The Fashion & Design collection of the Kew Historical Society includes examples of women’s, men’s, children’s and infants’ clothing from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Items in the collection were largely produced for, or purchased by women in Melbourne, and includes examples of outerwear, protective wear, nightwear, underwear and costume accessories. This outfit was donated to the Fashion Collection by Val Goldsworthy.Brown wool coat with large silver buttons and fur trim to neck and sleeves. Matching brown dress.Label: Merco Davronmerco davron, australian fashion - 1960s, melbourne fashion designers

Franco Liburti was wearing this coat when he farewelled his wife Assunta in Naples, Italy in 1957, the day she departed for Australia. Tina Knitwear was a successful made to order knitwear business in Brighton from the mid-1960s to around 2010, run by Assunta and Franco Liburti. Daughter Melissa Persi writes: Our parents Assunta (Mum) and Franco (Dad) Liburti ran a successful made to order knitwear business in Brighton from the mid-1960s to around 2010. Assunta was affectionately known to her family as Assuntina, therefore the business was named "Tina Knitwear" after her. Assunta and Franco were born in the beautiful seaside town of Terracina in Italy in 1933 and 1930 respectively. As was so common in Italy in the 1950s, Assunta who was in her late teens and early twenties learnt the intricate skills of machine knitting, dressmaking and pattern making. Franco on the other hand, learnt the building trade with his 2 brothers and specialised in bricklaying and tiling. As was so common after the war, Assunta and Franco yearned for a better life so they decided that they would get engaged and then migrate to Australia to be married and raise their family in Australia, a land of much opportunity which they no longer felt their beloved Italy held for them. Assunta migrated to Australia first in 1957 and later Franco joined her in 1958 where they were married. For the first few years, Franco (also known as Frank) worked as bricklayer /tiler on buildings such as the Robert Menzies building at Monash University in Clayton and various buildings in the Melbourne CBD. Assunta on the other hand put her machine knitting skills to use working in factories doing piece machine knitting for various knitwear companies. The hours were long, the conditions were difficult, and travel was onerous without a car. After their 2 older children were born, it was decided that dad would leave the building trade and they would start their own made to order knitwear business. That way they could work from home and raise their family together. Mum taught dad everything he needed to know so he could operate the knitwear machinery. They purchased COPPO knitting machines from Italy and a Linking machine from Germany. Initially they had a knitwear shopfront in Bay Street Brighton where a store assistant would take the orders and client’s measurements and Assunta would then make the garments from a small workshop in their home. Unfortunately, the assistants were not skilled dressmakers and often measurements and orders were incorrectly taken. Assunta being the perfectionist and highly skilled machinist that she was, decided that she needed to oversee the entire process from meeting the client, to taking their order, right thru to the fittings and completion of the garment. It therefore made sense that they should close the shop front and run their business from their own home in Brighton and hence “Tina Knitwear” was born. Together, for more than 40 years they ran their very respected and successful business and were well known in the Bayside area. They specialised in made to order knitwear for both men and women using mainly pure wool (from Patons, Wangaratta Mills, Japan and Italy) but also lurex and estacel. Over those years, many of their clients became their close friends. It wasn't unusual for clients to come to order garments and then end up in the kitchen chatting over a cup of Italian espresso coffee and homemade biscuits. Some of their clients were especially memorable and became lifelong friends. Mrs Connell was a dear friend of mum’s, each year she would buy tickets for the “Gown of the Year” fashion show. She would insist on taking Assunta and her 2 daughters so that we could see the latest fashions. Then there was their dear friend Ms Griffiths. She had been a Matron nurse at the Queen Victoria Hospital when she met my parents in the 1970s. She returned to live in New Zealand in the 1980s but came back to Melbourne every year to stay for 2 weeks with the sole purpose of visiting my parents (she adored them) and order garments. For those 2 solid weeks, mum and dad would only knit for Ms Griffiths and she would go back to New Zealand with at least 5 or 6 new outfits. I actually think she enjoyed mum’s homemade pasta almost as much as her new clothes! Over the years, my parents learnt to speak English very well given that majority of their clients were not Italian speaking. Their oldest child John born in 1960 learnt to speak English with the help of those clients who were such a big part of our childhood. Mum and dad always went above and beyond to ensure their clients were satisfied. Mum was an absolute perfectionist and it showed in her attention to detail and the quality of their beautiful work. You only need to look at the garments that have stood the test of time or speak to their clients to know that this is true. Their clients would always comment on how well their clothes would last and much of their clients came via word of mouth and recommendations. Occasionally there would be disagreements because mum had found an error in dad's knitting (either a wrong stitch or a sizing mistake mainly) and would ask him to redo a piece, he would argue back saying that it was fine, but we always knew who would win the argument and that the piece would get remade! Similarly, we recall discussions where mum would ask dad to find a particular colour of wool in the garage where the stock was kept. He would try to convince her that they were out of stock of that colour and that the client should choose a different colour. She would insist they had it and then after hours of searching, he would return into the house sheepishly holding the wool! Our childhood is full of beautiful memories of mum and dad always being present, clients coming and going, mum humming her favourite songs as she worked often late into the night and sometimes, we even fell asleep to the hum of the machinery. They put their heart and soul into "Tina Knitwear" and took pride in providing only the best quality garments for their clients. In Italian there is a saying “lei ha le mani d’oro” which literally translated means “she has hands of gold”. Franco enjoyed his work but for Assunta, it was more than just work and there is no better way to describe her skills, passion and dedication to her machine knitting… she truly did have “hands of gold”. We will forever be grateful that our parents’ life journey gave us the opportunity to live in a home filled with creativity, dedication and passion, amazing work ethic and mutual respect, lifelong friendships and a lifetime of love. Men's coat featuring a charcoal herringbone weave, with three buttons down the front and on each sleeve cuff.knitwear, clothing, italy, migrants, brighton, knitting machine, linking machine, garments, business, family, community, naples

