The ever-stylish Claudia Chan Shaw, who with her mother Vivian Chan Shaw is an Australian design icon, will be speaking about fashion over the 20th century, and her love of collecting, later this month in Queanbeyan.
Claudia, host of Collectors on ABC and, more lately, Antiques DownUnder on Channel Nine, is warm and engaging as she speaks about her passion for collecting and becoming part of Australia's cultural landscape - her commanding presence, vast knowledge and that Louise Brooks-style chic bob always her calling card. She also hosts Friday Arts on a Sydney FM radio station and has been a creative force behind the Sydney Chinese New Year Festival.
"Everything in my life is about art, design," she said.
Claudia's lifelong passion for design has, in more recent times, evolved into her leading tours around the world to showcase art deco and art nouveau styles in architecture and art from Shanghai to New York to Cuba.
"It is a dream job," she agrees.
Claudia and her mother still run their knitwear fashion label - named Vivian Chan Shaw - the pair famous for having a salon in the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney for 28 years until it closed in 2014.
Their designs were on international runways and exported overseas and the store always attracted a celebrity clientele with its elegant-yet-edgy fashion.
"Oh gosh, well, Barry Humphries used to come in and Margaret Whitlam was also a customer. Vivian made Colleen McCullough's wedding gown - remember this was very intricate knitwear that took a long time to create. Randy Crawford came in, Roberta Flack. John Cleese brought jewellery from us, so did Chelsea Clinton," Claudia said.
Vivian is now 88 and as vital as ever.
"She's still being creative," Claudia said. "She never stops, is never idle. She's such a good role model. She raised us alone, so to us, she's our hero."
Claudia's talk in Queanbeyan on May 17 is presented by the Molonglo Plains chapter of the Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Society Molonglo Plains. She'll be giving two one-hour lectures on fashion in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s and on shoes through time.
She'll no doubt touch on her own love of collecting, which she says should never be confused with hoarding. Her collections including tin and wind-up toys and robots, her oldest dating from 1909.
"They just make me smile," she said.
And the toys are not hidden away. They surround her in her lounge room, her husband Stewart, also a collector, happily living with them too.
"When I was 15, I sold all of my toys at the Balmain Market, so it's almost like I'm trying to get them back," she said, with a laugh.
"Collecting has got to come from the heart. It's usually, 'I had one of those, I want one of those, I'm going to get one of those'."
Not only does her home boast an eclectic array of tin toys, there is also a three-metre-high, golden, mechanical rat. Claudia designed nine of them for the 2020 Sydney Lunar Festival.
"At the end I said, 'Oh, can I have one of my rats to take home?'," she said, with a laugh.
Claudia's most recent artistic endeavour has her as subject rather than creator.
Sally Ryan's portrait of Claudia, called Year of the Rabbit, is a finalist in this year's Archibald Prize. The little blue bunny peeking around the corner is a nod to Claudia's Tai chi bunnies, a popular lantern installation she created for the 2016 Sydney Chinese New Year Festival.
"I've posed 11 or 12 times for the Archibald," Claudia said. "I love the portrait by Sally Ryan, it's absolutely wonderful.
"Gumby is featured [in the portrait] as Gumby travels around the world with me and is photographed in exotic location. Have Gumby, will travel!"
Claudia also collects 20th century art photo - think Max Dupain and Olive Cotton - as well as Warner Bros. animation celluloids. Her husband also has a fossil collection.
"And we have a cellar full of wine, which we can all enjoy," she said.
Chan's personal style has not wavered over the years, although she used to have long, flowing hair until in her 20s when she visited the United States with her mother.
"Mum and I were in America selling our fashion and sitting in the lounge of the Plaza Hotel in New York having tea and one of the servers had this beautiful bob like Louise Brooks," she said.
"I said to mum, 'I love that and when I turn 30, I'm going to cut my hair and look like that'. But I didn't last that long and I cut it when I got home.
"It's been short and spiky in between those times but it's part of who I am."
Claudia has two brothers, Daniel and Bradleigh. Bradleigh lives in Canberra where he is a retail manager.
Claudia said after their father "choofed off", their mother was everything to them. Vivian continues to inspire Claudia daily and taught her many lessons in business, including how to stand up for herself. When Claudia was younger and despaired about looking "different", her mother told her: "Why would you ever want to look like anyone else?"
"She taught me to be pretty fearless," Claudia said.
- Claudia Chan Shaw will be in Queanbeyan on Wednesday, May 17, at the C3 Auditorium in Monaro Street. There will be two talks around a morning tea from 10am to 12.30pm. Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Society members $50, non-members $55. The booking link is here or call 0427 625 860
