High round neckline finished with a 2 cm fine striped silk stand-up collar-(this is now severely damaged). One metal hook fastener at the neckline, but no loop remains, although thwere is some evidence of a hand stitched remnant of a loop. Eight rounded buttons (one missing) are bound with silk thread. Sleeves have a fine rouleau piping at shoulder. They are round in shape at the elbow, and finished with a flounce, which is trimmed with 2.5 cm band of contrasting, finely striped silk and a 5 cm wide silver silk braid, as in 11400.975 and 11400.976. A gathered frill and a band of striped ribbon trim the upper edge of the flounce. The striped ribbon, and silver braid trim the front panels, either side of the button opening, and a band of the striped ribbon and silver braid trim the lower edge of bodice.Bodice and sleeves are lined with cream polished cotton, while the lower front panels, which give a peplum type of effect, are lined with cream silk. Centre back panel has a fabric bow, trimmed with the darker striped fabric, and the silver braid bow is 13 cm wide, plus the 5 cm silver braid. Pleated tails of the bow are part of back bodice. An inside 2cm wide cotton tape, with metal hook, and hand stitched loop, fastens around the waistline. Garment is machine and hand stitched. Buttonholes are hand -stitched.costume, female, gold silk victorian bodice

Probably 1890's to early 1900's. The Dress and Mantle Makers departments was part of F. Davey and Co. and the department was run by Miss Middleton, formerly of the Beehive. F Davey and Co. sold their View Point premises in Oct 1904.Bodice (Wedding dress), hand and machine stitched. Silk lined with polished cotton. Slim ruched sleeves - ruched at inner and elbow side of sleeve (hand sewn). Elbow edge of ruching forms two ''frilled pleats'' down the sleeve to the wrist. Wrist edge lily pointed and finished with a 9 cm underfill of cotton lace. Top of sleeves have a leg-o-mutton balloon effect panel sewn at the shoulder and the upper arm. This balloon effect hangs down over the sleeves almost to the elbow. Top of sleeve has an embroidered lace frill hanging over armhole. Two silk bows are placed at the shoulders. Stand-up collar,5 cm deep is finished on each side with a pearl and glass beaded bow motif- 6cm in diameter. Hook and eye fasteners down front-metal loops covered with button hole stitch. Bodice boned with thirteen (13) ''bones''. Each pocket finished with a fan pattern stitching. Linen panel, with a diamond shaped weave stitched at each underarm. Front bodice is pleated from shoulders to centre front. Right front laps across left to fasten with a hook on the left shoulder. This panel is heavily beaded with glass beads and sequins. Over panel from right shoulder fastens with hook and eye at left hip line,with the pleated panel circling the waist.Matching skirt 11400.315.F.Davey & Co, Dress & Mantle Makers, View point, Sandhurst Label stitched at inside waistline of bodice.costume, female, wedding dress bodice

Ivory coloured silk bodice. Part of wedding ensemble with matching skirt with train. (11400.513B). The silk fabric has an all over pattern of scattered leaves. The bodice has long sleeves and is fully lined with cotton fabric with a front opening. The cotton lining at the front forms a separate bodice with a front opening fastened with fifteen hooks and eyes from throat to waist. The lining is edged at centre front on both sides with a border of the silk fabric. The border narrows from 7 cm at the throat to 3 cm at the waist. In the lining of the bodice are two casings on either side of the front opening containing boned segments. Across the lining of the back are seven casings containing boned segments. The front LHS of the bodice has an outer layer of silk fabric with a squared neckline. The RHS of the bodice overlaps the centre opening of the bordered lining to attach across the left shoulder. From the left shoulder the front tapers diagonally to the waistline 4cm to the left of centre. This cross over section is fastened with ten hooks and eyes – seven of the eyes are attached to the bodice lining and three are on the LHS outer silk fabric layer. This section crosses full width to the edge of the LH sleeve, across the top of the shoulder to the neckline. The LHS outer section crosses back over the edge of the centre section. There is a third layer on the RHS with a squared neckline to form a symmetrical appearance. The two side sections are edged with ruffles of fine silk ribbon. The centre section of the crossover part has vertical pintucks extending from the throat for 9 cm. The fullness created by the pintucks is gathered to centre front where the waist dips to a shallow V shape. The back of the bodice has vertical pintucks extending 12 cm from across the shoulders, narrowing to a single vertical strip of pintucks (4 cm) ending at centre waist. The waist is edged with a border of silk ribbon with a horizontal tuck. Inside the back of the bodice above the waist cotton tape ties are attached. These ties extend to the front of the bodice and the ends are fastened with a metal buckle. On this cotton tape at centre back there are to metal hooks for attaching the skirt. Attached to the neckline of the front section of the bodice is a 7 cm stand up collar. The collar extends from the RH shoulder in front of the neck and across the LH shoulder and continues unattached around the back of the neck to attach to the edge of the collar at the RH shoulder. The edges of the collar are fastened with three hooks and eyes. The collar has three full width horizontal pleats and the top edge is trimmed with a frill of fine gathered silk ribbon. On the waistline at centre front and centre back are decorative buttons (3.5 cm) of pearl coloured beads. The buttons have a centre pearl bead bordered by small glass beads surrounded by 9 smaller pearl beads and nine small pearl beads. Each button is edged with a row of tiny class beads with 18 points. The long sleeves are fully lined and made of two sections. The underneath section of the sleeve is ungathered and shaped at the elbow. The upper section of each sleeve is gathered at the shoulders and attached to the underneath section with a series of small pleats down to the elbow creating fullness. There is a small cap sleeve at each shoulder over the top of the gathered sleeve. The cap sleeves are edged with a frill of gathered silk ribbon with a decorative row of gathered silk ribbon parallel to the edge. At each wrist is a gathered frill of silk fabric edged with silk ribbon. Each sleeve has an 8 cm split at the wrist on the back seam. Full length ivory coloured silk skirt. The silk fabric has an all over pattern of scattered leaves. The skirt is fully lined with cotton fabric. The skirt is made of 5 pieces. The centre front panel has two darts at the waistline. The two side panels are cut on the bias and wrap around to form a centre back seam gathered into the waistband and finishing 44 cm below the waist line. Two triangular pieces of fabric are inserted at the back below the centre seam to complete the full circle of the skirt. There is 30 cm back opening. The waistband is made of cotton tape (3cm) fastened with two hooks and eyes with a 2 cm crossover. There is another hook and eye fastener halfway along the opening split. There is one upward facing hook on either side of the centre back opening to attach the matching bodice. The LHS of the back opening has a cotton fabric pocket inserted along the seam. The hem of the skirt is edged with two 5 cm frills of gathered silk fabric.costume, female daywear, silk bodice

