The Dressmaker (2015) ~ Sweet Sunday Mornings

Sometimes being abroad has its perks, such as getting to see certain movies before they premiere in the US. One such standout was The Dressmaker (2015), a lovely, quirky Australian film starring Kate Winslet as a couturie who returns to her hometown in Australia to settle some questions regarding her dark and hazy past.

Winslet plays “Tilly,” who was sent away to Europe as a young girl after being convicted of a murder she doesn't even remember committing. Now, even though she has been blessed with an extraordinary talent for dressmaking and a burgeoning fashion career in Paris (she was just hired by Balenciagia!), Tilly still believes that she is "cursed." Cursed for being a bad person, for being a murderer. So she journeys back to the small, backwater town of her birth to get some answers, to learn the truth behind that traumatic event that stained her childhood.

Based on the novel by Rosalie Ham, this film was the perfect blend of comedy and drama. And of course, the costumes were STUNNING. Designed by Margot Wilson and Marion Boyce (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries), the cast was transformed into walking works of art straight off the runways of Paris.

Tilly causes quite the stir in her tiny rural town, where everyone seems to be covered in at least two layers of dust and dirt, by dressing like she was attending a glamorous red carpet event.... at the local rugby match.

That neckline, those large buttons!

Love the fanned earrings.

Wardrobe change during the half-time break. Love her adorable swirly compact.

You are your own best brand advertisement.

After seeing Tilly proudly strutting around in her own gorgeous creations, the dowdy women of the town soon flock to her for help with their own wardrobes.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

This just goes to show what a beautiful dress and some red lipstick can do!

Just look at these three women, completely transformed! The woman on the left with the pleated cape reminds me so much of this photo of Dovima in a similar design by the now mostly forgotten Jacques Fath.

Oh, I'm just up here fixing this sign...in my gorgeously ethereal gown...

I love the red & cream dotted dress (worn by the woman sitting in the middle). I like the interesting design of the top portion, which looks like it was made from four pieces of fabric gathered together.

I love these pops of red.

The back of the red & white dress (left) is interesting. Many dresses nowadays neglect the back in order to save time and fabric. But I love it when careful attention is paid to the entirety of an ensemble.

Tilly also managed to turn this monstrosity of a wedding dress...

...into this magnificent thing:

Initially I thought this was the same dress as the one she wore to the dance, but upon closer inspection, it's an entirely different bodice, with a different beading pattern & ruching.

But ultimately, I think the final wedding dress was again, a different creation (because I don't see the distinct beading on the previous dress underneath the one-shoulder overlay).

Tilly also made gowns for many of the other wedding guests, including this breathtaking olive green number.

So much lace....

Aside from the strange hat, "the woman in the mid-ground" in the navy gown is particularly lovely. I really like the neckline and how it sort of assemtrically folds over and extends down to the bottom. Unfortunately, we weren't given a better view of its construction.

Flashy fashion jewelry is always so much fun!

Feather/feathery hair decorations seemed really popular....

I'm not super well-verse in the fashion trends of that particular period (I'm guessing it's supposed to be set in the 1950s?) but I didn't realize feather head pieces were so much a thing...