Wow. Just, wow. This is the only word you need for a visit to The Dressmaker costume exhibition at Rippon Lea Estate. I heard this word gasped many times at the preview show on the evening of April 21. A walk around the display transports the viewer back into the desolate and destructive country town of Dungatar, the setting for the quirky Australian film. The exhibition is beautifully presented in various rooms of the magnificent Rippon Lea House, a grand old dame in the National Trust’s catalogue of stately homes, and it makes the perfect backdrop for this wonderful exhibition.
Author Rosalie Ham and costume designer Marion Boyce were in attendance at the preview and it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be given a tour of the exhibition by both women. Ham explained how the characters from her book ‘The Dressmaker’ were based on her experience of being raised in a small country town. A hot topic for Marion Boyce and attendees at the preview was nostalgia for the past, where women would dress for what Boyce described as “a sense of occasion”. I certainly hanker after the era of hats and gloves, although I learnt recently that gloves and smart phones are an impossible combination.
If you are anything like me and have banned yourself from buying any more sequins and shiny things for the perfect outfit that has not yet been made, I highly recommend that you devote a number of hours to visiting this stunning exhibition. My plus-one was a young fashion design student and she was amazed by both the costumes and the venue. The house and gardens of Rippon Lea Estate have a wow factor all of their own, so do allow time to take a stroll around the expansive estate gardens and visit the different parts of the property. There is also a café on site and I can vouch for their Devonshire teas. Who knows, maybe it’s an occasion for a new hat!
-Katie Marsh
Katie Marsh is now celebrating her one year anniversary in Melbourne after having moved from sunny Perth. Overwhelmed by the choice of things to do in Melbourne, she often wonders why it took so long to move here.
The Dressmaker runs daily 10am -4pm at Rippon Lea Estate from 22nd April to 31st July (closed Anzac Day). Buy tickets here. Wheelchair access to the ground floor of the house.
