The Dressmaker costume exhibition at Barwon Park Mansion is a must see for anyone with an appreciation for couture fashion.
Love, Revenge and Haute Couture
– an utterly intriguing and accurate synopsis of this visually stunning film.
Adapted from Rosalie Ham’s bestselling book and featuring over 50 pieces of the costume design work of Marion Boyce and Margot Wilson, this exhibition is a stand-alone highlight of Australian design talent.
Featuring a hand picked wardrobe of pieces worn by Kate Winslet and the cast, this showcase shines a spotlight on the transformative power of fashion as well as the integral process of costume design in character development.
Stepping onto the pebbled driveway, the vision of Barwon Park Manor instantly transports you to another world. Set amongst a golden pastoral landscape and cushioned by elderly pines, the bluestone walls open into a vision of Tilly Dunnage’s country Australia.
Behind it’s double doors, the residents of 1950’s Dungatar come alive in each flutter of chiffon and rustle of moiré silk. We are treated to an up close and personal experience with the fabrics, the processes, the sheer magic of these costumes and their secrets.
Both the film and the exhibition take you on a transformative journey, setting the luxurious designs and opulent fabrics against the dusty Australian landscape.
Artfully staged, the story line of each character can be seen in every stitch, letting you lose yourself in the world of Parisian glamour and dream of what such garments might do for your own story.
Vintage Current talked to costume designer Marion Boyce about her challenges and triumphs working on The Dressmaker.
Starring Kate Winslet and Liam Hemsworth, The Dressmaker Costume Exhibition hosted by the National Trust, is on now at the Barwon Park Mansion in Winchelsea, Victoria.
Make a day of it and treat your friends to a mini road trip of fabulous fashion and style inspiration. Imogen, Anne and I had the most fantastic day complete with Devonshire tea in the converted stables.
Keep an eye out for the Sunday Style session, a 1950s style garden party day, (details TBA) and the perfect opportunity to frock up!
Only 40 minutes from Geelong or1 hr 20 mins from Melbourne, Barwon Park’s 42 room heritage beauty is the perfect setting to truly experience this remarkable showcase of re-created 1950’s Parisian influenced couture.
The Dressmaker costume exhibition is not to be missed!
It was quite a while ago that I had the Perfect Pin Curls part one for you, then I somehow went ahead and lost the footage to part two! Never mind though, it gave me the perfect excuse to film a little something in the powder room at the White Swan Inn last week for you.
For those trying pin curls for the first few times, this is the stage you reach all full of hope the next morning, only to be a tad miffed when confronted with a huge mop of curls. What to do now? How do you tame these and turn them into those lovely waves or 40’s curls you so envy? It is far simpler than it seems and only takes a very short amount of time. The setting you did the night before was the hard work, now it is time to put the finishing touches on your creation.
You want to know how to do winged liner perfectly every time?
You need a specialty winged eyeliner tutorial and here it is!
I’ve been asked more times than I can count, to show you how I do my winged eyeliner. It is, without fail, the first thing I’m asked in all my workshops and I love to see the difference it makes to people when they get it. Aside from the drawing technique, the biggest tip I can offer you, is how I manage to keep my lids flat (the head tilt) and still see what I’m doing.
Watch it. Try it. Share it!
For all natural, cruelty free liquid eye liner, we shop with Nourished Life here in Australia. They have a gorgeous range of makeup for the conscious consumer and incredible customer service too!
I’ve been shopping again and came up with 3 fab and cheap beauty finds! Here in Australia we know that our beauty products are significantly more expensive than the rest of the world, so I’m always on the look out for effective and inexpensive alternatives to share with you.
Today I’m back on my video game, and have three fantastic finds to share with you. Some you may have heard of before and some that may surprise you!
Just which product gave me this incredibly quick and effective look? Find out in today’s video episode.
Creating vintage hairstyles with naturally curly hair is easier than you think.
I’m always surprised when I have clients with naturally curly hair, that they have so little idea what to do with it. Then I remind myself; I used to have hair like this when I was younger and had just as much frustration. I would iron it, gel it, slick it and go to bed wearing a hat, all in the hopes of waking up with perfect locks. It wasn’t until I began to learn the secrets of vintage hair styling that I realised just how lucky I was to have naturally curly hair!
In today’s episode of Ask The Editor, we look at a viewers question in regard to vintage hairstyling for naturally curly hair.
Everyone has varying opinions on this topic, but in my experience with hundreds of clients over the years, I can comfortably say that yes, there are simple and fast ways to create vintage hairstyles with naturally curly hair.
If you have curly hair and can add some of your own feedback for us, please join the conversation!
Over the week I’ve also had a bunch of questions about the scarf I use when setting my hair, so I’ve also included some simple to follow instructions on the DIY headscarf you saw me wearing here- Middy Haircut and Setting tutorial.
Making your own scarves is very simple and rewarding. It’s a very quick and inexpensive way to change up an outfit and hide a multitude of hair sins.
If you have more tips for Mona D on how to wear her curly hair in a vintage style, make sure to add your comments to the video where everyone can see them.
There is so much talk on the vintage pages of the internet about “what is the perfect hair cut for vintage“? While there is no single answer, given we all have preferences for different eras, different hair types and different lifestyles; the most often recommended style is The Middy Cut. There are original cutting diagrams floating around of these, and so many of you will have already taken these to your hairdressers, often with disappointing results. You can read more in last week’s post about my new 1950’s Middy hair cut here.
In the wake of showing you those photos and telling my story, I’ve received a flood of messages from ladies wanting to get the same hair cut. I have sent my hairdressers details to a number of you in Melbourne, but it must come with a word of warning. This is NOT a wash and wear hair cut. You must be committed to styling it every day. This isn’t necessarily time consuming, but you need to have the skills to do it. In fact, it takes me about ten minutes each evening to roll this up, then about five or less in the morning to style it. And so, today’s tutorial is designed to help set you on the right path and show you how I style my Middy Cut with a simple pin curl set.
This set is all rolled in a downwards direction from the centre part and takes about 2-3 hours to set, or even better, can be done over night. The key to this style is knowing how to do a good comb out. You’ll see how with the same pin curl set I’ve achieved quite a variety of looks, from the soft and sexy, to the sleek and classic.
Please feel free to ask me comments on the video (so everyone can benefit from seeing the answers there) and make sure to share this tutorial as it is one of the keys to success in understanding why Middy Cuts and vintage styling isn’t just a one step solution.