One square neck white cotton camisole with lace insertion at neck and sleeves. Has covered buttons.camisoles, underwear

Grey wool 3/4 length coat with grey satin lining, double breasted with brass buttons.clothing, wwii, second world war

Sad irons, also called flat irons or smoothing irons, are shaped pieces of metal that are flat and polished on one side and have a handle attached to the other, created for the purpose of de-wrinkling fabric. “Sad” is an Old English word for “solid,” and the term “sad iron” is often used to distinguish the largest and heaviest of flat irons.This iron is representative of the domestic appliances used throughout Australia up until electricity became widely available for domestic use.A small cast iron flat iron. The triangular shape of the iron made it easier to iron around buttonsdomestic appliances, flat irons, sad irons

Northern District School of Nursing nurse's base uniform 1950s - 70sTwo white cotton aprons with four buttonholes at the waist for closing and two buttons on (a) for the two shoulder straps. Apron (a) has 'Bullock' and 'NT3' in black marking pen on the waist. Apron (b) has 'H.Gill' in black marking pen inside base of top and 'BAS - 574' on apron base openiing.nurses uniform, northern district school of nursing, apron

Silver button hook with angel head ornamentation on handle. Used for doing up boots or shoes with buttons.clothing accessories, footwear

Jacket issued by Australian Defence DepartmentComplete example of Australian Army WO2 jacketKhaki Australian Army Battle Jacket. Size ?? Red flashes on both shoulders that read "Australian Army Ordinance Corp". Warrant Officer Crowns on each sleeve. Brown buttons. Dark green lining

This blazer was probably worn by trainer, Jim Trewin in the 1960's.Together with a trophy, a uniform, a chaperone's blazer and photos this blazer forms part of the history of the Orbost Marching Girls group.A navy wool blazer worn by the Orbost Marching Girls' Instructor. On the top left pocket is a badge which has a picture of a marching girl, wheat on either side. Orbost Marching Girls Instructor. It fastens with 3 silver buttons with 2 smaller silver buttons on the cuffs.orbost-marching-girls uniform recreation blazer

Trousers - Khaki, wool serge fabric, plastic buttons, five buttons, fly, fob pocket, two side pockets, one back pocket with flap. Lining - cotton and polyester fabric. Cotton manufacturers label, inside on back pocket lining, with black print information.Cotton label information - black ink print. "CONWAY BROS. PTY LTD/ ADELAIDE 1969/^/ CLASS 8405-66-025-6188/ SIZE WAIST 325/ MATCHING JACKET 37-395/ DRY CLEAN ONLY/ RE-PRESS ON ORIGINAL SEAMS/ Creases set by Si-va-set/ mending Patch attached/ NAME/ ARMY NO". NAME - HANDWRITTEN ON LABEL - BLACK INK - ILLEGIBLE.uniform, army, battle dress trousers

Gloves, ladies, white, kid leather with fine stitching around fingers, sides and 3 decorative lines of stitching on top of glove. Underside wrist area has split with 2 buttons. Gloves are as new, as buttons have paper covering. Size 9 1/2. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

Gloves, ladies, white, kid leather with fine stitching around fingers, sides and 3 decorative lines of stitching on top of glove. Underside wrist area has split with 2 buttons. Gloves are as new, as buttons have paper covering. Size 9 1/2. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

Refers to the service of "WO2 Tommy Pattison". Refer Cat No 5342.4.1. Shirt, Jungle Green. It has two breast pockets, held shut with a button. It has 6 buttons on the front. It is long sleeved with a cloth badge of a Warrant Officer Class Two. The manufacturers name has faded. 2. Trousers Jungle Green. This has a pocket on each leg, held shut with 2 buttons. It has the same material belt loops. The fly is held shut with 5 buttons. Items were just commonly called “Greens”Nilaust army, uniforms, wo2 tommy pattison.

