From 1950s Dungatar to 2019 Canberra: 31 original costumes from the hit film The Dressmaker (2015) are on display at the NFSA from 18 April until 18 August 2019.

The exhibition features a spectacular range of haute couture worn by the film’s stars including Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, Hugo Weaving, Sarah Snook, Judy Davis, Rebecca Gibney and more:

Created by Australian designer Marion Boyce, each ensemble reflects rigorous attention to historical detail, offers tribute to high-end Parisian fashion of the 1950s and demonstrates a mastery of fabric and technique.

The exhibition highlights iconic pieces from the film, complete with accessories and millinery, but also takes you 'behind the seams' to discover the world of art finishing, production and how the whole spectrum of looks from the film was achieved.

Tilly’s elegant costumes were designed separately by Margot Wilson, to set her style apart from the other townspeople.

Boyce and Wilson were awarded Best Costume Design at the AACTA Awards (2015) and were nominated for Excellence in Period Film at the international Costume Designers Guild Awards (2016), for their work on The Dressmaker. 

The Dressmaker collection

To mark the opening of the exhibition we've published a curated collection on The Dressmaker. 

The Dressmaker is based on the novel by Rosalie Ham and comes from the filmmaking team of director Jocelyn Moorhouse and producer Sue Maslin.

The collection includes highlights from the film and behind-the-scenes interviews with actors Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Hugo Weaving and Liam Hemsworth as well as insights from Jocelyn Moorhouse, Sue Maslin and costume designers Marion Boyce and Margot Wilson.

Here's Hugo Weaving, in an exclusive interview with the NFSA, discussing the importance to actors of costumes and the work of the costume designer:

Film Costumes

Hugo Weaving also appears in our Film Costumes curated collection which has been updated and now includes costumes from the last five decades of Australian film, as well as a dress from the silent film The Cheaters (1929).

It includes Oscar-winning designs worn by Hugo Weaving in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge! (2001), as well as instantly recognisable looks from The Sapphires (2012), Muriel's Wedding (1994), Ned Kelly (2003), Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) and more.

The Dressmaker Costume Exhibition developed and presented in association with Film Art Media.