The other day I visited “The Costume Collection” in Bulleen, Melbourne.
I was so impressed with the quality of the exhibits and the extraordinary knowledge of the owner and curator Mrs Loel Thompson.
She has an intense passion for social history and the way it is reflected in clothing and trends.
I was fascinated by the ever-changing shape of women. From the mono-boob and extensively padded derriere of Victorian times, to the pushed up and demure empire line of Jane Austen, the tightly strapped down no-boob look of the twenties, the emergence of the twin cones in the forties, the no-bra look of the seventies, and the push-up “wonder-bras” on the 1990’s.
I wonder what incredible garments of torture we will be squishing ourselves into in the next decade?
I will definitely be going back for another look at the museum, but next time with much more time available!