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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
Port Arthur Convict Issue Parti-Coloured Waistcoat
This convict garment is a hip length, fitted although shapeless waistcoat made of coarse woolen cloth. Appraisals indicate that the wool originates from the Suffolk sheep breed, which produces strong, coarse fleece. The structure of the cloth is a plain weave, which has been felted. There is no clear indication ... More
Themes: Workwear, Everyday wear, Uniform
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
Woman's dust coat dress
This is an important example of occupational or travel dress. Unostenatious garments, such as this one, can be overlooked in collections, but this garment is quite rare. Sometimes called a 'duster' they are quite common in American mail order catalogues. They were worn over smart clothes to protect from dust or weather. The fastening right ... More
