The Dressmaker Costume Exhibition at Rippon Lea House
It was a rainy Melbourne day but when I arrived all I could see were peacocks in the outback.
This post is brought to you by Nuffnang and The Dressmaker Exhibition.
This week I had the privilege of being invited to see the VIP opening of The Dressmaker Costume exhibition as well as a chance to meet with Marion Boyce and Rosalie Ham
To say I was excited would be an understatement!!
The funny thing is, I was meant to see this exhibition and I was meant to share it with you. Why?
Read on and judge for your self.
Lately I have been obsessed with Audible, listening to books while putting Charlie to sleep. I don’t know if it was the dress or the curiosity to watch Kate Winslet talk with an Aussie accent, but I picked The Dressmaker. I figure it’s always better to ‘read’ the book before I see the movie.
Fast forward by a week and I see an invitation by Nuffnang to The Dressmaker Exhibition at Rippon Lea.
By Thursday last week I had read the book and seen the movie and the only natural thing to do next is see those beautiful dresses in person.
Walking up the driveway of Rippon Lea House instantaneously transports me to the 1950s. As I walked up to the entrance and touched the front door I honestly think for a split second I stepped back in time.
When I looked up I was in Dungatar 1950s, with handsome Teddy McSwiney (Liam Hemsworth) and Tilly Dunnage (Kate Winslet) standing right in front of me with the football in hand.
Oh snap, I’m actually at the exhibition.
The dresses, the outfits, the hats…… the 1950s fashion.
The most important part of any outfit then and today is the underwear, said Marion Boyce the costume designer. “A corset pulls you in, makes you stand straight and tall, makes you feel confident”.
Our choice of clothes define us.
Our personality is brought to life with the outfit we have on. Just like Gertrude Pratt (Sarah Snook) from the movie. In fact her personality changed and so did her name. But the most interesting thing, no matter whether you live in Paris or in Dungatar you still want to wear the same dresses you see in the movies said Rosalie Ham the book Author.
I highly recommend going to Rippon Lea and checking out the amazing exhibition.
You will see how the costumes, inspired by Parisian couture, were made and developed for the film. Visitors will be able to see the level of detail and artisanship which went into making the costumes.
The exhibition features 50 designs by Marion Boyce as well as Kate Winslet’s costumes by designer Margot Wilson.
This is a bucket list item if you are in Melbourne!
I would love to know which was your favourite dress?
The exhibition runs from the 22nd of April – 31st of July before it heads to Adelaide. For all the details, head to The Dressmaker Exhibition Website.