WHILE today's millennials are jumping on the upcycling and vintage fashion bandwagon, a new exhibition in Burnie reveals Tasmanians were a frugal, ingenious bunch decades before op-shops became trendy.
More than 2000 items will be on show at the Stitch in Time exhibition at Burnie Regional Museum - from bustles and bowler hats, badges to brogues and bow-ties to breast prostheses.
A human hair earring, circa 1880, a 1900s carpet bag made from leftover carpet samples, and a 1980s rag rug are some of the examples of recycling on show in this interesting exhibition.
These, and other pieces, items of clothing and accessories demonstrate the frugality of bygone eras and focus on the homemade and up-cycled objects in the museum's textile collection as well as stories of the ingenuity of North-West residents when it came to clothing their families.
A collection of lingerie through the ages was recently donated by a local corsetiere with decades of industry experience.
The museum also has military uniforms and paraphernalia from both world wars, and a collection of men's and women's eveningwear spanning many decades and styles.
- Burnie Regional Museum, Little Alexander St, (03) 6430-5746, burnieregionalmuseum.net
