7 August 2025

A bit of brassy bling on Collins Street – Cartier has been in 90 Collins Street since 2017, then spent much of last year renovating inside and giving the facade a make-over, by French architects Bidard & Raisisui – it’s nice, elegant even, lots of fluting. But really compared to the elaborate decoration of the retained 1870s facade it’s connected to, it’s rather thin. Still, nicer than before, which was just some vaguely heritage style incised lines – which go right back to the 1988 original, by Daryl Jackson, I could only find a blurry streetview, showing it had red granite details. Not his best work. I remember this in the 1980s as a gap with a little park, and I think what was there before was demolished in the mid 70s.

It had been a couple of Victorian things, one of which was occupied by Capers restaurant, opened in 1959, which I think then expanded into next door in 1963, gaining a nice courtyard, and a ‘golden door’ designed by Robin Boyd. Old pics @library_vic.

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