Fitted bodice with 1.5 cm deep stand-up collar. Long curved sleeve, tapering at the wrist, has a fine piping around the armhole. Wrist is trimmed with a piped, plain silver peaked false cuff, and two 3 cm deep pleated and piped ''frills''. Three covered buttons trim the diagonally cut decorative cuff. One metal hook, and hand stitched loop on the stand-up collar. 23 covered buttons ( one missing,others in various states of disrepair) extend from the neckline to the lower skirt. Front skirt is trimmed with a 7 cm deep band of plain silver silk, bordered by the striped fabric piping, and a 3 cm deep pleated frill on either side. Below this is a 25cm deep band of the striped fabric, at the lower edge of which are sewn four X 5 cm deep bands of pleated frills. At the centre back neckline are two X 20cm ''tails'' curved at each end and lined in plain silver silk. These are to be wrapped around the neckline, and fastened with a metal hook and eye, to form a 4cm deep rounded silver collar. Skirt back extends into a 34cm deep train. Brown cotton tape binds the hemline. Front of skirt is ruched from the centre buttoned section, in three sections either side, to the centre back panel, which is pleated, and extends into the train. Back waistline is trimmed with a 14cm wide bow, striped fabric, lined with plain silver fabric.A 7cm wide, and 34 cm long loop is stitched into the centre back seam, presumably used to hold, and lift the train above the ground. (The ends of the bow are trimmed with 10 cm deep black and silver fringing.) One metal ''bone'' in left front dart(now causing damage). One tiny 5.5cmX5.5cm shield shaped pocket on left front. Dress fully lined with cotton fabric.costume, female, victorian silver striped long silk dress

