Elliot Garnaut Thinks You Should Buy New Shoes
You may know Elliot Garnaut as a fashion stylist, having dressed a roster of star clients including Rebecca Harding, Andy Lee, Carrie Bickmore, Phoebe Tonkin and more. Maybe you know him from his new fashion-meets-footy podcast with Norm Smith medalist Isaac Smith. Or maybe, you have discovered why he is a MAF ambassador from our episode of Material Attachments (kindly watch here) where we dive into his art collection.
We asked Elliot to share some of this favourite things to do in Naarm/Melbourne…
Where would you take your boyfriend if you wanted to seem cultured, but not “I read the wall text” cultured?
Melbourne Museum to wax lyrical about the dinosaurs. They’re impressive, extinct, and require no follow-up questions. I can gesture broadly at femurs, use words like “era” and “period” interchangeably, and speak with the confidence of someone who once watched half a documentary on SBS and has never looked back. There’s no pressure to interpret, no risk of disagreement, just enormous bones and the comforting knowledge that whatever I say, the dinosaurs will not correct me.
Must visit gallery to waste an hour in?
Sophie Gannon Gallery in Richmond. Sophie is a very close friend of my family and her space not only exhibits unique talent but her team are always warm, inviting and knowledgeable. If not leaving with a piece, you’re leaving with an education.
Where do you walk when you want to feel productive without producing anything?
The walk home down St Kilda Road from Flinders Street Station. Park side, always. The NGV slipping past on one side, the Shrine sitting patiently on the horizon like a reward I haven’t earned. It’s a walk that looks productive from a distance, purposeful stride, thoughtful face, but is really just an hour of gentle thinking, unnecessary reflection, and the comforting illusion that something important is happening internally. Nothing is achieved, nothing is resolved, but I arrive home feeling calmer, superior, and vaguely virtuous, which is often enough.
Where do you go when it’s technically nice outside but you don’t trust it and you need a cocktail?
My kitchen bench. I serve the coldest fizz all year ’round and consider it a point of personal pride. It’s where I perch with a glass that’s mostly bubbles, surrounded by picky bits arranged with the confidence of someone who’s hosted just enough dinners to know no one remembers what they ate, only that they felt looked after. The weather can do whatever it likes outside, threaten rain, flirt with sun, change its mind entirely, but inside there is certainty: good lighting, sharp snacks, and a bottle de jour opened “just in case.” Friends drift in, coats are abandoned, conversations deepen without anyone having to shout, and I feel productive in the very specific way that involves no shoes and absolutely no plans. If one must leave, Apollo Inn on Flinders Lane is a close second to my bench I guess.
Where should someone go before the Fair to feel prepared, emotionally and footwear-wise?
Above the Cloud at 80 Collins. It’s the rare place where emotional readiness and sensible footwear overlap. Even a novice can emerge feeling reassured, supported, and smugly prepared, shoes that appease the art snobs, excite the hipsters, and still allow you to stand politely for hours pretending not to be tired. You leave lighter in spirit, heavier in bag, and quietly confident that whatever the Fair throws at you; concrete floors, long conversations, unexpected encounters, your feet, at least, will not betray you.
Melbourne Art Fair, 19 – 22 February 2026.
Click here to secure tickets.
