The Mayor with Flair: Exhibition
The Mayor with Flair, an exhibition of fabulous outfits worn by former mayor Allan Aughey OAM, is on display at the Clare Art House. I went to the opening on Friday night and went back the next day to take photos.
Allan was mayor here in the Clare & Gilbert Valleys, South Australia, for 12 years. He was well known for his outfits as well as his passion for regional development and the arts.
Long-time blog readers may remember I interviewed Allan back in 2017 while he was still mayor. We could have talked about clothes all day! But he had mayor things to do. He stopped being mayor in 2018 so he could be with his family more.
In his speech at the exhibition’s opening, Allan Aughey claimed he only has pajamas and undies left at home, because everything else is on display at the gallery. However, I have it from reliable sources that not even a third of his sartorial riches are in the exhibition.
At the exhibition there were two large scrapbooks to look through, full of newspaper clippings from his time as mayor. Although many clippings were in black and white, it’s clear to see he started off dressing fairly conservatively, then there were the Colour Blocking years, before a riot of pattern and print took over most of his outfits.
My blog interview had been put in the scrapbook too – and they thought the title was so brilliant they used it for the exhibition!
Here are some gems from the exhibition…..
And here he is wearing it.
Note: all with matching sunglasses.
The jacket is 100% polyester, so it must have been a sweatbox!
We attended this event at the finish line (with a baby and toddler) – I remember the jacket, and that it was a hot day but very exciting to watch the cyclists come through.
The one on the left is by New & Lingwood, only one of two in existence (the other is owned by a famous English rockstar).
The one on the right is by Emma Willis, shirt maker to Prince Charles.
In his speech, Allan noted how hard it is to get interesting-looking shoes for men.
There’s plenty more on display – t-shirts, trousers, ties and more. If you’re in the Clare area or passing through on holidays, I highly recommend visiting.
The Mayor with Flair is on until May 22nd at the Clare Art House, 8 Mill St, Clare. The gallery is open 10.30am-3pm daily except Tuesdays. Entry is free.
Cheers!
This looks fabulous. Almost worth travelling all the way to Clare to see. Thanks for all the photos.
Yes, it’s a beaut exhibition, with so many interesting things.
Wonderful Liz, and I read your interview with Allan too. Enjoyed this ‘tour’ from my breakfast table in Salmon Arm, B.C., Canada all the way to Australia ☀️. So nice to see a man embracing such a personal, eclectic style!
Thanks for reading, Linda. I love that he wears COLOUR!
What an amazing expression of the man! Thank you for bringing a bit of Australia to Denver, Colorado, USA.
Cheers Carol! He’s greatly missed as mayor.
How wonderful! Thanks for letting us know. A good reason to visit Clare.
Cheers Helen! It’s a wonderful exhibition. Clare is lovely in autumn 🙂
I love this! I’m in a senior role in my day job and always wear lots of colour; I get a lot of comments about my clothes. So nice to see someone else brave enough to do this and with such flair. Amazing wardrobe. Might have to think about a trip up there this weekend to see it.
Thanks Ingrid 🙂 Yes, amazing wardrobe, and it’s so nice to see someone really enjoying clothes.
Allan is one memorable mayor with those outfits. Wowza, they are wonderful!
Sure is! and greatly missed too.
Stunning and brilliant! Love the styles and the colours – and the fact that in this time of mass-produced just about everything, there are still only two in existence of the N&L dressing gown! If I had guessed, I would reckon that Tim Rogers would be the rock star who owns the other one, but he’s not English. I bet he would covet it, though!
Thanks for reading Gaynor. Yes, a wonderful clothes collection.
We speculated that David Bowie might be the other dressing gowns owner?