Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Genetic evidence shows that Aboriginal Australians (and Torres Strait Islander Peoples') arrived about 50,000 years ago via south Asia. At this time, sea levels were much lower, and Australia was connected to Papua New Guinea and Tasmania as part of a mega-continent known as Sahul.
The "Southern Route" arrival suggests that hunter-gatherers from the Horn of Africa moved across the mouth of the Red Sea into Arabia and southern Asia, and populations rapidly increased on the coastlines of southern Asia, southeastern Asia and Indonesia, then arriving in Australia about 50 thousand years ago.
Some scientists use optically stimulated luminescence (measuring the last time sand was exposed to sunlight) and date human arrival back at least 65,000 years.
Traditionally, Aboriginal men and women did not wear clothing but often decorated their bodies using clay or ochre, sometimes mixed with animal fat.
However, in
Natives of Australia by Northcote W. Thomas, 1906, it is claimed that:
The Arunta dress is coloured white for corroborees; it is sometimes as large as a five-shilling piece, sometimes much smaller, and consists of opossum fur string. Further to the north the tassel is really large enough to serve a practical purpose, and these tribes have also developed a waist-belt to which it is attached.On the north-west coast a large shell, curiously ornamented with lines, takes the place of the tassel. On the Gulf of Carpentaria the tassel is replaced by a fringe apron in the case of a woman. In the Boulia district the tassel reappears together with the shell; but their use is confined to corroborees.A girdle or waist-cord is also worn on these occasions, and very commonly in other parts of Australia; the men usually wear it permanently; it is made of human hair, sometimes of opossum hair, and is said to measure three hundred yards in length sometimes; a short one measured by Dr. Roth was twenty-six yards in length. It is worn continuously for months at a time, and serves to suspend eagle-hawk feathers and other corroboree ornaments in the case of the men. |
| Aboriginal people of Central Australia, Natives of Australia by Northcote W. Thomas, 1906 |
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| Barwon River man, Natives of Australia by Northcote W. Thomas, 1906 |
A bark belt is worn by males only at corroboree time and by females at all times; it differs from the cord just described in passing once only round the body; according to Roth, its use is not unattended with discomfort, as it requires some force to get it on.
The Victorian natives and those of the south generally had more clothing. As an apron were worn pieces of skin cut into strips save the band at top which held the pieces together; this was double, being worn both before and behind. The young women wore an opossum fur apron, and at the corroboree an emu feather apron; this was made by attaching feathers, six or more together, by sinews, cord, or fibre, to a girdle of kangaroo tail sinew; the feathers were long, and the apron hung from the waist to half-way down the thigh.
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| Barramul (emu-feathered skirt) - Dja Dja Wurrung people— at National Museum of Australia |
In South Australia the women had large, mat-like cloaks on their backs, from out of which their children peeped when they were young. In South Queensland Lumholtz records that they had a sort of cape of bark cloth, and Eyre found them using seaweed as a dress on the south coast. The commonest article of clothing, however, was the opossum skin rug; in winter the Victorian males, who wore only the apron in summer, took to a kangaroo skin rug, which was also the covering of the women in wet weather. In addition to these there were or are a number of ornaments in use. |
| Aboriginal woman wearing a possum skin cloak, carrying a child on her back, South Australia, ca. 1870s. National Library of Australia |
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| Aboriginal Man Wearing Possum Skin Cloak, Swan Hill, circa 1915. Aboriginal man wearing a possum skin cloak. He stands in flat open bushland, holding up a raised spear in his right hand and oval-shaped shield in his left hand. |
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| Men in traditional ceremonial dress, Port Hedland, WA, circa. 1930-35. Norman Henry James |
by Northcote W. Thomas, 1906. Read
here
The Torres Strait Islands have a distinct culture that comes from a mix of influences from both Papua New Guinea and mainland Australia.
The creation of masks or effigies made from turtle shell was
first recorded by Westerners in 1606.
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| Mask of turtle shell. Mer, Torres Strait, before 1855, at the British Museum |
1770: HMS Endeavour (Georgian dress)
Throughout the Georgian period, men continued to wear coats, waistcoats and breeches. Wigs were worn for formal occasions. Or the hair, worn long and powdered, was clubbed (tied back at the nape of the neck) with a black ribbon.
The first voyage of James Cook was an expedition organised by the Royal Navy and Royal Society to explore the south Pacific Ocean aboard HMS
Endeavour, from 1768 to 1771.
This first
expedition had the ambition to observe the 1769 transit of Venus across the Sun (3–4 June that year) and to seek evidence of
Terra Australis Incognita ("undiscovered southern land").
