AS A woman there are some things that stay with you seemingly forever... your first kiss, your first love, your first car, and your first foray into fashion.
I was lucky enough to be able to skip down memory lane this week when a kind friend who works in book publishing sent a massive tome winging my way.
In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Fashion, edited Kirstie Clements & Lee Tulloch, is one of those lovely hardcover, coffee table books that you always covet but rarely bother to buy for yourself.
As with most countries in the world, Vogue magazine was the be all and end all for fashion-lovers in Australia from the moment it launched in the Australian spring of 1959.
Now celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, the magazine has got together with two of the country's best-known fashion editors to create this book.
Speaking on the phone from her home in Sydney, Lee Tulloch, author, journalist and Australian style icon, said that putting this book together took over a year and much paging through back issues.
"They didn't keep archives, not that this is unusual. Magazine's rarely do. I think the only Vogue that has full archive is British Vogue. But they did have bound copies of back issues. I had to go through about 600 issues and photocopy the pages I wanted. Luckily we were able to find some of the original transparencies."
According to Ms Tulloch, a magazine like Vogue is not just a history of fashion, it also reflects the evolution of a society.
"You can see that society was very 'stitched up' in the 50s and even the 60s in Australia. But it evolved and changed in the late 70s, becoming more fluid," she told me.
On the Fashion-go-Round shot by Helmut Newton for Autumn 1960. PHOTO: Courtesy In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Fashion
"You can also see that Australian fashion was very European and copied the looks of Britain early on, but by the late 70s Australian fashion began to look at itself.
"It took about 20 years to consolidate into an 'Australian style' but now, ironically, you can see it turning back towards a more global feel; but without the 'cultural cringe' of the early years.”
Ms Tulloch, who began her writing career at Vogue Australia in the late 70s said she was immensely lucky to have been there at a time great change in the Australian cultural landscape.
"Australia was full of exciting emerging artists like Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee. The film industry was taking off, you could see Australians on the big and small screens and music was strong as well," she explained.
However, Ms Tulloch also admits that it took Australia a long time to come to terms with its place in Asia, despite the influence of Japanese designers in the 1980s and the impact of regional costume in colour choices and fabrics.
"It wasn't really until the 90s that Australia really became a part of Asia. There wasn't a lot of direct influence from Asia in Australian fashion," she admitted.
"It was more about an attitude towards a way of dressing, I think. In the early days there was a lot of heavy UK styles featured but now you'll find a more casual attitude towards dressing and fashion.
"In the northern hemisphere you tend to dress darker, but in Australia we wear more colours. And yes, there is the climate issue to take into account too," she said.
Ms Tulloch said that this change in attitude can clearly be seen in the images of major Australian photographer Patrick Russell, who worked for Vogue for many years and was instrumental in developing an Australian fashion aesthetic.
Gold Coast fashion shoot featuring Flamingo Park garment, shot by Patrick Russell. PHOTO: Courtesy In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Fashion
"Patrick once told me that what made Australian fashion was natural way of being. He said that he didn't really like perfection but preferred to see women portrayed in a casual and relaxed way.
"His image for Mexican Fiesta taken in 1991 is the epitome of this... the model is relaxed, she got her feet up, she's the way 'real' women are."
Mexican Fiesta fashion shoot by Patrick Russell. PHOTO: Courtesy In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Fashion
Some of Ms Tulloch's other favourite images include photos from world-famous photographer, Helmut Newton, who did a lot of work for Vogue early on in his career.
"When we choosing images we kept picking his work. I hadn't realised quite how much work Helmut Newton had done for Vogue in his youth," said Ms Tulloch.
Beautiful Beasts fashion shoot by Helmut Newton for Australian Vogue. PHOTO: Courtesy In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Fashion
Another favourite is a famous cover shot of Jane Buckland for December/January 1978-79, also taken by Patrick Russell.
Australian model Jane Buckland, shot by Patrick Russell for Australian Vogue. PHOTO: Courtesy In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Fashion
"What was so amazing about this shot is that back then there was no retouching budget. What was photographed was what ended up in the magazine. So the colour, the makeup, the lighting all had to be absolutely perfect. If you look closely you can tell that it is just her real skin in the shot," she explained.
As to why people would want to fork out almost AU$60 (S$72) for this book, Ms Tulloch said that it appeals to a lot of people.
"There are people who remember these images, remember wearing the clothes, reading the articles and wanting to look like the women in the magazine. And really, a lot of it hasn't really dated. These are as much timeless images as they are icons of a particular age."
What amazed me in reading In Vogue was that I, too, was hit by instant recognition of particular images. One cover stood out... ironically I hate the colour yellow now, but this image was so beautiful that I still have this actual copy of Vogue somewhere in my many boxes of belongings I've collected over the years.
Vogue Australia cover for October 1988, shot by Graham Shearer and featuring hair and makeup by Aaron. PHOTO: Courtesy In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Fashion
While reading through this book has been a lovely trip down memory lane for me, it's also an interesting look at the development of a nation that is just a short plane ride from Singapore.
Interspersed among the images are excerpts from magazine articles, including a interview with a very young and very buff Russell Crowe, and details about the important movers and shakers of Australian fashion. And the final image of international fashion model Catherine McNeil in a bright outfit so very reminiscent of the 70s, highlights both how different and yet how similar, Australian fashion is, 50 years later.
Catherine McNeil shot by Troyt Coburn for Vogue Australia in November 2008. PHOTO: Courtesy In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Fashion
This book is worth investing in if you love fashion, or even if you just love beauty, and will give you hours of enjoyment whether you're tripping down that memory lane or discovering it all for the first time.
In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Fashion is edited Kirstie Clements & Lee Tulloch and published by HarperCollins. It's available from good book stores and online.