The Dressmaker
( dir. Jocelyn Moorhouse
)
Australia
:
Film Art Media
,
2015
6320906
2015
single work
film/TV
“You can’t keep anything secret here,” said the old woman. “Everybody knows everything about everyone but no one ever tittle tattles because then someone else’ll tell on them. But you don’t matter – it’s open slather on outcasts.”
'The Dressmaker is a bittersweet tragi-comedy about a glamorous young woman who returns, after many years in Europe, to her small home town in rural Australia in order to right some wrongs from the past. When Tilly comes home, she not only heals her ailing mother, but with her sewing machine, and haute couture style, transforms the women of the town in such a way that she gets sweet revenge on those who did her wrong. She also falls unexpectedly in love, which leads to her greatest loss, and her most destructive deed.' (Producer's abstract)
Writing Disability in Australia:
| Type of disability | Unspecified mental illness. |
| Type of character | Secondary. |
| Point of view | Third person. |
The Dressmaker's Secret
Sydney
:
Pan Macmillan Australia
,
2020
19541108
2020
single work
novel
historical fiction
'It is 1953 and Melbourne society is looking forward to coronation season, the grand balls and celebrations for the young queen-to-be. Tilly Dunnage is, however, working for a pittance in a second-rate Collins Street salon. Her talents go unappreciated, and the madame is a bully and a cheat, but Tilly has a past she is desperate to escape and good reason to prefer anonymity.
'Meanwhile, Sergeant Farrat and the McSwiney clan have been searching for their resident dressmaker ever since she left Dungatar in flames. And they aren't the only ones. The inhabitants of the town are still out for revenge (or at least someone to foot the bill for the new high street). So when Tilly's name starts to feature in the fashion pages, the jig is up. Along with Tilly's hopes of keeping her secrets hidden...' (Publication summary)
