Thursday 27 October 2016

The Dressmaker

Have you seen the movie, The Dressmaker? If you haven't yet, I would highly recommend it. I was lucky enough to catch it when it was ever so briefly shown in the theatres here.  


Or better yet, did you catch the exhibit of the clothes? Oh my goodness what a delightful feast for the eyes to see these costumes come alive on the big screen out of the hot Aussie backdrop. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to see the costumes close up.    


The costumes,  that vintage Singer sewing machine, the story, oh and the costumes! 


Kate Winslet plays Tilly who returns to her hometown, after being sent away as a child, to uncover dark secrets of her past.  


But first, let's talk about this golfing outfit Tilly sports in one of the opening scenes. It is perfectly designed with tee holders along the pocket.  


She has her fans and her enemies.  


And despite that she is on a mission and with the most powerful weapon she possesses, her 1951 Singer sewing machine, she's determined to uncover the secrets, lies, and harm committed by the towns folks she transforms.  


It is a tale of revenge and search for truth and how things can unravel quite quickly.  


 I can't wait for the Oscars.


One of my favourite outfits would be the beautifully tailored and understated suit worn by Tilly's mom, Molly.  


Tilly transformed the towns people from the old stuffy clothes of yesteryear with the new revolutionary styles of Balenciaga and Dior. 


When a new dressmaker is recruited to challenge Tilly's arrival back in town, the scene is set for a showdown between the New Look revolution and de-feminizing uniforms of the past decades. 


Tilly has her allies in the showdown. But I'm going to stop here, I don't want to give too much away. Go see it. The Dressmaker is an entertaining story, part dark comedy and part surrealism cleverly stitched together.  

It is enough to make you want to run out and find a vintage Singer sewing machine. But I think I'll pick up the book instead.   

Happy Sewing!  



3 comments:

  1. I can't wait to see this movie. Hopefully it makes its way to Netflix or on demand since I missed it in the theatres :(

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  2. I've aalready got that machine. I'm fairly sure she's using Singer 201-2, certainly one of the 201's. These were called the dressmaker, as opposed to the similar but slightly less expensive "farmer wive's". These are generally thought to be the finest machine Singer ever produced. Legend says Rolls Royce used them for sewing their interiors and while they can zip through some leather and home dec fabric, they are one fine machine for garment sewing. You might get a serious addiction if you ever tried one.

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  3. I live 10 minutes walk between two cinema complexes and still managed not to see it there! I did see it recently and before that I went to Melbourne and saw the costumes at the exhibition at Rippon Lea Historical house which is where the internal shot with all the ladies sitting around is taken. It was a great exhibition and the site got into the spirit with a barn set up for themed morning tea, lunch etc. It was fun, beautiful and such a pleasure to see.

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