For Westwood | Kawakubo, Stephen created over 40 whimsical headpieces for works on display.

Another guest was philanthropist Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM, who has gifted hundreds of works to the NGV’s Fashion and Textiles collection, including Vivienne Westwood garments and accessories, many of which feature in Westwood | Kawakubo.

She also supported a commission that saw young designer Indigo Stuart, who won the National Graduate Award in March for her RMIT collection, create two gowns that debuted on the night, worn by models Lauren Stevenson and Billie-Jean Hamlet.

“It’s important to provide opportunities to our emerging talent, and the NGV Gala is the perfect national stage for designers to express themselves creatively and push their practices creatively… it’s thrilling to see young designers like [Indigo] making their own textiles and finding their own unique point of view,” Krystyna told The Sydney Morning Herald.

Inside the NGV, various spaces were transformed for the evening; one played host to a London-inspired piano bar with live music, another became a Tokyo-inspired karaoke room. Musician Don West performed and guests danced the night away to LA-based DJ Leland.