The Fashion & Design collection of Kew Historical Society includes examples of textiles dating from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the textiles, were used as items of clothing, others as items of household decoration, or simply as travel souvenirs. These textiles were created both domestically and internationally. Predictably with the growth of an ethnically and culturally more diverse community in Kew after the Second World War, textiles, clothing and objects in the collection inevitably reflected this diversity. A fine cotton chemisette with collar and front opening edged with tape lace and then edging lacelace, women's clothing, bodices, chemisettes

The Fashion & Design collection of Kew Historical Society includes examples of women’s, men’s, children’s and infants' clothing from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. While the collection includes some examples of international fashion, most items were handmade or purchased in Melbourne. Sleeveless chemisette with 3 pearl buttons decorated with 4 rings of cut work flowers. Ribbon threaded around the neckline. Bodice gathered to attach to peplum at waist line. Handworked.fashion and textiles collection - kew historical society, lace, women's clothing, underwear, undergarments, chemisettes

The Fashion & Design collection of Kew Historical Society includes examples of women’s, men’s, children’s and infants' clothing from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. While the collection includes some examples of international fashion, most items were handmade or purchased in Melbourne. White cotton voile puff sleeved chemisette with four engraved pearl buttons. Neck edged with an edging lace and narrow tape. Sleeves finished with two rows of pin tucking and edging lace. Insertion and tape lace at neckline.lace, women's clothing, underwear, undergarments

The Fashion & Design collection of Kew Historical Society includes examples of women’s, men’s, children’s and infants' clothing from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. While the collection includes some examples of international fashion, most items were handmade or purchased in Melbourne. Sleeveless chemisette with five concealed pearl buttons. Hand worked broderie anglais lace. Peplum is attached to an insert of ribbon tape lace. Neckline and bodice edged with lace. The same lace is also used to border an insert cutwork panel with concealed button holes lace, women's clothing, underwear, undergarments, chemisettes

The Fashion & Design collection of Kew Historical Society includes examples of women’s, men’s, children’s and infants' clothing from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. While the collection includes some examples of international fashion, most items were handmade or purchased in Melbourne. Chemisette with a square neckline and three buttons down the front. It has an attached peplum. The sleeves and neckline are edged with lace. A row of ribbon insertion lace tape is attached to fabric of neckline. 30 mm in from the front of the neckline is a row of drawn thread work. Bodice is also decorated with 4 rows of triple pin tucking. The garment is short sleeved. The buttonholes are concealedlace, women's clothing, underwear, camisoles, chemisettes, undergarments

Baby's shirt/chemisette cream cotton with lace edging at neck and armholes. Gusset under arm holes. Back opening. Machine stitching along hem. Old Box 160.costume, children's, chemisette

The Fashion & Design collection of Kew Historical Society includes examples of women’s, men’s, children’s and infants' clothing from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. While the collection includes some examples of international fashion, most items were handmade or purchased in Melbourne. Camisole comprised of three types of machine lace and an embroidered cotton joined together to form a fabric and backed with fine netting. There is a band of narrow lace at the square neckline, this is attached to a band of insertion lace with ribbon holes and then wide bands of insertion lace. At the upper midriff level there is a band of lace interspersed with embroidered butterflies. Garment is buttoned at the front.lace, women's clothing, lingerie, underwear, undergarments, chemisettes

The Fashion & Design collection of Kew Historical Society includes examples of women’s, men’s, children’s and infants' clothing from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. While the collection includes some examples of international fashion, most items were handmade or purchased in Melbourne. Rectangular silk organza chemisette, with inset embroidered net at the front and at the neck. The free-form, multicoloured silk embroidery includes abstract flowers, fruit and leaves, and may be of Chinese origin. The chemisette has five decorative mother-of-pearl buttons at the front and silk organza ties at the waist.lace, women's clothing, australian fashion, undergarments, chemisettes

Under-bodices were first made of silk, though cotton was the fabric of most underwear from the second half of the century. These bodices were worn to protect against wear and soiling but more often for modesty. Undergarments such as this item were seen as essential to wear under blouses. This item is an example of a handcrafted item and reflects the needlework skills of women in the early 20th centuryA hand made white cotton woman's undergarment (chemisette) - an underbodice. It is of fine cotton with lace insertions at back and front. It has four buttons for the front opening. The bottom is gathered.women's-undergarments chemise bodice

Coffee coloured chemisette with lace. Machine sewn with two layers of netting applied by hand. Pink and green bullion knots worked on top net layer which is of machine made lace already embroidered and assembledlace, women's clothing, australian fashion

The Fashion & Design collection of Kew Historical Society includes examples of textiles dating from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the textiles, were used as items of clothing, others as items of household decoration, or simply as travel souvenirs. These textiles were created both domestically and internationally. Predictably with the growth of an ethnically and culturally more diverse community in Kew after the Second World War, textiles, clothing and objects in the collection inevitably reflected this diversity. This form of bobbin lace is made in Malta. It is a guipure style of lace. Maltese lace is worked as a continuous width tape lace on a tall, thin, upright lace pillow called a "Trajbu" and the Bobbins are called "Combini" . Bigger pieces are made of two or more parts sewn together. Lace made in Malta was originally needle lace, from the 16th to the 19th century, when the economic depression in the islands nearly led to the extinction of lacemaking there. But in the mid 1800s, Lady Hamilton Chichester sent lacemakers from Genoa to Malta. They used the old needle lace patterns and turned them into bobbin lace, which was quicker. It was not long after its introduction that the Maltese lace developed its own style from Genoese lace. Maltese lace was shown at The Great Exhibition of 1851 and it became popular in Britain. The style was copied by lacemakers in the English Midlands, and it was one of the sources for Bedfordshire lace. Characteristics of Maltese lace. Maltese lace usually has the following characteristics which are useful for identification. It is usually made from cream silk. There is often the 8 pointed Maltese cross as part of the pattern, worked in whole or cloth stitch.The pattern may also have closely worked leaves known as “wheat ears” or “oats”. These are plump and rounded in shape, rather than the long narrow leaves of other types of bobbin lace. Camisole, made of silk thread Maltese bobbin lace that is constructed of lengths of lace forming two rectangles with a hole for the neck. Shows the characteristic Maltese cross and wheat ears. Fabric is made of tape lace joined togethercamisoles, maltese lace, bodices