This afternoon dress belonged to Clara Johnstone Miller (nee Bell, 1866-1910). Clara was the only daughter of Mr James Bell, a councillor of the Shire of Leigh (today a part of Golden Plains Shire) and owner of Woolbrook Homestead in Teesdale, near Geelong. In 1888, Clara married prominent businessman, racehorse owner, racing identity and pastoralist Septimus Miller (1854-1925). Septimus was the sixth of seven children born to Henry 'Money' Miller and Eliza Miller (nee Mattinson). 'Money' Miller was a well known financier and politician and reputedly one of Australia's wealthiest people in his time. In 1889, Clara and Septimus moved into the house 'Cantala' in Dandenong Road, Caulfield. They had one child, Gwendoline Stewart Miller, who died in 1902 at the age of thirteen of diabetes - a largely untreatable condition at the time (insulin would not be discovered until 1921). Clara died in 1910, aged only 44. Septimus subsequently married Helen (nee Henderson), with whom he had a son, Ronald (1915-1990). The Millers were buried in the Brighton General Cemetery in a large Gothic-style vault. Upon Clara's death, Septimus sent much of her clothing and Gwendoline's to her mother Mary Bell. Some of these items were passed down to two of Clara's nieces, Miss Mary Bell and Mrs Lois Lillies, who donated them to BHS around 1973.A salmon (pale orange pink) corded silk afternoon dress with orange beaded embellishments, consisting of a bodice (.1) and skirt (.2) from c.1890. The bodice features a high standing collar with triple pleated bone silk chiffon trim along the top line, under the chin. This same chiffon is also secured in two pieces gathered and secured under the collar and and at the waist adding volume over the bust line and partially obscuring the jacket closing. The chiffon is secured at the side into the main fabric of the bodice by the beaded embellishment. The pink seed beads are sewn in lines of five beads one after the other creating a diagonal design that tapers from the shoulder to the waist. The bodice is boned around the front and back and secured down the centre font by nineteen hook and eyes and additional cotton tapes. Further beading details the bottom centre front and base line of the bodice. The shoulders have been repaired with replacement fabric to match, from our records it appears that the repair work was performed in circa 1974 but no record exists of the original shoulder design and if the repair was an exact copy of the original. The repaired shoulders feature a small frill around the shoulder yoke and top of the arm. The sleeve is fitted and three quarter finishing just below the elbow. The base of the sleeve is also trimmed with the pink bead design and bone three pleat chiffon trim. The back of the bodice features shaped panels contouring the jacket neatly in at the waist and then splitting and splaying out over the fullness of the skirt. The skirt appears to have been floor or ankle length held at the waist by a wide waistband. The skirt openings have been altered from the original currently featuring two openings secured by press studs. The skirt is gathered to the waistband at front and back creating fullness. The lower part of the skirt features the same pink bead embellishment and additional beaded flowers and diagonal point edge detail.clara miller, woolbrook, septimus miller, henry 'money' miller, gwendoline miller, cantala, 1890s fashion, caulfield, brighton general cemetery

Ivory coloured waist length silk wedding bodice with front opening. Silk fabric has alternating striped pattern of chequerboard pattern, running stitch pattern and diagonal woven pattern. The bodice is made of two layers of the silk fabric with cotton fabric lining. The front inner layer has two darts from the waistline. The back inner layer has a centre seam and three darts from the waist on either side. The outer layer on both front and back has three knife pleats falling from the shoulders creating a gathered effect. These side panels of pleated fabric create a deep V neckline by crossing over 5cm above the waist. The V shape neckline is filled with an insert of cream and dark green lace with a floral pattern. The lace insert extends to the throat to form a high round neckline. The neckline is edged with cream coloured woven cotton braid. The side edges of the outer layers are trimmed with cream lace with a floral pattern and 5cm zig zag peaked edges that extends from centre waist at the front, over the shoulders and to the crossover section at centre back where there is a decorative silk fabric flower stitched at the crossover point just above the waist. The front opening is fastened with fourteen hooks and eyes plus another hook and eye offset 5 cm above the waist at the crossover point. Set in long sleeves are in two sections. An inner layer of silk fabric widens to the elbow where two five cm frills of gathered tulle are attached. Each frill is edged with a row of silk stitching. Attached below the frills are two 7 cm strips of lace stitched together to form the lower part of the sleeve. The edge of the lace forms the hem at the wrist. Each sleeve has a 5 cm hemmed V shaped split from the hem at the wrist. The outer layer of the sleeve is bell shaped falling from the shoulder to the elbow. This section of the sleeve is edged with cream lace with a floral pattern and 5cm zig zag peaked edges that are stitched to the fabric of the sleeve. Ivory coloured full-length wedding skirt with train. The skirt is made in two layers. The under layer is made from cotton from the waist with a wide border of silk fabric - 18 cm wide at centre front, widening to 37 cm at the side seams. The back of this skirt extends to a train and the border widens to 48 cm. The border section is lined with cotton fabric. At the centre back, the border has two godet inserts to create fullness in the train. The outer layer of the skirt is of ivory silk fabric with alternating vertical stripes of a chequerboard pattern, a running stitch pattern and a diagonal woven pattern. The lower edge of the skirt is edged with an 18 cm border of lace patterned with embroidered circles. The edge of the lace forms a zig zag pattern of elongated V shaped peaks (7 cm). The front of the skirt dips to a V shape at centre front with the point of the V reaching the hemline. The back of the skirt dips below the front hemline in a U shape over the train. The waist band is made of cotton tape. The centre front of the waistband has an embroidered pattern in silk thread. The centre back opening is fastened with seven metal hooks with six cotton loops plus one metal eye on the waistband. There are two cotton tape hanging loops on either side of the inner waistband. Hand and machine stitched.costume, female ceremonial, wedding bodice

Engageantes - washable half sleeve that could be tied to the arm inside a bell-shaped , or a 'pagoda' sleeve. They ended at the wrist in closed cuffs or open frill. Engageantes were worn from mid- to the late 19th Century.One pair cream lace undersleeves 33cm long. Frilled around wrist with two hook & eye fastenings. Lace insertion, plus nine narrow lace bands to top of sleeve. As worn in 1880'scostume, female