Gala French Mannequin Parades at Mark Foy's

Mark Foy's department store's iconic Liverpool Street store in Sydney, dubbed 'The Piazza', is the setting for this French-themed fashion parade in 1956. The exterior is decorated with French flags and an Eiffel Tower made of lights; gendarmes and French advertisements further set the scene. At the end we see footage of the store exterior at night.

French and Australian mannequins (models) model fashions from French designers represented by Les Trois Hirondelles (The Three Swallows) in this silent footage. Micheline Renault leads a poodle on a leash onto a catwalk.

Other mannequins include Christine Bruchard, Jean Newington and June Massey. The designs have names like Harem, Longchamps, Grand Prix, Magnifique and Mademoiselle.

This is an excerpt from Fashion Parades at Mark Foy’s (1947–56), Film Australia Collection © NFSA.

Notes by Beth Taylor