The Fashion Cycle: From Retail to Reuse

The next installment in the seminar series from Deakin University, Australian Catholic University and Old Treasury! ‘Material Histories’ presents new scholarship from a wide range of speakers, all united by their passion for objects!

First speaker:
All the Latest Novelties: Modernity, Luxury and Consumer Desire in Australia’s Nineteenth-century Arcades with Nicole Davis

Nineteenth-century arcades were marketed as dreamworlds, where the desire for exclusive or exotic commodities could be indulged. They were curated spaces that aimed to have a specific mix of businesses, including shops, that offered diverse experiences and products to the consumer. In Australia, through advertising, displays and merchandising, arcade retailers particularly emphasised goods, including jewellery, clothing, and accessories, that had connotations of luxury, modernity, and cosmopolitanism. These often linked with international locations, trends, and fashions, to demonstrate the Australian colonies as places of progress, sophistication, and civility – where fashionable items could be attained just as they might in Britain, Europe, or North America. This presentation will look at some of the ways that businessowners created consumer desire for their products, from the humble to the extraordinary.

Nicole Davis is an urban historian, working in the museum and heritage sector, with a particular interest in retail and business histories. Her PhD thesis focused on the social, economic, and architectural history of Australia’s nineteenth-century arcades and their place in the contemporary world. Her latest co-authored book is The Story of Melbourne’s Lanes: Essential but Unplanned.

Second speaker:
Alterations as evidence of garment life cycles: wedding dress 1875/1943

A wedding dress in the Henty Costume Collection at the Kew Historical Society, which was made for Alice Henty when she married John Hindson in Melbourne in 1875, was radically redesigned in 1943 when it was worn by three of her granddaughters at their weddings during WWII. This presentation will discuss the dress and its alterations and how such a well-provenanced item can provide evidence of life cycles of a garment that was treasured and reused across generations.

Dr Laura Jocic is a curator and historian with particular expertise in fashion and textiles. She completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne investigating dress in Australian colonial society and is interested in the materialities of surviving items of dress to elucidate the complex histories of garments and dress practices.

Material Histories is presented by Old Treasury Building in partnership with Deakin University and Australian Catholic University.

‘The Fashion Cycle: From Retail to Reuse’ is presented as part of the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Independent Programme.