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And not just fashionable – we’re talking top of the line, elite stuff, for the richest of the rich. But there’s a catch… it’s the fashion from the mid to late 19th century.
It was an exhibition of women’s dresses from around the 1840s. The dresses weren’t replicas – they were the real deal. You couldn’t touch them; they were displayed on mannequins. Again, these weren’t everyday dresses, and definitely not for common folk. This is how high-society ladies used to dress.
The building where the exhibition was held was pretty interesting too. It’s called Villa Alba, located in Kew – one of Melbourne’s fanciest suburbs. That’s where the wealthy lived – and still do. Villa Alba was built between 1882 and 1884 for a Scottish banker, William Greenlaw, and his wife, Anna McEvoy. Anna was originally from Sydney, and the walls of the villa’s dining room are covered with paintings of Sydney Harbour, so she could always be reminded of her hometown.
The villa itself was built in the fashionable Italianate style of the time, and the interior was done up by Melbourne’s top interior decorating firm back then – Patterson Brothers. They really valued their reputation, and the result was absolutely stunning, full of intricate, detailed craftsmanship.
Thing is, the Greenlaws didn’t get to enjoy Villa Alba for long. A couple of years later they went broke, and after that, the place kept changing hands. By the 1940s, the Jesuits took it over and used it as part of a hospital for the elderly. These days it’s a museum, and people are trying to restore it – but honestly, it’s not going well. The place is slowly falling apart. I reckon sooner or later they’ll shut it down and bulldoze it.
By the way, the rich still live in places like that. Years ago, I used to do deliveries and install Miele appliances (because, you know, that’s what rich folks buy). I got to visit some houses around Melbourne that made Villa Alba look like a little country shack by comparison.
And here’s a photo of it: https://www.flickr.com/gp/147740420@N06/8C754xx7K7
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