There were 85 onboard, including 12 marines armed with gunpowder, cannons and swivel guns and nine civilians. The astronomer Charles Green, the naturalist Joseph Banks, along with four servants, a secretary, two artists, a botanist and two dogs.
Prior to the 1740s, Royal Navy officers and sailors had no
established uniforms. However, after this, The Royal Navy tried to create a standardised rank and insignia system for use both onshore and at sea. The established shipboard ranks were: captain, lieutenant, and master.
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| James Cook wearing a 1770s era Royal Navy captain's uniform |
A waistcoat made from wool with brass buttons was donated to the State Library of Victoria in 1945 by Cook's descendant Mrs N. Diana Cook. A silk waistcoat worn by Cook, then a young lieutenant, on his first voyage to Australia in 1770 was auctioned in 2017.
When Captain Cook returned from his first voyage, he brought with him knowledge about the "Tattoo".
Joseph Banks came from a very wealthy family with an enormous estate in Lincolnshire, England. And at age 21, receiving his inheritance, he became one of England's wealthiest men.
A cartoon satirising Joseph banks was called “the Fly Catching Macaroni”.
A macaroni in mid-18th-century England, was an overly fashionable fellow. It was Joseph Banks who recommended Botany Bay as the site for a penal colony.
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| Portrait of Sir Joseph Banks, (1743-1820), rising from his chair. He was a scientist and explorer by Sir Joshua Reynolds |
1788: Colonial Period
Transportation of British convicts to the American Colonies had ceased due to the War of Independence (1775-83).
On January 26 in 1788, the British First Fleet of 11 ships, led by Arthur Phillip, sailed into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish the first
permanent European settlement on the continent.
Between 1788 and 1842, about 80,000 convicts were transported to New South Wales. Of these, approximately 85% were men, and 15% were women.
The flag raised at Sydney Cove on 26 January, 1788, as depicted in this painting below, was not the first time it was raised by the First Fleet. On 24 January, at Botany Bay, two French warships entered the bay, and Governor Phillip ordered the British Flag be hoisted to show the French that the land had been claimed by Britain.
The first British Redcoats were marines who wore red tunics and white trousers. Read
more |
| The Founding of Australia. By Capt Arthur Phillip RN Sydney Cove, Jan 26th 1788, BY ALGERNON TALMAGE RA |
The print below shows a male guard (far left) leading a group of prisoners past London’s Newgate prison, perhaps destined for Australia.
The guard carries a "cudgel" (a short stick used as a weapon). He wears a round hat, and a long frock coat, a single-breasted waistcoat and a spotted neckerchief. His knee breeches, sit above striped stockings, and his leather shoes
feature large buckles. The rag-tag convicts have no buckles.
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| 1788 – A Fleet of Transports Under Convoy |
The list of women’s clothing recorded in the log book as unloaded from the
Lady Penrhyn in March 1788.
Convict women’s clothing: 589 petticoats (skirts, as outerwear - not as we use the word today)
606 jackets
121 caps (small hat)
327 pairs stockings, although 140 pairs were damaged. (These are like very long socks.)
381 shifts (light cotton undergarment shaped like a dress worn under your skirt, also used for sleeping)
250 handkerchiefs (large square cotton/linen cloth used like a scarf)
305 pairs shoes
140 hats
A letter published in the True Briton, 10 November 1798: Letter of a Woman Lately Transported to Botany Bay, To Her Father.
I have sold my petticoats at two guineas each, and my long black cloak at ten guineas, which shows that black silk sells well here; that edging I gave 1 shilling and eight pence per yard for in England, I got 5 shillings for it here. I have sold all the worst of my cloaths, as wearing apparel brings a good price.
The clothes provided by the government to the First Fleet convicts were everyday clothes and were referred to as "slops".
Governor Arthur Phillip was under instructions from King George III to establish relationships with the Aboriginal people. However, he resorted to kidnapping Bennelong of the Eora people in 1789.
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| Portrait of Captain Arthur Phillip RN, The easel of Francis Wheatley. Throughout the eighteenth century, Admiralty regulations were that officers should wear knee breeches, stockings and shoes |
Bennelong learnt to speak English and gave Phillip the Aboriginal name Wolawaree. Bennelong's wife, Barangaroo, refused to wear European clothes.
In 1792, Bennelong and another Aboriginal man
named Yemmerrawanne (or Imeerawanyee) travelled with Phillip on the
Atlantic to England. More
info |
| An undated portrait thought to depict Bennelong, signed "W.W." now in the Dixson Galleries of the State Library of New South Wales. Bennelong is wearing a ruffled shirt, waistcoat and frockcoat. |
The convict broad arrow originated with Henry, Earl of Romney, the Master General of Ordinance 1693 – 1702. The broad arrow or "pheon" was used in his coat of arms and adopted as a symbol of ordinance in the British Army. The mark was not widely used for convict clothing in Australia during the early period of transportation. The so-called "magpie" uniforms were used from the 1820s.
