Ration Fashion

Returning for the second year in Sydney, The Way We Wear Fair in 2008 offers buyers not one but three historic venues: Hunters Hill Town Hall, the Masonic and RSL Halls...

By Kat Hartmann

The theme of this weekend's fair is 1940s wartime fashion - a bleak era for mankind but a golden era for style. A broad range of dealers in three separate halls will sell everything fashion and textiles from the 18th century right through to the 1970s - including vintage enthusiasts with expertise in all things 50s, 60s, 70s and even the currently ubiquitous 80s. There are daily fashion shows to parade the wares and a café to provide some mid-fossick sustenance. Here's Time Out's pick of four of the best dealers to make a beeline for:

ONLINE ANTIQUES

This dealer specialises in all things art deco and has been doing so for the last 20 years. Perfectly presented stalls with a range of vintage clothing, specialised jewellery and boudoir accessories: think the kind of perfume bottle that would take pride of place on any antique vanity.

SEAMS OLD

The contribution of fair coordinator and connoisseur Fiona Baverstock, Seams Old specialises in authentic, decadent 18th century fashion such as period slippers and silks, to divine beaded flapper dresses and bias-cut 30s chic. Baverstock also carries a range of intricately tailored items from bodices to pared down 40s finery.

SYMBOL STYLE MEANING

"Ms Alexandra" presides over this stall with the kind of elegance that some say comes from dancing days of yore. No one knows for sure - she's something of an enigma. The trademark millinery on display at SSM is fabulously stylish, as are the jewellery, belts and buckles.

LEIGHS

At a recent fair these purveyors of fine jewellery reportedly sold a pair of antique diamond earrings valued at $10,000. Uncouth to discuss prices? Well at least it serves to illustrate the calibre of this dealer's amazing wares. The focus here is on fine antique jewellery from the early 19th century to Edwardian.