Adrian Feint Revisited

Join us at Elizabeth Bay House for a conversation with the creative minds behind independent fashion house Nicol & Ford.

This event, hosted by MHNSW’s Collections Discovery Assistant, Mel Flyte, will explore how the work and life of queer Australian artist Adrian Feint (1894–1971) informed Nicol & Ford’s runway collection for Australian Fashion Week 2026. Drawing on Feint’s distinctive language, the discussion considers how historical research can be translated into contemporary fashion practice.

Feint, best known for his stylised floral still life paintings, lived for many years at Darnley Hall near Elizabeth Bay House. His works are marked by a subtle yet potent queer sensibility, often expressed through composed floral forms and dreamlike landscapes that invited coded readings of identity and desire.

Sydney-based duo Katie-Louise and Lilian Nicol-Ford create collections grounded in archival research and critical reinterpretations of the past. Their practice centres diversity, inclusivity and lived experience, using dress as a means to question historical narratives and reimagine how identity is represented on the body.