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| Tasmanian convict uniform and broad arrow stamp. |
At the Cascades Female Factory in the 1830s, there was a group of women known as "the Flash Mob" because they flamboyantly defied
the regulations and wore "flash" colourful handkerchiefs, buttons and embroidered caps.
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| A life-size bronze statue of a woman figure, clothed in 1800s style long dress and mop hat, stands, as her name describes, defiantly, with her hands held behind her back and chin slightly up in the air. Cascades Female Factory, TAS |
The Parramatta Female Factory manufactured cloth - linen, wool and linsey woolsey; producing 60,000 yards (55,000 m) of woven cloth in 1822.
Convicts also wove the fibre from the fronds of Cabbage palms to make “cabbage hats”. Gangs of larrikins were known as "cabbage tree mobs" because they wore the hat.
John Macarthur (and his wife, Elizabeth), who arrived in NSW as a lieutenant in the New South Wales Corps in 1790, is recognised as the pioneer of the Australian wool industry.
In January 1798, the British Government sent forty-five spinning wheels to Governor Hunter.
William Cox, military officer and roadmaker (over the Blue Mountains), manufactured cloth for trousers, frocks and blankets from coarse wool and flax produced on the estate, near Windsor on the Hawkesbury River.
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Williim Cox. a magistrate and successful farmer.of the Windsor district, late of the New South
Wales Corps. who had volunteered to build the road for Governor Macquarie. Shirt featuring a stand-up collar with a cravat, which is basically a length of fabric tied around the neck in a knot |
Simeon Lord’s woollen mill began operations at Botany Bay in 1815.
Maria Island, on the east coast of Van Diemen's Land, operated as a penal station between 1825 and 1832. There was also a mechanised textile factory powered by water that produced 100 yards of cloth per week. Textile industries
developed later in three Tasmanian cities.
Esther Abrahams was one of the first Jewish women to arrive in Australia (from London) as a convict on the First Fleet. She was de facto wife of George Johnston, who was for six months acting Governor of New South Wales after leading the Rum Rebellion. They would later marry.
The painting below of Esther from 1830 shows her wealth from farming, business and managing their properties. The wonderful bonnet, the gold brooch and the fact that she could afford to have her portrait painted shows that she has
come up in the world.
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Esther Johnstone, ca. 1830, [attributed], later vintage gelatin silver print of the original oil painting, State Library of New South Wales
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Various small textile mills were operating in the 1830s, such as, John Brown’s woollen mill near Bathurst.
Transportation to NSW ceased in 1840. Between 1832 and 1850, about 127,000 assisted migrants came to Australia.
In the 1840s,
Caleula Woollen Mill at Orange, NSW, was producing quality cloth from local wool and Angora. Sir John Jamison had also built a steam-powered woollen factory
on the banks of the Nepean River at Regentville, NSW. Byrnes Woollen Mill, Parramatta, NSW, used a steam engine to drive machines in the 1840s.
1850s: The Gold Rush
The Australian gold rushes, beginning in the 1850s, transformed the convict colonies with an influx of free emigrants; from all over the country and the world.
Self-government was introduced in all the Australian colonies during the 1850s.
The steel cage, a bell-shaped crinoline, is an innovation of the 1850s, allowing for expanded skirts with cape-like jackets worn over the top. Flounces go out of fashion.
Clothing at this time displays social status and wealth or lack of it.
Men wore shirts of linen or cotton with high or turnover collars. Detachable shirt collars and cuffs became very popular. A variety of hat shapes
were popular. Waistcoats, frock coats, and cravats were worn.
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| Mary Lord nee Hyde (c. 19 February 1779 – 1 December 1864) was an English Australian woman who in the period 1855 to 1859 sued the Commissioners of the City of Sydney and won compensation for the sum of over £15,600, Powerhouse, 1860 |
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| Unidentified Royal Navy Lieutenant or Sub-Lieutenant, 1860, Powerhouse Museum |
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| Portrait of Lady Diamantina Roma Bowen, c 1868. Diamantina Bowen (1833-1893), governor's wife, was born in 1833 on the island of Zante (Zakinthos), Greece, tenth of eleven children of Conte Giorgio-Candiano Roma and his wife Contessa Orsola, née di Balsamo. Queensland State Archives, 1868 |
Camel drivers (Afghan cameleers) worked in
Outback Australia from the 1860s to the 1930s.
