The exhibition is called After Five: Fashion from the Darnell Collection and features more than 30 garments and accessories from iconic world-famous designers including Christian Dior, Mary Quant, Oscar de la Renta, Emilio Pucci and Emanuel Ungaro.
It's drawn from the Darnell Collection of International Vintage Couture, now considered Australia's largest private fashion collection.
The collection began with Doris Darnell, a Pennsylvania Quaker, who in the 1930s started gathering together items given to her by wealthy friends and acquaintances.
In 2004 Doris bequeathed half her collection to an American university and the other half to her goddaughter, Charlotte Smith.
Since inheriting the collection Charlotte has continued to develop it, and it now numbers more than 8000 items.
Beginning in the 1920s and spanning the decades up to the 1990s, the exhibition presents garments originally worn to cocktail soirees, balls, theatre opening nights, charity events, red carpet galas as well as for dancing at nightclubs and discos.
Charlotte told 1233 reporter Liesel Rickarby it's the largest collection of international vintage couture. (listen to attached audio)
"I look at this collection as covering every aspect of a woman's wardrobe, as well as showcasing the history of fashion and recording social history through fashion," Charlotte says.
"It's far more than a collection of pretty dresses.
"It's actually quite a serious way of looking at women and how they've progressed over the last 200 years."
Charlotte remembers her godmother Doris, who lived to nearly 90, as a very tall, thin woman who always had her hair beautifully styled in a chignon and wore the most striking outfits.
Doris began her collection in America and amassed about 7000 pieces over 70 years.
"Everything was given, and it was given with stories," Charlotte explains.
Before Doris died six years ago she chose Charlotte to pass the collection on to, and she says it's changed not only her career but her whole life.
The exhibition includes 1920s dresses with beads hand-stitched onto the most fragile fabric, classic sheaths from the sixties and shiny, metallic dresses from the disco era.
The Darnell collection isn't just for show but also has a practical purpose, with Charlotte able to choose vintage outfits from any era to wear for special occasions.
However, despite the literally thousands of dresses she has to choose from, she still can't help buying new ones as well!
After Five: Fashion from the Darnell Collection can be seen at Newcastle Art Gallery from September 14 until November 10.
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