Top to Toe

Accessories add oomph to an outfit. After being overlooked for many years, they are once again becoming increasingly essential fashion items because of their ability to provide both decorative and functional finishing touches to an appearance. As a means of declaring personal identity and style, accessories are a unique mechanism for transformation.

Highlighting the work of 10 Australian milliners and shoe designers, Top to Toe examines the revival of bespoke (handmade) techniques and the emergence of accessory design as an important field within Australian fashion in recent decades. Stretched, shaped, pinned, blocked or basted, the interplay between tradition, technique and contemporary perspective, informs the practices of each of these artists.

With over thirty works, predominantly drawn from the Australian Fashion & Textiles collection, this exhibition focuses on craftsmanship and inspiration in contemporary design.