In 1861 the Ipswich Cotton Company
was established at East Ipswich. Ipswich would eventually be home to three woollen mills.
Victorian Woollen Cloth Manufacturing Company Ltd, at Geelong, began production in 1868.
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| Maria Catherine Leith-Hay is pictured wearing a large, ruffled skirt and short-waisted jacket, 1860-1870. She was the daughter of Ipswich's police magistrate. Picture: State Library of Queensland |
1870s
Most ordinary and "respectable" people wore plain clothing to show that they were
modest, moral and industrious and to differentiate themselves from the "flash style" of disreputable women and the vulgarly flamboyant style of the mug-lair (word originated in the 1930s).
However, during the 1870s, clothing became wore ornate, complex and colourful.
Aniline dyes, derived from a coal-tar distillation product, produced vivid colours of bright greens, blues and mauves at this time, and ladies with the means, wore vibrant colours in silk taffeta or satin dresses of quality.
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| Bernard Otto Holtermann with a gold-quartz specimen discovered in 1872. Holtermann was a successful gold miner, businessman, politician and photographer in Australia. He is associated with the Holtermann Nugget, the largest gold specimen ever found, 59 inches (1.5 m) long, weighing 630 pounds (290 kg) and with an estimated gold content of 3,000 troy ounces (93 kg), found at Hill End, near Bathurst, New South Wales. (Holtermann wears different clothing in similar photos) |
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| Bakery, Home Rule gold fields, New South Wales, Australia, ca. 1872, American & Australasian Photographic Company, State Library of New South Wales (sober, simple clothing) |
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| Photographic portrait of Eleonore and Moritz Andretzke who emigrated from Posen in Prussia and were married in 1861 in Langmeil and died in Truro in 1907. South Australian History Network |
The Waverley Woollen Mills, at Launceston, Tasmania, began production in 1874.
1890s
Decorated fighting shields and one-handed swords are the distinctive material culture of the Aboriginal Rainforest people of Far North Queensland. The shields, made from the buttress roots of the native fig tree, are painted with natural pigments and ash.
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| Group of men and boys at Atherton Tableland, ca. 1895, State Library of Queensland |
Men in the late 19th and early 20th centuries often wore the straw boater hat with a flat circular crown and round brim, like the man in the middle, below.
Women still wore tight bodices with high collars and narrow sleeves but the leg-of-mutton-shaped sleeve soon came into fashion.
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| Gentleman Joe at The Princess Theatre, Melbourne, VIC, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 28 September 1895 |
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| Sign above the door says: "Bardoc Hotel, W.G. Cross. This sign hangs high - It hinders none - To drink, pay and pass on". Bardoc is an abandoned town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. It is situated between Kalgoorlie and Menzies along the Goldfields Highway. The towns name is Aboriginal in origin and is taken from a hill close to town. The word barduk means near or close in the local dialect. About 1897 Aussie~mobs |
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| Calvert Scientific Exploration Expedition of 1896-1897. Bejah Dervish, head camel man of Calvert Exploring Expedition. on 27 May 1897 he helped to discover the bodies of Charles Wells and George Lindsay Jones who had separated from the main party. Dervish Bejah (1862?-1957), camel driver, was born in Baluchistan, India (now Pakistan) |
Akubra (hats) was founded by Benjamin Dunkerlay since 1897.
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| Woman wearing an opera cape, 1898, Powerhouse Museum |
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| Mineworkers, Gartlee Colliery, 159 Railway Street, Teralba, NSW, 28 May 1898, Special Collections |
The company making full-length waterproof riding coats called Driza-Bone, originating from the phrase "dry as a bone", was established in 1898.
1900s
Australia's six British colonies became one nation on 1 January 1901.
At this time, the S-bend corset was fashionable for women. It pushed the hips backwards and the chest resembled a pouter-pigeon shape.
Middle-class men often wore suits, to show they were industrious and were all "business".
Larrakins (mischievous youth) could be recognised, as they wore short jackets, short and tight bell-bottom trousers and high-heeled pointed boots.
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| Night of the referendum on Federation of Australia, Charters Towers, 1900 Outside the Exchange Hotel in Mosman Street, Charters Towers. |
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| Bondi Bay, Sydney, NSW, 1900, Powerhouse Museum |
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| Young girl in Red Cross uniform, Taken circa 1900, Powerhouse Museum |
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| Two unidentified Australian South Sea Islander women. Creator: Harriett Pettifore Brims, 1900, State Library of Queensland |
Sometimes a hat was strung with corks from the brim to ward off insects.
