Celebrating the flair and fun of the 1950s

(25 Aug 2016) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4051833 LEAD IN: An Australian festival is celebrating the fun, flair, frocks and furnishings of the 1950s. The Sydney Fifties Fair takes people on a nostalgic journey back in time to when Elvis Presley was the king of rock 'n' roll and life was a whole lot simpler. STORY-LINE: A step back in time to Sydney of the 1950s. From the dresses to the dancing, the annual Sydney Fifties fair is a time reminisce about what was fabulous in the 50s. Author and model Tara Moss loves the style of the time, but says she's happy living in the present. "A restorative nostalgic for example would actually want to live in the 50s, would want things to be restored to the way they were authentically in the 50s and actually believe that it was a better time. A reflective nostalgic like myself doesn't believe it was a better time, I don't have rose coloured glasses about the politics of that era or some of the social problems of that era but I'm still seeing things I like about that time," she says. And what better place to hold a festival than in the iconic Rose Seidler House which was completed in 1950. It was designed by renowned Australian architect Harry Seidler and is full of classic designs from the era. Festival curator Jo Nicholls says: "It's got a collection of furniture and fittings that date from when the house was built in 1948 to 1950. A particular favourite thing of mine is a collection of Eames chairs that were bought by Harry Seidler in New York before he came out here to design the house for his parents Max and Rose." Seidler is considered one of Australia's most prolific architects. The home is now managed by Sydney Living Museums and has been preserved to allow the public to see one of the most complete and intact collections from mid 20th-century modern domestic architecture. The radical design both inside and out divided opinions at the time and it became Sydney's most talked about house in the 1950s. One woman, calling herself Polly Polka-Dot, enjoys dressing in 1950s style but prefers modern-day technology. "I like living in a modern world so I like modern conveniences, I just liked the way everything looked," she says. While things will always change, some are holding on to a little bit of the past any way they can. Another 1950s enthusiast, Laura Alsebrook says: "I love all the colour and the femininity. I think the fact that girls looked like girls in the 50s and I have to admit that I absolutely love petticoats. I'm never without a petticoat. I'm a primary school teacher and I wear petticoats and heels to work every single day." The one day fair was held on Sunday August 21 and is a yearly event. It is now competing with a number of other events with a similar theme across Australia. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...