This is one of the largest collections of Australian vintage clothes and accessories. Most are uniquely Australian and increasingly rare. Preference is given to keeping them in Australia and available for display.

Everything is unpacked after decades in storage.

Some of the collection has sold to make room to unpack and now there is a full range that could be used for  retail, wholesale, hire or to supply the growing film industry.
The update page shows what is accessible now.

over a hundred thousand vintage clothes and accessories

From Victorian top hats and tails, bustles and parasols to the loose drop-waisted dress of the 20's to the simpler and more figure hugging dresses of the 30's, and then the staggering diversity of cuts, colours, hats, bags and gloves of the 50's and 60's through to the unthinkable riot of colour of the 70's.

Ring or Email John for Email updates and offers as things unpack or single items become available for sale in shops.

 

Imagine what is here and what each has seen in its day - there are vintage and antique sunglasses, parasols, belts, braces, corsets, purses, hats, handbags, gloves, patterns, lace, embroidery, nighties, vintage dresses, antique dresses, little black dresses, 50's dresses, bathers, kimonos, kilts, fashion books, fashion magazines and so on.

Clothes from beginning of the horseless carriage and the peak of Victoria's Empire through two world wars, women in the workforce, the 1920's boom, the depression, the 70's transformation, American Empire and a global economy.

In Victorian times there were names for hundreds of colours and who could wear them and where and when. In the 20's and 30's fabric print designers still designed their colour palette. Now colours are planned years in advance by chemical companies.

Dressmakers and tailors were respected and knew their community and culture. Clothes were personally fitted to the shape and taste of each customer. A suit might take 40 to 60 hours to craft. A dress three days or a week. Few garments are made like this now - some are made in three or four minutes by people on production lines living and working more or less in slavery.

The colours, the fabrics, the workmanship, the technology are almost gone now and close to impossible to replicate.

latest news is on the update page

The clothes are more or less sorted into eras but they were often made and worn outside of their eras. Some were made from old patterns and old fabrics. Dresses were shortened and bodices remade. Hooks and eyes were replaced with press studs and press studs were replaced with zips..

A man's 1960's double breasted suit or collarless shirt might have been made in the latest style or else cut from the same pattern and stock of fabric used for the past 40 years.

The preference is to to sell everything together as one lot but it could be divided into eras, men’s, women’s, summer, winter, day-wear, evening-wear, bridal, children’s, formal, shoes, hats or accessories for example.


The sample photographs on the 1970's to 1800's top menus give an idea of what's here. They are not for sale individually.

Mabs closed years ago so there are no staff to send photos, search, measure and fit or space to do it. There are no mirrors or change rooms.

We are also not set up to wholesale so we are not much use to anyone starting a small shop or online store.

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Contact John for details or suggestions – Phone and Email are on the contact page.

Subscribe on the side menu for Email updates as things unpack. There are Email updates for when things become available as shops or wholesalers buy the collection.