This post Brought to you by Nuffnang and The Dressmaker Exhibition.
There are not many movies I watch anymore that wow me. But when one comes along that is Australian and has raving reviews, it definitely pricks my ears up. When watching The Dressmaker movie, which is based on the best-selling novel by Rosalie Ham I felt like I had been taken back to mychildhood hometown in the outback of Australia only with a slight twist. I don’t want to be a movie spoiler but by no means was there a fashion designer who frocked up all the ladies of the town back
where I grew up.
So when I heard that the movie and some of the absolutely divine frocks from the movie would be put on display at an exhibition I had to make sure I was there.
The moment I walked into Rippon Lea House & Garden in Elsternwick I instantly felt like I was stepping foot into The Dressmaker’s town of Dungatar.
The exhibition location did the book and especially the movie justice, the absolute perfect setting. In the 1950’s obviously things were a lot different, but when looking at some of the beautiful pieces on display I quickly realised that a lot of the fashion from back there was once again coming back into fashion today.
What I loved the most about the exhibition is instantly being taken back to certain scenes of the movie just by laying eyes upon a dress or outfit warn by the cast.
You truly don’t appreciate the hours of work and immaculate attention to detail that goes into creating these pieces until you are up close and at arms reach to them.
The exhibition at Rippon Lea House and Garden features 50 designs by Marion Boyce as well as Kate Winslet’s (Tilly) costumes designed by Margot Wilson.
Now everyone is going to have a favorite room or personal favorite when it comes to the pieces, so for me this was definitely the wedding room with Sarah Snook (Trudy’s) wedding dress. Just the way the dress perfectly draped onto the floor and swayed with the slightest bit of air just was breath taking and any bride would have loved to of been in that dress I am sure.
But every single room was themed and I always felt like I was a lot further away in the outback in every single room.
I also loved the room upstairs, which showed how they created Molly’s (Judy Davis) dirty old clothes as she lived in quite a derelict house. Here I was thinking they’d been ripped and rolled around in the mud for a while, but instead it was a lengthy process of dying and getting the colours perfect.
National Trust of Australia and Rippon Lea Gardens & House often host an array of events and without both of these The Dressmaker Exhibition couldn’t have been as perfect as it was.
http://dressmakerexhibition.com.au
