Fashioned by Nature

7 September - 28 October 2018

Fashioned by Nature: millinery from the collection of the Cavalcade of History and Fashion Inc. presents a selection of millinery inspired by nature from the collection of the Cavalcade of History and Fashion Inc. These stunning hats, span over 60 years of 20th century millinery fashions, with the earliest hat on display dated 1900, the latest from the 1960’s, when hats were rapidly disappearing from fashionable wardrobes.

The Cavalcade of History and Fashion is a volunteer, not-for-profit community group whose custodians collect, preserve and display a collection of historic fashion dating from the late 1700s.

In 1960, five ladies from Lindfield paraded hats they had made with the help of a milliner friend, behind a picket fence, to support their local church and school. They were asked to repeat the parade adding an 1872 authentic wedding gown, Emily Tucker, as the finale. This parade led to further requests and along with some donated gowns, costumes were made and a fully dressed parade for Farmers store was presented, and The Cavalcade of Fashions 1788-1926 was born. Over the last 55 years the collection has grown and now consists of over 16 000 items including 5 500 gowns, accessories, men's and children's clothing.

The collection, through a ‘museum without walls’ philosophy, brings history alive with presentations, displays and exhibitions. This philosophy has inspired the public to donate family heirlooms. When each gown is donated, a record is made of the donor and original wearer’s history, where they lived, who their family was, where they wore the gown and what made the gown a family heirloom. The collection and associated provenance is an outstanding record of the social history of Australian women and their families, using fashion as a medium.

Fashioned by Nature will also include historical images from the collection of the Hawkesbury Regional Museum.

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