Cakelaw's Travel Tales

I recently visited Night Life - A Fashion Exhibition of the 1920s and 30s at Ripponlea House in Elsternwick.  I just adore clothes from this era, so I was so excited to hear about this exhibition, which features clothes worn by Melburnians during the 1920s and 30s.  As the title of the exhibition suggests, it is all about eveningwear.  For this reason, Ripponlea House was darkened inside, with the windows covered over to create darkness and shadows to show off the fashion as it was meant  to be seen.  One of the early explanatory cards stated that it was actually frowned upon to wear sparkly clothes in the daytime at that time.  The exhibition begins in the drawing room with 1920s eveningwear, and there are sparkles, bugle beads and tabers aplenty:  In the next room were lots of accessories, including some very beautiful shoes: I did the rooms a little out of order, and the next room I viewed featured 1930s eveningwear....

Last Sunday, I went to the Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Costume Exhibition at Rippon Lea House and Gardens, where some of the series is filmed.  I just adore 1920s fashions, so it was a real treat to go and see these costumes.  The only down side was that I was supposed to go with my friend Sandra.  Unfortunately, Sandra could not come because her Mum has unfortunately suffered an accident and Sandra has gone back home to care for her. For the uninitiated, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries is an Australian Broadcasting Commission TV series based on Kerry Greenwood's novels about a progressive female detective called Phryne Fisher, set in 1920's Melbourne.  This sets the scene for some magnificent costuming, and this is the second exhibition of such costumes that has been held at Rippon Lea House. I will now let the photos speak for themselves, interjecting only every now and then:  This is the costume of one of th...