Summary
Business card, grey, for 'Madame Serini, Haute Couture'. Madame Serini (Irredenta Itala Serini) was a post-war Italian immigrant who arrived in Australia with her family in 1950. She had trained in Italy as a designer and dressmaker, and worked as a high-end fashion designer in Hobart and Melbourne before setting up her own label in Melbourne in 1959. Madame Serini became a leading prestige women's clothing designer across Australia in the 1960s and 1970s, finally closing in 1981.
The telephone number on the card includes an STD number, which means it dates from 1971 or later. The hand-written addition of '9' at the beginning reflects a telephone number change which occured in Melbourne in 1995, so the card must have been printed before that date.
Physical Description
Business card, rectangular, grey, printed with black cursive script. No markings on back.
More Information
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Collection Names
Museums Victoria/Italian Historical Society Co.As.It Collection
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Collecting Areas
Clothing & Textiles, Migration & Cultural Diversity, Working Life & Trades
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Acquisition Information
Donation from Italian Historical Society (Co.As.It), 29 Jun 2007
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Issued By
Madame Serini, Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1971-1994
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Inscriptions
INSCRIPTIONS: 'Madame Serini / Haute Couture / By Appointment Only. / Telephone: (03) 9882 7371'. The '9' has been added later in hand-writing.
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Classification
Commerce & retailing, Clothing & fashion, Promotional materials
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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References
Astrid Haban-Beer, 'Recalling the Memories of an Haute Couturiere: Madame Serini - A Journey from Fiume to Melbourne'. Italian Historical Society Journal, vol.12, no.1, Jan-June 2004, pp. 25-30. Astrid Haban-Beer, oral history interview of Madame Serini, November 2003, Italian Historical Society Oral History Collection. Former Australian dialling codes, [Link 1] accessed 21 Dec 2016.
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Keywords
Clothing, Commerce, Fashion, Fashion Design, Fashion Industry, Italian Immigration
