Don’s Party

Heading into an election campaign, today’s Ruby Assembly blog takes you back in time to Don’s Party circa 1969. In David Williamson’s iconic Australia play, a group of young Melbourne professionals come together at Don’s place for an election night celebration. A suburban melodrama of grand proportions and safari suits, Don’s Party presents a veneer of patio barbecue politeness which barely hides the everyday jealousies of relationships and the competition of aspiring upwardly mobile couples. Add copious booze, the prospect of the ALP losing in a landslide and disgruntled housewives bitching about their husbands over salad, and you’ve got one searing snapshot of middle Australia.
Forty years on, and not much has changed. We still have election night barbecues. The ladies are still in the kitchen bitchin’ over salads – although they’re probably freekah with quinoa these days – and the men are lording it over the BBQ while discussing MBAs. We’re more likely to be in apartments now than on quarter acre blocks under the pergola. But the social ingredients essentially remain the same.
In today’s blog, I take myself back in time to the Australian patio party of the late 60’s – with their deconstructed beehives, brilliantly patterned fabrics and wild accessories. Australian designer Sprinkle‘s ‘Miss Moneypenny’ dress in ‘Temptress Rose’ pops against the moody interiors of Aquabelle’s luxurious interiors and vintage interiors – we are proud to be showcasing both Aquabelle on the Mornington Peninsula and beautiful pieces from Sprinkle’s A/W16 collection ‘Corporate Coup’ in our upcoming Ruby Assembly  fashion and destination editorials.
Fair shake of the sauce bottle, mate.

Wearing: Miss Moneypenny wrap dress by Sprinkle. Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses. Edenborough Evans accessories.
Photography: Breeana Dunbar
Location: Aquabelle Apartments, Mornington Peninsula