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| Boys on holiday from Prince Alfred College at McCoy's Well Station. Centre, Jerry Roach, right Ralph Claridge. Jerry is wearing a hat with corks attached to it with string to ward off flies. |
Challenge Woollen Mills began operations in Liverpool, NSW, in 1909.
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| Toddler, dressed in a sailor suit, holding a teddy bear Location: Queensland, Australia Date: 1910-1920, SLQLD |
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| Aboriginal servant girl, Brisbane - working in country. (Description supplied with photograph). 1911, SLQLD |
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| Stylish women sitting on a park bench displaying fashions at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, VIC, 1911, NLAUST |
WWI
WWI caused severe economic and emotional strain to Australia.
Private Thomas Blackman{n} is wearing an original Australian Army Service Dress Visor Cap, as did most of the soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division that landed at Gallipoli. The "slouch hat", turned up on the right side, was first worn by the Victorian Mounted Rifles. The Slouch Hat became standard issue in 1903.
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Lieutenant William Leslie Scarborough 50th Battalion. William Leslie SCARBOROUGH:
Place of birth - Glenelg South Australia. Date of enlistment from Nominal Roll - 1 September 1916
Rank on enlistment - 2nd Lieutenant. Fate - Returned to Australia 4 July 1919 |
Speedo, known for its famous swimming costumes, was founded in Sydney in 1914 by Alexander MacRae. The company would be the first in the world to produce swimwear from nylon/elastane in the 1970s.
1920s: Dramatic Social and Political Change
The Roaring Twenties in Western culture was a period of economic prosperity and a turn toward modernity, after the horror of war. The development of the automobile, telephones, film and other technologies were becoming accessible to many more people.
Many began buying consumer goods on credit but the era ended with financial crises.
The flapper look developed, with short bobbed hair and a more androgynous look. Many threw away their corsets and took to wearing sailor-style trousers.
The first cotton spinning and weaving mill in Australia was established by George Bond, an American who came to Australia in the early twentieth century, at Wentworthville, NSW, in 1923. The company would become famous for its men's, women's and children's underwear and clothing.
Head coverings for nurses kept the hair tidy, protected patients from germs and presented a modest appearance. However, nurses' headwear originated in the early Christian era as deaconesses or nuns often cared for the sick.
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| Description: Florence Featherstonhaugh, Matron, Lady Bowen Hospital, 1913-1938, Matron, Royal Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, 1938-1973. Circa 1920. SLQLD |
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| Two girls with scooters, 1923, State Library of South Australia |
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| St John's College, Armidale, NSW - Rugby Union Club, 1923, Special Collections |
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| Tourists waiting for cars, leaving Challis House for Jenolan, NSW. Dated: 1923. NSW State Archives |
Goulburn Woollen Mills began operating in 1924, manufacturing fabric for men's and women's clothing.
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| Man on Motorbike, with Woman Riding Pillion, Melbourne, 1926, Museums Victoria |
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Ladies fashion 1928, Newspaper cutting from 'The Queenslander' April 12, 1928, Aussie Mobs
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The cricketing, baby green cap, can never be bought, only earned.
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| Don Bradman wearing his baggy green cricket cap, 1928. PD |
The cloche hat was very popular in the 1920s.
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| Capitol Ballet leaving the theatre for the Capitol Ball at the Wentworth Hotel, Sydney, 1928, State Library of New South Wales |
Latest fashions, Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 2 March 1929
1930s
During the Great Depression years of the 1930s, fashion became more modest and frugal. With the scarcity and costs of fabric, hemlines of dresses became shorter to knee length.
Some women started wearing wide-legged and high-waisted trousers and short hairstyles. The shirtwaist dress, based on the style of men's shirts, became popular.
Man-made fibres, such as rayon and viscose, were used in clothing.
The English style Drape suit was the suit of choice for men at this time. An athletic style with a military cut, the drape suit, had extra fabric in the chest and was tapered at the waist.
