Gertrude Pratt: “A dress can’t change anything.”
Tilly Dunnage: “Watch and learn Gert, watch and learn.”
The Dressmaker (2015) follows the character Tilly Dunnage (Kate Winslet) as she returns to her hometown of Dungatar. Faced with hostility from the townsfolk, Tilly gains respect and power by transforming the women with her masterful dressmaking skills.
The importance of costume design in The Dressmaker can’t be overstated. The colour and texture of Tilly’s garments provide a dazzling contrast to the harsh, dusty landscape and the equally rugged clothing worn before her arrival. The new dresses bring out the best and the worst in the townsfolk. Tilly’s designs give the women confidence and beauty, while also revealing their vanity and snobbery.
An extract of the documentary The Dressmaker: Behind the Seams
Collection
Not in ACMI's collection
Previously on display
14 July 2024
ACMI: Gallery 1
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
194844
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Worlds → MW-04. Costume Design → MW-04-C06
Object Types
Drawing/sketch/Pictorial
Photographic print/Pictorial