Dressed By Iris

Sydney, during the Depression of the 1930s. Seventeen-year-old Iris Mitchell longs to design clothes, but her family's shanty-town home has little money to spare for fashion. A purple ribbon given to her by John Tucker, a young man who hopes to court her, opens an unexpected door. When her brother Jim takes work on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Mitchells, a large family of very modest means who are devoted to one another, move to the city, and Iris must leave John behind. John is Protestant and Iris is Catholic, a difference that is taboo in their world, so perhaps they were never meant to be together.

In 1932, Iris scrubs floors by day at Caron's, an upmarket department store. By night she sketches and sews in the cramped house she shares with her family. Her friendship with Natasha, one of Caron's models, lets Iris show what she can do, but she must wonder whether her talent will be recognised or taken advantage of.

When John returns to her life, old feelings resurface, and Iris must confront not only the religious divide between them but also the seemingly impossible choice between marriage and a career. Meanwhile, the Mitchells must make their way in a city marked by corruption, dirty politics and gambling. Can their faith, determination and close family bond carry them through when tragedy and hardship strike?