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What is the Australian Dress Register?
The Australian Dress Register is a collaborative, online project about dress with Australian provenance. This includes men's, women's and children's clothing ranging from the special occasion to the everyday. Museums and private collectors are encouraged to research their garments and share the stories and photographs while the information is still available and within living memory. The Register encourages people to consider their collections very broadly and share what they know about members of their community, what they wore and life in the past. This provides access to a world wide audience while keeping their garments in their relevant location. More
Feature garment
Hilda Smith's black silk satin and ...
This full-length black silk satin and lace dress has long sleeves and a high boned collar. The outer bodice is a magyar style with elbow length sleeves, made of cotton net lace lined with polished cotton. The bodice features a v-shaped front and back section enclosing heavily embroidered cotton net ... More
Themes: Fancy dress, Special occasion, Evening dress
Feature video
Who, what, where, why, when? - A contributor's perspective
What the Australian Dress Register means to Justine Malinowski: "it's a tool to allow people to research what is out there in other people's collections"
Feature garment
The Press dress worn by Mrs Matilda Butters
This dress belonged to Mrs Matilda Butters, second wife of colourful Melbourne politician and businessman James Stewart Butters. It was first worn at the mayor's fancy dress ball in September 1866, held to celebrate the arrival of the new governor of Victoria, Sir J Manners-Sutton. The dress was constructed from panels of silk printed with ... More
