Fashionable Silhouettes Exhibition

Explore fashionable silhouettes from the National Trust NSW collection, from a 1740s yellow silk gown, through the bustle era and leg-of-mutton sleeves to the mini dresses of the 1960s. This exhibition celebrates statement sleeves, striking skirts, and the undergarments that helped to create them.

Throughout history fashionable silhouettes have changed from one decade to the next, sometimes subtly and at other times transforming in radical ways. Variations to the volume of sleeves and skirts, different cuts for necklines and hemlines, narrowing the waist or creating exaggerated curves all formed new lines to set off the body beneath. The chosen silhouette could mark a person as being at the height of fashion or as dowdily out of touch.

Silhouettes could impact their wearer far beyond the aesthetic. Some restrained movement, then later enabled greater freedom through their simpler lines. Some posed dangers, like the full skirts of the 1850s held out by crinoline petticoats that could catch fire as they brushed past open flames. Later advances in tailoring and construction, and the development of synthetic alternatives that replaced natural materials, allowed exciting new possibilities for creating shapes.

Guided tours also available first Thursday of the month.