The Dressmaker

In postwar Australia, a gifted dressmaker returns to her sunburnt hometown with a past many would rather forget. Myrtle 'Tilly' Dunnage moves back to reconnect with her mother and old neighbors, while quietly redefining what the town wears and what it believes about itself. She finds herself drawn to Teddy, a man with old wounds and new ambitions, yet she refuses to be defined by whispers or gossip. As she accepts commissions from local women and creates outfits that glitter with rebellion, the town’s rigid social order begins to crack. The revival of color and style becomes a form of quiet resistance and self discovery. Its wit comes from misfit characters who see style as a shield and a dare.

Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, The Dressmaker adapts Rosalie Ham's 2000 novel The Dressmaker and premiered in 2015, blending drama, comedy and Western stylings for Australian cinema. The project drew a notable cast and a fashion-forward design approach and costume design.

Critics praised its brisk tonal balance, mixing sly humor with melodrama and highlighting Winslet's magnetic performance. The film uses reinvention, class tension, and female empowerment through clothing to explore memory and revenge, while keeping a humane focus on Myrtle Dunnage's complex relationship with her hometown that linger after the credits.

The wardrobe is a centerpiece, pairing 1950s silhouettes with bold, theatrical silhouettes that reveal character arcs. Tilly's couture becomes a tool for social critique and personal reinvention, and the outfits spark conversations in fashion and cinema circles about how clothes can drive a story and alter perception for modern audiences.

Worldwide box office reached $25,003,426 against a budget of $11,930,000, signaling solid returns for an Australian feature. The film found an audience both at home and abroad, aided by festival screenings and a theatrical release that left a global impression.