Cotton day dress, made by Harrods Ltd, London, 1959/1960

Dress of white cotton with a repeating violet flower print. The dress has short puffed sleeves with violet coloured pipping around the edges. The piping is continued on the Peter Pan collar. The front panel of the bodice of the dress of a plain white cotton, smocked with purple and lilac threads in a wave design. The dress flares out from the waist and stops at just above the knee. The dress fastens at the back with 5 clear plastic buttons and ties at the back with a wide fabric sash that matches the rest of the dress. The dress is unlined with a deep hem.

Gift of Caroline McIntyre

This dress was worn by the donor, Caroline McIntyre (b.20/02/1954) around 1959-60 when she was 6 years old.
The dress is a part of a larger gift ranges in size and age group from the donor’s and her brother’s baby clothes throughout her childhood up to the age of about 14. This is a rare opportunity to follow the changing size, fashions and clothing choices (either her own or those chosen for her) of one individual throughout their childhood of the mid 1950s-1960s including those clothes worn for every day as well as those saved for best.

This garment is part of a larger gift of childrens clothes worn by a girl called Caroline (and some by her brother) spanning the mid 1950s-1960s. The range of clothing shows both the developments in fine quality brands, designs and fashions bought for her and available to many girls in the post war period and, through the increasing size and sophistication of the garments, charts Caroline own developments from a toddler through towards her teenage years.

B.298-2011