Empire Day had been initiated following the death of Queen Victoria and was held throughout the Empire from 1901-58. The main day of celebration was on 24 May, the date of Queen Victoria’s birthday. The Balwyn fundraising button was created for an appeal three days before the official date. Frances Rigg was a local business identity in Kew, at one stage managing the local branch of the English, Scottish and Australian (ES&A) Bank at 175 High Street from c. 1920 until the 1940s. After Francis Rigg’s death, the collection of buttons and medallions was inherited by his son, Ken Rigg (1922-2014). The collection was subsequently donated to the Kew Historical Society in 2015 by Francis' grandson, Adrian Rigg, at the time of the Gallipoli & Beyond Commemoration in 2015. The collection covers a period of almost 40 years. The majority of the buttons are patriotic buttons, issued and sold during and immediately after the First World World War (1914-1918) to raise funds for national and overseas causes. The collection also includes a number of locally significant sporting event buttons and sporting club medallions, issued in the 1920s and 1930sPatriotic and other pressed tin buttons and badges were produced in large numbers in the first decades of the twentieth century. By nature, insubstantial and ephemeral, they have not always survived. The collections of badges, buttons and medallions in the Kew Historical Society collection is homogenous and yet diverse, ranging from buttons sold to raise funds for the war efforts in 1914-18 and 1939-45, to those used at festivals and sporting events. Because of the manufacturing process, many surviving buttons and badges have been affected by inadequate storage, suffering from oxidisation and physical damage. These survivors are now historically and socially significant artefacts, revealing much about the attitudes and values of the period in which they were produced. Their widespread distribution means that they are frequently significant at a local, state, national and international level.An Empire Day fundraising button from 1921. The white enamelled button depicts in the centre an image of the Balwyn War Memorial in Beckett Park surmounted by a red ensign."Balwyn Empire Day Celebrations, Appeal for the Blind, May 21st 1921"patriotic buttons, empire day, balwyn war memorial - beckett park

Worn by Captain Linda Elliott Regt No F236731 A.A.N.C as part of her Nurses uniform. Australian Army Nursing Corp.Grey woollen long length cape , with red cotton lining. Four silver buttons embossed with crown and lantern.Inside R side of the cape. Handwritten on label: “Capt ELLIOTT. “ / Printed label: “AGCF / 1986./ Size 14” Handwritten: “F236731”cape, military, nurse

WWI leather kit Assembly with 10 cartridge pouches, brown leather. Brass press buttons, brass buckles.military history - equipment, trades-leatherworking, passchendaele barracks trust

RAAF blue forage hat without badge. x two blackened RAAF buttons of 11mm dia at front.“36088 Bennetts. RG.” “Made in Aust 1944.”uniforms - airforce, costume - male, headwear, metalcraft, raaf

Item issued to Peter John Umina. Refer Cat No 2446.Great Coat woollen, khaki colour with gold coloured metal buttons, rear has a short back belt.uniforms - military, costume - male, great coat

This simple device was/is used in the armed and other services to help keep uniforms clean when polishing the buttons and badges.

World War II Air Force Great Coat. Standard issue uniform for cold weather.Great Coat - Airforce WWII 1943 Double breasted navy coat. Black plastic buttons with eagle motif.wwii, clothing, eagle

Due to relative long distance to haberdashery stores majority of children's garments were hand made by a local talented seamstress or mother/relative. This apron is very similar in style to the other children's clothing which indicates it could have been made in the early - mid 1900's. It is preventative of aprons which little girls wore over their dresses at the time. This items has good historical significance because it shows the style of aprons which little girls wore over their dresses in the Kiewa Valley during the early to mid 1900's. This is part of the children's clothes in the KVHS collections which gives this item more interpretive capacity. Natural coloured linen with red binding around the edges. 2 white buttons. Would fit a small child.clothing. children. apron.

Blouse white linen with vertical pintucking and appliquè on front frilled collar. Short frilled sleeve minus buttonsflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, blouse

Worn by patients at Sunbury AsylumPyjama top in unbleached calico with blue stripe. Pocket on left breast, standing collar, three metal buttons."Pyjama Coat Male" handwritten above pocket in ink (faded to brown).costume, sunbury asylum, george evans collection

Worn by patients at Sunbury Asylum. The calico/flannel petticoats were standard issue up to the 1930s.Bodice unbleached cotton, sleeveless, fastened at back with four metal buttons (one missing), skirt grey flannel.Partially legible "F7" in black ink on left front shoulder - stamp or stencil.costume, sunbury asylum, george evans collection

Blouse was handmade by Judith Fry, the donor and Society member and Society PresidentCream cotton blouse with long sleeves. Collar edged with frill. Centre closing and cuffs have pearl buttonscostume, female

Small silver coated button hook used to catch buttons and pull them through eyelets of boots and shoes.costume accessories, footwear accessories