William LARKIN<br/> <em>Mary, Lady Vere</em> (c. 1612-1615) <!-- (recto) --><br /> oil on canvas<br /> 183.0 x 102.0 cm<br /> National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne<br /> Purchased with funds donated by Leigh Clifford AO and Sue Clifford, Alan and Mavourneen Cowen, the Fox Family Foundation, donors to the Larkin Appeal and the proceeds of the National Gallery of Victoria Annual Dinner, 2014<br /> 2014.553<br /> <!--110975-->
Observations

Observations: Dress in Art and Design History

Over three online sessions, world-leading experts from across the globe looked back through key periods of the history of dress through the ages and across cultures– from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries – and revealed how fashion shapes and reflects changes in society.

The NGV international online learning series Observations ran in October 2024 with an exploration of the influence and impact of dress across continents and centuries, through the internationally significant NGV Collection of historical painting, fashion and textiles.

Over three online sessions, participants heard from world-leading historians, authors, researchers and curators as they shared how the act and art of dressing shaped – and was shaped by – key moments in history. Looking back to see what women wore in sixteenth and seventeenth century England through a study of portrait paintings, discovering how saris became a vessel for expression and a means of establishing individuality, and how Dandies influenced the makers of menswear and more.

This exclusive collection of recorded presentations was transcribed into a printed publication, the third volume in the NGV Observations series.

  • The Observations program was offered as online presentations released on 12, 19 & 26 October
Session
Politics of Dress: 1500–1900

From sixteenth-century portraiture to eighteenth-century painting, the open robe to the round gown, the Macaroni to the Dandy, we examine the movements, makers and moments that shaped dress and the societal ideas and change it reflected.
Session
Freedom of Dress: 1900s–1950s

Fashion in the early decades of the twentieth century, was a time of transition as designers broke away from centuries of tradition in an embrace of modernity and freedom in dress. This spirit of change and experimentation was felt across the globe.
Session
Expression Through Dress: 20th Century

From the Kitmir embroideries made by Russian emigrants for the House of Chanel, to the legacy of Elsa Schiaparelli and the role of fashion media in provding cultural context in the history of fashion – we consider the tastemakers and agents of change in twentieth century dress.
Publications

Extend your learning and refer back to key subjects with the Observations publications, containing illustrated works and edited transcripts from the online program. Available from the NGV design store.

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Observations: Dress in Art & Design History is generously supported by an Anonymous donor.