MONDAY 22 JUNE 

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DESPOTS OF ELEGANCE

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Monday  22 June 2026 6.00pm to 7.00pm

St John Paul College Theatre, 421 Hogbin Drive, Coffs Harbour

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Peter McNeil FAHA is Distinguished Professor of Design History at UTS. From 2008-18 he lived and worked in three countries, being Foundation Professor of Fashion Studies in Sweden and Academy of Finland Distinguished Professor, Helsinki. His much acclaimed book ‘Pretty Gentlemen’, on Macaroni Men and the 18th century fashion world, was published with Yale University Press in 2018. Marina Warner called it a Book of the Year. Colin McDowell called McNeil the ‘Jane Austen’ of fashion studies. 
He was the main writer for Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s travelling exhibition ‘Reigning Men’ (2016-18) and has worked with communities and museums around the world: the award-winning shows include ‘Dressing Sydney’ (2012-13) with the Sydney Jewish Museum. Past President (2006-10) of the Art Association of Australia and New Zealand, representing Art History in the region. Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and twice section Head for ‘The Arts’. 
He has delivered three Learning Curve Series at AGNSW. He first presented at ADFAS in Bowral around 1996 before becoming an Australian Lecturer. 
He lives between Katoomba and Paddington.

Some more about Peter:
"I remember my first ADFAS lecture. It was Canberra in about 1990 on Paul Storr silver. I thought it was the best thing I had ever heard. When I was young I really wanted to understand the decorative arts but there was nowhere to study this apart from working in an auction house, surely not for me, when my parents wanted me to be a lawyer or diplomat.  
So I studied Art History, three degrees in three great universities, including study time in Paris and London. I worked on 1930s Australian women designers for my Masters, and eighteenth century portraits and fashion for my PhD, mainly as I wanted to live in Europe, before digital resources. I was also awarded a fellowship in the dress and textiles department at the Royal Ontario Museum, the V&A of Canada. We had to focus on one theme, so I was in a room with 50 eighteenth-century waistcoats for six weeks. 
The decorative art and fashion people I met around the world are now my friends, including important dealers I met, who take your knowledge to the next level. Drinking champagne in a South Ken Swiss cottage artist’s studio surrounded by boxes of 1860s Worths and 1920s Chanel is quite a treat. 
I went on to work with some of the great world museums, writing for Reigning Men at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, a show that travelled to Sydney. The best seller ‘Shoes’ (more than 10,000 copies)  came out of  a chance meeting on the steps of the V&A, so make sure you remind me to tell you about that."

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