History of fashion in Australia

1. History of fashion in Australia

2. Introduction When the First Fleet arrived in Australia, the living conditions were totally different from those in England. The climate was hot and dry and the environment was harsh. Unfortunately, the people still wore the same clothes as they did in England. It took over 200 years for the more practical clothing to develop. Women’s clothing has had drastic changes during this time. Men’s fashion has also changed, however not so greatly. They have had modifications on shirts and pants.

3. 1788-1800 • Fashion was that of England and France • Convict men and women were poorly dressed and wore the same clothes for many days • Convicts were issued with uniforms, but it was difficult to clothe all convicts in the uniform as it was hard to get supplies from England. • Female convicts – brown serge jacket, petticoat, neckerchief, cap, linen shift, stockings and shoes • Male convicts – blue jacket and waistcoat, heavy duty trousers, linen shirt, long socks, woollen cap • Just before the turn of the century, the pannier was abolished and the dress became much more simple – women gave up some of their underskirts to create a more sensible and comfortable clothing style.

4. 1788 - 1800

5. 1788 - 1800

6. 1800 - 1810 • Fashion was still based on those of England and France, however they began to suit the Australian environment

7. 1810 - 1820 • French fashion influences continued, with a more romantic look for females

8. 1820 - 1830 • Fashion started to turn back in time and was influenced by the 16th century, regardless of the harsh Australian climate.

9. 1830 - 1840

10. 1840 - 1850

11. 1850 - 1860 The discovery of gold led to the gold rush in Australia. People came from all over the world, bringing their own ideas and ways of life, greatly influencing women’s fashion. Petticoats and horsehair crinolines could not create the widths that women wanted from their skirts. Cage-like crinolines were made of steel and whalebone and were sewn into petticoats to provide support for skirts. Some skirts reached ridiculous widths and became a problem for women to wear. In Paris and Europe, brighter colours became fashionable, so brighter clothing was introduced into Australian fashion.

12. 1850 - 1860

13. 1860 – 1870 Steel crinolines were still popular with skirts of enormous sizes. Brighter colours continued to grow in popularity. The ‘Sydney Sac’ was introduced in male fashion and was acceptable for town wear. In the bush, men wore sensible clothes to protect them from the environment. Bushranging was big in this era and they wore similar clothes to bushmen.

14. 1860 – 1870

15. 1870 - 1880 This decade was the beginning of fashion being designed to meet people’s needs.

16. 1880 – 1890

17. 1890 - 1900 A complete change in fashion occurred