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| Usherettes standing in the doorway of the New Strand Theatre, Liverpool Street, Hobart (1930), Tasmanian Archives and State Library (Commons) |
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| MISS AMY JOHNSON AT DARWIN. Chinese residents of Darwin were inspired by the dogged flight of Miss Amy Johnson and made a tangible expression of their enthusiasm after her arrival. Incidentally this is the first picture received of the airwoman in conventional attire. Irwin Index (Mingenew, WA : 1926 - 1956), Saturday 14 June 1930 |
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| Sir Isaac Isaacs was the first Australian born Governor General of Australia and was the first Jewish vice-regal representative in the British Empire. 1934 |
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| Senior Staff, Katoomba Power House, NSW, The Powerhouse was built in 1925 by the Katoomba Municipal Council as a coal fired generator to supply electricity to North Katoomba, Medlow Bath and Blackheath. Powered by two Bellis and Morcom steam driven generators. Coal was supplied from the mine where the Scenic Railway is now situated. Blue Mountains Library, Local Studies, 1935 |
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| A shirtdress is a style of women's dress that borrows details from a man's shirt. Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld. : 1907 - 1954), Wednesday 5 February 1936 |
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| Lineup of girls in bathing costumes at the beach in the late 1930s, State Library of Queensland |
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| Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, cuts the ribbon at the launch of the first airmail from Australia to England, 1934. The inaugral Qantas service linked up with Imperial Airways at Singapore to provide Australia's first regular airmail link with the United Kingdom. SLQLD |
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| Norman Broadhurst and his 1930s Ariel VG500. Norman Broadhurst was born in Rockhampton, Queensland in 1918. He served in WW2 in the Australian Army. Aussie~mobs |
Working men often paid little attention to fashion trends with no exaggerated styling details but a timeless look and practical broad-brim hat.
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| George Rohilla Mitchell on the streets of Charters Towers, north Queensland - circa 1930s. George Rohilla Mitchell was born on board the ship 'Rohilla' when his family came to Australia from Scotland in 1883. He moved from Brisbane to Charters Towers in north Queensland where he died in 1950. |
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| West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Wednesday 30 October 1935 |
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| Surf lifesavers march past, Burleigh Heads, ca. 1935, State Library of Queensland |
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| Italian migrants, For North Queensland Arrive on Esquilino, Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947), Monday 21 February 1938 |
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| Surfers, North Bondi, 20 October 1938, photographed for PIX magazine by Ivan Ive, State Library of New South Wales |
1940s and WWII
World War II, in the first half of the 40s, had a big impact on clothing and fashion worn by Australians. Military uniforms were worn by many. Especially after the Curtin Government launched a campaign of “Austerity”. Most people worked harder, avoided extravagance and "made do" with what they had.
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| Grannie Rose negatives (group of women socialising in the garden and at the races, 1940, Tasmanian Archives and State Library (Commons) |
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| Armour used by the Kelly Gang, worn by a police officer, 1941, State Library of New South Wales |
Rationing regulations for food and clothing, enforced by the use of coupons, were gazetted on 14 May 1942.
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| BEACH MODELS IN SPEEDO SWIMSUITS 1940s, Public Record Office Victoria |
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| Drovers, Roseneath sheep station, Tenterfield, 1942, SLNSW. Bush hats made of rabbit fur and wool felt |
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| Troops of the 2/7th Infantry Battalion in the carriages and on the station platform waiting for the south-bound leave train to start. Shown: NX111740 Private (Pte) R. Chapman (1); Corporal (Cpl) Howsan (2); VX36219 Sergeant (Sgt) A. S. Haynes (3); VX13068 Sgt Congress (4); VX12843 Sgt Reg Saunders (5); VX43127 Pte L. Brodie (6); VX12370 Cpl. J. W. Jones (7); VX59057 Pte A. M. L. McLuckie (8); VX13672 Pte R. Parsons (9): VX55851 Pte Farnell (10); VX556791 Pte C. J. Spence (11); VX44293 Pte R. Wilton (12); VX33134 Pte A. G. Dorecott (13); NX58704 Pte N. Watson (14); Pte Toynton (15); VX16560 Pte W. Kann (16). |
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| Crowds walking along the platform at Central Railway Station, Sydney. Dated:16/03/1944, NSW State Archives |
Hats and other head wear were still important, as were gloves for women.
As many abled-bodied men were in the armed forces, the Australian Women’s Land Army (AWLA) was formed to combat labour shortages.
Although, this period was one of sacrifice, there was also a sense of purpose and unity in the country.
After the austerity of the war years, there was a renewal of optimism. More than 400,000 migrants came to Australia between 1945 and 1950.
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| Australian Prime Minister Ben Chifley attending the VP Day ceremony - 1945, VP stands for Victory over the Pacific and was the end of WW2 when the Japanese surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. Aussie Mobs |
A Sunday Telegraph report in 1946 claims that an unnamed woman walked the Bondi promenade wearing a bikini and "caused a near riot". This was regarded as offensive behaviour.
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| Isaac "Ike" Bates, Redfern All Blacks, 24 August 1946, State Library of New South Wales |
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| Robert Menzies, Dame Enid Lyons, Eric Harrison, Harold Holt and air force personnel outside Parliament House, Canberra, ca. 1946 / Department of Information, National Library of Australia |
Between 1945 and 1965, two million immigrants arrived in Australia.
