Dress Ornaments

This is not a term in current usage, but as seen yesterday, seemed to be applied to both haberdashery and jewellery items used to decorate clothing. Google the term today, and you come up with ornaments wearing dresses, such as a Christmas tree angel: not the same thing! However,  I’m a little puzzled as to what the real difference is between jewellery and dress ornaments, if any?

The Hobart Town Gazette, 29th September 1827 page 6.

The Currency Lad (Sydney), 18th May 1833 page 1.

The Daily News (Perth), 16th March 1935 page 13.

The term is little used after the 1950s. Below are a couple of rare mentions, the first referring to rules for lady bowlers:

Western Herald (Bourke, NSW), 25th March 1960 page 8. And no smoking! Boy, were those ladies strict!

And from a story set in a department store:

The Australian Women’s Weekly, 13th January 1960 page 22.

The Beverley Times (WA), 6th March 1959 page 6.

And now for something bizarre …

Coolgardie MIner (WA), 18th July 1947 page 2.

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