ANU Chancellor and former MP, Julie Bishop, has again been dressed by Adelaide designer, Jaimie Sortino, for Frocktober – the first since the couturier’s cousin and muse, Jenna passed from ovarian cancer.
This is the second time the former Foreign Minister has donned one of Jaimie’s gowns in support of ovarian cancer research. Last year, the cousins worked together on the project as a way to share Jenna’s story and support other women affected by the disease.
Jenna passed away soon after the first dress was finished.
In 2021, Sortino took Jenna’s legacy into the community, creating a new design inspired by the conversations he had with other women whose lives had been altered by the disease.
“Every woman’s story was layered, and each layer had different colours, and that became the concept of the new dress,” said the designer.
“We layered words throughout the dress, too. Words that women who were going through treatment had given me, or from family members of those who had passed away.
“Just because ovarian cancer is a silent killer, doesn’t mean their names should stop being spoken.
“As ovarian cancer doesn’t have an early detection test, it takes the lives of so many women. Simultaneously, because there is no early detection test, we’re not talking about it nearly as much as other cancers.”
A simple idea formed by the pair early on in Jenna’s diagnosis has transformed into a campaign to raise awareness.
“Her story is beautiful and tragic, with a message behind it, and I hope that this puts a face to a silent killer,” Sortino said.
“The silhouette and colour were chosen through an organic process. After meeting with Julie and the OCRF, we came back with a theme of ‘let’s get loud’.
“When I sketch my ideas, I always come back to ‘What would Jenna think?’ I really wanted to keep the colour pink because it was her favourite.”
Sortino has been a couture designer for over a decade, with his collections exclusively shown in fashion capitals like New York.
His previous work has been 1950s-inspired, Grace Kelly-esque silhouettes. “This time it needed to be bright, loud, and out there, to get the message across,” he said.
“I’m most inspired by the women that I dress. Every woman has something unique to bring to a gown. There’s power in getting dressed up, emulating the best version of yourself.”
Sortino attributes his success to having good people surrounding him – people like Jenna.
“Growing up, we spent lots of time together at our beach property on the north peninsula, the shack, we called it. That’s where a lot of my best memories of her are. Simple summer days on the beach, just being kids, playing in the water. Those are the memories that stay with you.
“Jenna was a warrior. She fought hard against ovarian cancer for 11 years. I know she’d be really proud. She was always a champion of my work.”
This year, the dress was photographed against the backdrop of the Mt Marion lithium mine in outback WA.
“We need to have these conversations everywhere, including in the workplace,” Sortino said. “That’s why we shot in the mine, to start conversations in workspaces, particularly ones where women are becoming more prominent.
“It’s crucial that we get an early detection test for this disease; we can’t keep finding this in women when it’s already too late.”
Find more information about Frocktober here and the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation here.
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