Kialla: Australian fashion history and MOVE

Kialla brings together two very different cultural perspectives: the history of Australian clothing and the diverse collections of the Museum of Vehicle Evolution (MOVE). The Loel Thomson Costume Collection is part of MOVE. Its scope ranges from clothing, jewellery and accessories to trucks, buses, bicycles and collections relating to gramophones, telephones and radio. For planning your trip, this contrast offers a concrete starting point: consider whether you’d like to discover Kialla for its fashion history, its diverse MOVE collections, or this very combination.

Fashion history spanning a broad period

The Loel Thomson Costume Collection comprises more than 10,000 objects collected by Loel Thomson OAM over 40 years. The pieces tell stories of Australians from Federation to the present day. At the same time, the collection showcases 200 years of Australian fashion. These timeframes offer different perspectives: the look at fashion spans two centuries, while the stories told range from Federation to today. Together, they give the collection a broad historical framework without losing sight of the individual objects.

The collection includes clothing, jewellery, accessories and other pieces. This means fashion isn’t limited to specific types of clothing: different kinds of objects belong to the same collection theme and offer different ways to explore Australian costume and fashion history. Those particularly interested in clothing can focus on this collection rather than MOVE’s other collections. The combination of a large number of objects, the long collecting period and the historical span described makes the Costume Collection a distinct part of Kialla’s cultural profile.

MOVE: vehicles, bicycles and other collections

MOVE’s other collections also have their own thematic focus. These include the Kenworth Dealer Truck Pavilion, CLASSIC Bus & Coach, the Farren Bicycle Collection, The Furphy Museum and Clayton Gramophones, Telephones and Radio. The collection titles alone show their breadth: trucks, buses and bicycles sit alongside gramophones, telephones and radio; The Furphy Museum is another distinct part of the line-up.

Compared with the Costume Collection, the focus here shifts from fashion and costume to vehicles, bicycles and communication devices. If you’re interested in a range of subjects, you can weigh up these differences when planning your trip. If you’re travelling together, you can discuss whether your fellow travellers are more interested in clothing and fashion history or in the vehicle and communication collections. This turns the list into a concrete reason to consider Kialla as a destination.

Putting Kialla in a cultural context

The Loel Thomson Costume Collection also has a research library for students, with books and journals on fashion and costume. Students can use it by appointment. If you’d like to use the library, arrange your visit in advance. This access complements the object collection with an opportunity to explore fashion and costume topics in greater depth; it is specifically for students and requires an appointment in advance.

The subjects covered at the venue offer a helpful focus when making your decision: fashion history, vehicle and bicycle collections, or the different areas of MOVE. Choose Kialla based on whether these cultural themes fit what you’d like to discover on your trip.

Discover more destinations: Alma, Ensay, Durham Lead, Rye, Mount Cole, Great Western, Stawell, Cape Paterson.

For the broader travel overview: Victoria.