Our costume collection is filled with rich and sometimes unexpected stories, dating from the early colonial period right up to the present day.

Over the past couple of years, with the assistance of a Local History Grant from Public Record Office Victoria, we have been working to capture more of these stories, to make them available to discover on Victorian Collections and to preserve them for future generations with improved storage and documentation.

As part of the grant project, Annabel Butler and Laura Jocic have been digging deep into the collection, exploring the histories of different clothing items and what they can tell us about aspects of life in Brighton's - and Australia's - past.  We are delighted to be able to share the fruits of their endeavours, with ten new Stories From Our Costume Collection.

From the goldfields of Bendigo to the suburban grocer's counter, from life under wartime clothing rationing to the opulence of Flinders Lane's most elite fashion houses, each of the objects featured in these stories reveals tantalising and surprising connections to our past and present.  We invite you to explore them and to share your own stories and memories with us.