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Children's straw hat

Datec 1900

Object number00039502

NameHat

MediumStraw, fabric

Dimensions20 x 250 mm, 1.3 lb. (9 13/16 in., 0.6 kg)

ClassificationsClothing and personal items

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionChilds black boater straw hat.HistoryThese items were purchased from the collection of Sophie Van Rood. Born in England, Van Rood established a couture salon in Knightsbridge, London in the mid-1930s. In 1964 she and her family migrated to Adelaide where, with her business partner Tom Spender, she set up The Banana Room emporium in 1974. In 1967 she began acquiring her personal collection of clothing, dating from Victorian era through to the 1940s. This collection became the basis for The Banana Room, and items were used as a resource by celebrities and in film and television productions.The Banana Room earned a reputation as a centre for extraordinary vintage apparel, appealing to people looking for something glamorous or something different. Clothing and accessories, provide an insight into any given era or moment in history. They are directly affected by technology; by new artificial fabrics, dyes, methods of manufacture, and other advances. Yet, fashion must also adapt in order to keep up with innovation; for example, the invention of the motor car resulted, through necessity, with the popularization of travelling suits and goggles. SignificanceIt is rare for children’s leisure wear from such an early period to survive due to the very nature of its wearer and that it was predominantly worn outside. The growth of the leisure industry in Australia was growing at this time with people spending days at the beach or by the harbour. There was still a formality to leisure wear with swimsuits yet to make a broad appearance.