[1] She left Australia after finishing high school and moved to Italy, where she studied fashion and costume design for three years at the Accademia di Italiana in Florence.
Together, they designed outlandish costumes for Stephan Elliott's Australian LGBT comedy film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
[1] The Motion Picture Guide 1995 Annual, covering the films of 1994, said, "The Oscar-winning costumes by Lizzy Gardiner and Tim Chappel are wildly inspired and range from the bizarre to the simply indescribable.
"[7] She gained worldwide attention when she picked up her award wearing an unusual dress she designed, consisting of 254 expired American Express gold cards.
[13] In answer to queries about her working on the gay film and a lesbian thriller, Gardiner who identifies as straight, said, "It just never occurred to me that sexuality is an issue.