Before we learn how to dress for the world, we dress for ourselves. We pull strange things from boxes, fasten ribbons where they don’t belong, invent characters in mirrors and disappear into worlds entirely of our own making. It’s an instinct actor Jillian Nguyen and fashion designer Phoebe Pendergast have never quite relinquished. As friends and creative collaborators for almost a decade, the pair share a language shaped by romanticism, nostalgia and an enduring appetite for world-building.
Here, photographed by Daphne Nguyen and styled by Betty Liu, Pendergast’s designs find Nguyen in a private reverie: languid, playful and unguarded, suspended somewhere between longing and make-believe. In conversation, Nguyen and Pendergast trace their relationship from Melbourne’s experimental fashion scene to the present, reflecting on creative obsession, sentimentality and the freedom of play.
JN: How did we first meet, and what were our first impressions of each other?
PP: I was thinking about this, and I think it was when my friends Christine, Michelle, Jackie and I were hosting this runway-slash-presentation-slash-performance-art piece. We were third-year university students at the time, and we had this vision we wanted to bring to life outside of our studies. We were scouting people to be in the show and wear our designs, and we were obsessed with these images of you that we’d seen on Instagram. They were on the mood board. I think they’d been on my mood board for years.
JN: Eternally on Phoebe’s mood board. I’m so blessed.
PP: It’s true. We were like, “Who is this girl?” I was like, “She’s my dream. If anyone were to wear my designs in the show…” I didn’t even know your name. Then I think we just DM’d you.
JN: God, it’s crazy how fast time goes. We met in 2017. I was at drama school at the time. All of you were so lovely, but you particularly, I remember, were very delicate. My first impression of you was very gentle, very kind – just oozing with creativity and sensitivity. For me, it was an instant friendship. I feel like we had a similar language. I’ll never forget how blown away I was by how you dressed me. I’d always loved fashion, but meeting you girls, and you particularly, almost felt like I was in my little fairytale. It awoke something in me. Seeing your point of view of the world and how it was expressed really inspired me. It still does...
PP: And vice versa. That show was called Sleepwalking, and it was the first time we were dabbling in how fashion could meet performance and acting. That’s why you were literally the perfect person to be part of it, because you were embodying this character. You were this mythical creature in the room, acting the whole night. It was the perfect collaboration. It changed everything for us. Until then, we’d just done static photos. We told you what we wanted you to do, but you really went with it.
JN: It was a whole production. It was so impressive. For context – it was a house in Brunswick, the event was free, and each room had all the designs. There was a classical quartet performing. It was installation-meets-gallery-meets-fashion-show-meets-theatre. I’ve seen other indie fashion shows, but I’ve never seen anything like that again.
PP: When we reminisce about it, we’re quite proud because it was so thrown together and D.I.Y. Hundreds of people came, but it was so low-budget because we had no money. Everyone was willing to come on board as a passion project. That energy was really special. I feel like it’s not so much a thing anymore – everyone coming together for a night to experiment with something. It wasn’t for the money.
JN: It was so pure. Was there another defining moment from that era that you really treasure?
PP: A couple of friends and I went to a graduate fashion show some RMIT students were doing at an old motel. They’d hired it out and all the rooms were almost like showrooms. We were in first year, so everything was new to us. Afterwards, my friend and I sat in the car for ages because we were so blown away. The clothing wasn’t refined or the sort of thing you’d see hanging in a shop. It was experimental, and we realised fashion could be literally anything you wanted it to be. It could be a concept, something upcycled or thrown together, but it had an energy to it. It blew my world wide open. Until then, I’d had a very narrow education on what fashion was. After that, I became really interested in conceptual fashion.
JN: That’s so interesting... There are so many conversations about fast fashion and how it can represent excess and nothingness. But when I meet creators – and in knowing you – there’s so much care, not only in your garments, but in the story behind them, the model wearing your clothes, the world she’s embodying. I often watch old fashion shows on YouTube – old Dior or Galliano shows – looking for inspiration. For me, it’s more than the garment. It’s how it makes me feel. Fashion is a feeling, right? It’s self-expression.
Someone like Mugler, I love him. He was so involved in the styling and world-building. He really invented a character. The woman he invented was just fucking empowering. And the Phoebe Pendergast woman is truly inspiring too. She’s empowered, but in a very soft, feminine and romantic way. Does that idea of world-building resonate with you?
PP: Oh my god, completely. I remember being 14, going down a YouTube rabbit hole watching fashion shows. It was the first collection Alessandro Michele did for Gucci. It was this huge shift for Gucci and felt like a whole new world. It was so theatrical. The show felt like this universe they’d built, and the clothes were characters inside it. I was watching it like, “I want to do that. That is what I want to do.”
The reason I wanted to go into fashion was because it intersects so many different mediums. It’s not just about fabric. It’s the way you present it, the show, the music, the character you’re dressing and the world she inhabits. You can create all of those yourself. I thought, this is the perfect medium of expression for me. What was that moment for you with acting?
JN: Definitely watching Titanic as a kid. Then as an adult, probably only a few years before I met you, it was Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love. That was another turning point. It was the first time I thought, “I feel like I can pursue this. I feel like I see myself.” Those were the two moments of awakening for the dream. For this shoot, where did the inspiration begin for you?
