OUR STORY

Thirty Years by the Water

How a rail of dresses in an old boathouse became The Boathouse Wardrobe.

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I spent every summer holiday of my childhood in Aunty Joan's old boathouse by the water. I'd sit on an upturned crate and watch women walk in, unsure of themselves. Joan would look at them once, pull a dress off her rail and say, "Try this."

I still don't know how she does it. I only know she's right, every single time.

For thirty years, Joan dressed the women around her for the moments that mattered: long lunches, garden weddings, birthdays and Christmas in the heat. She still doesn't care for trends. She cares whether a dress lets you breathe on a 35-degree day, whether it sits right when you sit down, and whether you feel like yourself in it. The dress you reach for every summer. The set that goes from lunch to dinner. The sandals you can walk in all afternoon.

"You never regret being the best-dressed woman at the table."
Aunty Joan, The Boathouse Wardrobe

Why we're here

Joan wanted women right across Australia to be able to shop her rail, not just the ones who could wander down to the boathouse. So she asked me to help her take it online. I'm Helen, her niece, and the girl on the upturned crate.

I'm not a fashion person. I don't follow the catwalks, and I've never read a fashion magazine cover to cover. Neither has Joan. She's never needed to.

She still has the final say. She looks at every new piece once, the way she looked at those women in the boathouse, and decides. It has to be easy to wear, lovely to be seen in, and made for real life. If she wouldn't wear it, we don't sell it.

The Boathouse Wardrobe is an online boutique inspired by the Port Fairy waterfront, where the fishing boats come in and nobody is in a hurry.

We sell clothing and shoes for women who know what they like. Women who have stopped chasing trends and want a wardrobe that works for the life they actually live.

How we sell

Joan has one more rule: when the season turns, the wardrobe turns with it. You make room for what's next, and the pieces from the season before go at an honest price.

We still live by it. Whenever we refresh the collection, that's when you'll find our best prices. Right now, it's our Spring Refresh Sale: up to 60% off, with free delivery across Australia. 

When a sale is on, you'll see it right across the site.

Questions? Email us at info@theboathousewardrobe.com

Thank you for being here. Joan reckons she'd have a dress picked out for you before you'd even sat down. Knowing her, she's right.

Helen 🤍⚓

The Boathouse Wardrobe · theboathousewardrobe.com

P.S. Joan read this over my shoulder and asked me to pass on one thing: "Wear the good dress. Don't save it for best."