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| The Carroll family from Manchester, arrived in Australia, on board the Georgic, 1949, State Library of New South Wales |
The Australian economy, compared to war-ravaged Europe, was doing well, and newly arrived migrants found employment in manufacturing industries and government-assisted programmes such as the Snowy Mountains Scheme.
1950s
Women who had worked in munitions factories and other fields during the war years were now expected to stay at home.
The ANZUS Treaty was signed in 1951 to protect the security of the Pacific, as Australia was still fearful of the Japanese. Australian troops were involved in the Korean War.
The trading focus moved from Britain to Asia.
Historian, Geoffrey Blainey claims that "... in 1951 at least half of the typical Australian families outside the big cities did not own a refrigerator or washing machine and had never bought a new car.”
Many Aboriginal people were still living a traditional life in Central Australia, at this time (
1.).
Tight-fitting drainpipe trousers became popular, as did bold polka dots and patterns.
An androgynous fashion aesthetic existed alongside a hyper-feminine style.
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| Cherbourg annual debutante ball 1951. Debutantes at the Cherbourg Annual Ball. Left to Right: Bertha Chambers, Gladys Munro, Phylliss Bond, Fanny Bone, unknown, unknown, unknown, Melza Mimi. State Library of Queensland |
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| Description: Left to right: Margaret, Cherry Walker (nee Leach) and June Bourke posing for an advertisement for the department store T.C. Beirne. At Surfers Paradise (Description supplied with photograph.) SLQLD |
Chenille bathrobes were popular in the 1950s. Many were manufactured by Supertex at Punchbowl, NSW, and Goulburn.Viscose and rayon was manufactured in Australia in 1953, at Tomago on the Hunter River.
Surfing culture became popular and Boardshorts sometimes called "boardies" began to be worn.
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| Greek migrants arriving at (possibly) Bremerhaven from Camp Lesum prior to embarking on the FAIRSEA, August 1953. The Fairsea was a regular sight in Australian waters and made a total of 81 voyages to and from Australia between 1949 and 1969. Australian National Maritime Museum on The Commons |
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| Aboriginal stockmen at Waterloo station, NT, 1954-9, Library&Archives NT |
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| Woman modelling swimwear, 1954, part of the Australian National Maritime Museum’s Gervais Purcell collection |
Nylon the first synthetic fibre, began in 1958, at Bayswater, Victoria.
1960s: Counter Culture
Clothing became more casual alongside high-end fashion. The traditional differences between men and womens' wear became blurred. A major rift occured in society between the traditional "Mainstream" culture and the "counterculture" regarding race, gender identity and the military. often expressed in clothing.
Ponchos, moccasins, peace signs, medallions, tie-dyed shirts, Jesus sandals, patchwork jackets, batik fabrics, as well as paisley designs.
A 2nd mining boom occurred.
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| Migrant children, c 1960, Queensland State Archives |
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| Torres Straits [three men wearing head dresses sitting outside hut] Frank Hurley, 1962, National Library of Australia |
During the October long weekend of 1961, more than 50 women (or more) were ordered from Bondi Beach because their swimsuits did not conform to regulations. However, by the end of the year, Waverley Council regulations changed, which simply required bathers to be "clad in a proper and adequate bathing costume".
In 1965, Charles Perkins (the first Indigenous Australian to graduate tertiary education) led the Freedom Ride and challenged the ban on Aboriginal people at a regional. swimming pool.
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| Charles Perkins (Aboriginal activist) with arms folded in March 1965 in Australia, from- Freedom riders at Bowraville (20715203332) (cropped), SLNSW |
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| Bailey's Motel at Noosa Heads, Queensland, Australia - 1960s, Aussie Mobs |
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| Warana - Fashion Walk, 1965, Queensland State Archives. Warana was a springtime festival when Queenslanders held a parade through the middle of Brisbane complete with dancing, music fashion and food. |
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| The Vicar at his house at Wyalkatchem, Western Australia, about 1960s, Aussie Mobs |
Australian textiles and clothing manufacturing businesses found it difficult to complete with with cheap synthetic clothing made in developing counties.
Youth culture predominated. Asian Immigration to Australia increased and continues to the present day. China and India are the two largest Asian migration countries.
Some popular fashion items: corduroy jeans and jackets, high-waited, flared jeans, platform shoes, peasant skirts, hot pants, knee-hi boots, wrap skirts, halter neck dresses, kaftans.
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| The 1970 Brisbane Anzac Day Parade marching down Queen Street, Brisbane, Queensland. Leonard J Matthews |
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| MOOMBA PARADE 1971, VIC, VICTORIA POLICE - AUSTRALIA, Grahame |
Whitlam's Labor Government gained power in 1972 with a plan to "buy back the farm" from foreign ownership and re-nationalise some industries. However, the government was brought down by its "crash through or crash" style.