PP: I always have ideas or visions of how I’d like to shoot things, and sometimes I store them until the right thing comes up. For ages, I’d had this vision of something more naturalistic. This character within her house, in her most natural state. You know when you’re at home and unguarded? You’re really yourself, in your own little world. Maybe you’re daydreaming or brainstorming, looking through all the objects you love. I wanted this playful, ditsy, daydreaming girl at home. As we were organising the shoot, I sent the references to Daphne [Nguyen], and she got it instantly. She started sending her own references back and we were totally on the same page.
A good character to align with was Faye Wong in Chungking Express. There are scenes where she’s working behind the counter, but she’s totally in her own world. Even though she’s doing the same mundane job every day, she has these quirks and ways of making every day more magical and interesting.
JN: Some of the feelings we were exploring were longing and desire. Staring out the window. Total bliss and that dreamlike quality. I wonder if that’s almost a reaction to the current world we’re living in. Is this whimsical world you’ve created a response to that?
PP: Maybe. Even living in London, navigating a city like this can feel like chaos every day. Everything is so fast-paced, and the way we consume media, fashion and imagery is so fast. When I think about that character, it’s this romanticising of slowing down. Disconnecting from all that noise and protecting your own world inside your head. I’m very introverted. I like things to be quieter and more orderly, and London is the opposite of that for me. Maybe it’s a response to that. Lately, I’m really trying not to get sucked into feeling like I have to know what everyone else is doing. There are so many brands now, so much fashion, it’s oversaturated. I just want to focus on my own world and my own vision. Put the blinkers on. I don’t need to tune into all the noise about what’s on trend.
JN: I feel like we both always try to find the romantic. How would you describe our creative dynamic?
PP: Every time we talk or spend time together, we end up talking about the cosmic universe, fate...
JN: Always. That’s what I love about our friendship. We’re both really sentimental. I still have your old letters. I found one the other day when I took out all my old photos and letters and was crafting – doing something your character would do.
PP: We’re both very sentimental. I collect everything. I keep every card I’ve ever been given in a special box. All these little bits and pieces that remind me of things, I hold onto.
JN: Let’s talk about Daphne. Coming into a shoot like this and working with a photographer you haven’t met before, how did you find that creative language?
PP: With shoots, a lot of the time it’s a stars-aligning situation. With Daphne, I sent her the references and she got it straight away. When we went back and forth sharing mood boards, it was so easy. And on set, she was so thoughtful and intentional. She arrived first, blocked out where the photos would be taken and which rooms would be utilised. She naturally and seamlessly put this plan together.
JN: I really felt like her energy matched yours. She was very gentle. It was such a loving gaze, not sexualised at all. I felt like she saw your point of view and captured everything we talked about – softness and longing. A young woman in her wonderland, dreaming and playing.
PP: It feels like dress-ups. Like she’s rummaged through a dress-up box. The outfits have that mismatched quality, and the atmosphere is so soft and dreamy. I also loved how Betty [Liu] interpreted my clothing. One of the pieces she styled with was this D.I.Y. skirt she’d made with raffia. I would never think to style it like that, but it was perfect because it had this dress-up, D.I.Y. feeling.
JN: There’s something so optimistic about childhood dress-ups. There’s no care in the world.
PP: Exactly. When you’re dressing up at home, it’s playtime. You dress yourself in this carefree way and don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. It’s just for you. As an adult, it’s so hard to dress like that. You’re aware of what you should wear, what you shouldn’t, how you’ll be perceived. That time when you can dress up and not have a care in the world is so precious and creative.
JN: It’s been a long journey – you being a fashion designer, me acting. The highest highs, the lowest lows. They’re both such unpredictable industries.
PP: For me, there are these ups and downs. If I’m preparing for a collection, there’s anxiety, anticipation and stress. Then you release it into the world and have this come-down afterwards. You’ve used all your energy on something all-consuming, and suddenly you’re done. You feel like your purpose is gone. But fashion is cyclical. The next season rolls around and it happens all over again.
JN: The come-down is similar with acting. You throw yourself into the work and you’re possessed or consumed by it. Then when the project is done, you come out of it and just have to live. Early on, I’d get really depressed. Now I’m like, "Okay, I have to focus on other parts of my life because they’re important too". Memories with my friends and family, travelling, looking after my health, watching great films, listening to good music. There are so many parts of ourselves we can abandon.
PP: I need to get better at that. I neglect other facets of my life because I’m all-in on my work. I do things in extremes. I’m not very good at work-life balance.
JN: You sound like a method fashion designer, babe.
PP: Literally.
JN: Our work and expression are important, but there are so many more things in this life. It’s important not to forget the priceless things. I think it’s really important to love ourselves. Not in a narcissistic way, but to truly love ourselves. Life is so crazy. We have to, like your character, find a sense of joy and peace and slowness.
PP: Protect, protect, protect.
JN: Protect the peace. I feel like that’s a pretty good note to end on. Was it too cheesy?
PP: I’m guilty. I’m cheesy.
JN: But that’s why we’re friends.
CREATIVE DIRECTION & FASHION Phoebe Pendergast
PHOTOGRAPHY Daphne Nguyen
STYLIST Betty Liu
TALENT Jillian Nguyen
HAIR Xeneb Allen using Kevin Murphy and Emily Olsson
MAKEUP Lutèce Ludbey
VIDEO Ghani Arsiono
