editorial heading

editorial image
The Scarboro
' Waterproof Coat

Reproduced from
Anthony Hordern
and Sons
[catalogue]
Sydney: Anthony Hordern
and Sons,
July 1907

 

 

'Well, the great day is over, and now we can rest on memories of the Commonwealth celebrations of 1901. We are, at last, a united nation, and our intercolonial pettiness shall henceforth be buried, like the proverbial hatchet. No more jealousies, in fact, every women's frock from every other colony we now must recognise as good as ours, and we may only smile complacently when comments are made to the contrary.'

Letter from Winifred to Nina, Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, 5 January 1901, p. 16

The fashions worn by the men, women and children who attended the celebrations marking the Federation of Australia were transitory styles between the stiff, formal lines of late-Victorian fashions and the looser, more comfortable Edwardian clothing. While men's clothing during the period 1890–1910 continued to be quite conservative, women's clothing broke free of late-Victorian constraints. Stiff damasks, satins and plush Victorian fabrics were discarded in favour of frothy chiffons and intricate lace, light mohairs, fine cashmeres and all types of silks. These clothes were not any more conducive towards an active life for women. Pampered women, whose role in life was restricted and who could rely on servants to launder their clothes, wore these time-consuming and extreme fashions. However, as gentlewomen chose to work and study, fashions modified to accommodate the needs of the 'New Woman' and became more practical.

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