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| Bob Maza speaks to the crowd, Aboriginal Tent Embassy, Canberra, 1972, State Library of New South Wales |
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| Brisbane City, QLD, (1978), Queensland State Archives |
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| Australia 1979 - Vietnamese refugees, manhhai |
1980s
The 80s started out with joy and optimism, reflected in the bright colours and playful designs. However, with the deregulation of the economy, privatisation, globalisation and the rise and fall of various corporate cowboys and the dismantling of institutions, the mood would change.
Some features: Aerobics craze, brightly coloured and fluro, laced or fingerless gloves, tube skirts, oversized tops, taffeta party dresses, power dressing, new wave influence, tropical shirts, hi-top sneakers, preppy fashions, acid-wash jeans. And big blow-dried hair-dos.
Various sub-cultures developed alternative looks: punk, Rap and hip hop, skaters, skinheads and New Romantic (lots more).
Some men wore walk shorts with knee-high socks and leather shoes or sandals. Others, colourful board shorts and t-shirts.
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| HRH The Duke of Edinburgh greeting the Queensland Rugby Union team at Ballymore Stadium, XII Commonwealth Games, Brisbane, October 1982, Queensland State Archives |
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| HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, and HRH The Princess of Wales, The Big Pineapple plantation train tour, Woombye, 1983, Queensland State Archives |
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| Expo 88 - Gaining Entry! QLD, Queensland State Archives |
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| Performers - Expo 88, Queensland State Archives |
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| Leather skirts were popular in the 1980s, Lynda A |
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| The Banana Twins at a Georgio perfume and fashion parade in the Opal Cove Resort, May 1989, Coffs Collections, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence |
1990s
Surf culture dominated ’90s Australian fashion. However, other subcultures adopted alternative styles. Grunge look for the skaters, oversized baseball jackets and baggy jeans for the basketball style. Other looks: camouflage pants, Hip Hop wide-leg jeans, Victorian-inspired corsets and lace gloves for Goths, black T-shirts, hoodies and skinny jeans for Emos.
Australian Fashion Week launched in 1996.
2000s: Fast fashion era
Late 1990s and early 2000s: Von Dutch trucker cap, New York Yankees caps, velour tracksuits, cargo pants, skinny jeans, Louis Vuitton bags, Roxy or Billabong brands, Fedora hats, Paul Frank t-shirts.
Low rise jeans with visible G-strings, handkerchief skirts, the bandage dress.
Activewear made from stretchy, synthetic fabrics, like lycra, has become ubiquitous and is discarded quickly and building up in landfills.
As the 2000s progressed, Normcore, a unisex fashion trend of unpretentious, average-looking clothing became the standard. Functional, undistinguished and relatively cheap throw-away clothing dominates. However, some environmentally conscious people are adopting an Anti-fashion style by wearing 2nd hand and self-made clothing.
Growth in gender neutral clothing and no gender bounds. Expression of gender identity through fashions.
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| Fashion show, Yabun Festival, Redfern Park, 2005, City of Sydney, Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license |
Vietnam Veterans Motor Cycle club. photographed on Brisbane's ANZAC Day March, 2010. Leonard J
Matthews
Surf clothing no longer "cool".
The Prime minister of the time, Tony Abbott, an active volunteer member at a Surf Life Saving Club, was famous for wearing Speedo's. |
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| Skater style, 2000s, Arbit Delacroix |
 Taken At Bondi Beach, Sydney, 2014, NSW. (CC0) Public Domain, Wyncliffe |
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| The Street Art Canvas on Hosier Lane - Melbourne, Australia, 2015, Bernard Spragg. NZ |
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| Streetwear styles, Hell Girl |
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| Bourke Street Musicians, Melbourne, VIC, 2016, anajnaren |
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| Cosplay, Rosehill Gardens, Sydney, NSW, 2016, Paul Carmona |
The COVID-19 pandemic saw many people wearing masks and comfortable everyday wear.
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| Third wave of MRF-D Marines receive second COVID-19 test 200719-M-MP127-1015, Navy Medicine |
Furries are people who create anthropomorphic identities. A furry conventionthat is held annually on the Gold Coast, in Queensland.
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| A furry convention is a formal gathering of members of the furry fandom Univaded Fox |
Australia's population has almost doubled in the past 50 years, from 13.1 million in 1971 to 25.7 million in 2021.
More than 50 collaborators worked with Jordan Gogos on his 2022 Australian Fashion Week runway show at Powerhouse Ultimo.
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Taken At Bondi Beach, Sydney, 2014, NSW. (CC0) Public Domain, Wyncliffe
