Part Six of the series on Loel Thomson’s Costume Collection.

Garments from the 1930s can be the hardest to find in good condition in Australia – items from the ’20s have been collectable for a long time, and those from the ‘forties and ‘fifties were (up until recently) readily available, but it’s the delicate and feminine flowing gowns and crepe day dresses from between the periods that have proved the most elusive.

The first outfit displayed here is particularly special to me, as Loel purchased it from Circa shortly after we opened in 2004. I had bought it earlier that year from a Perth lady who had closed down her Subiaco shop several years earlier. The dress and matching capelet is in excellent condition, and features it’s original bakelite buckle.

Accessories include a silver dress clip and fox fur. On the left you can see a mannequin in 1920s day wear (featured in previous post).