Fashion & Textiles

Cotton shirtwaister dresses like this look simple from a distance. However, on closer inspection the dress features some classic Horrockses Fashions designs. From the banded stripes in white and yellow, geometric dots to an illustrated black musical instrument print. The small yellow buttons and matching belt pull the look together combining smartness, fun and practicality!

The style is typical of the kind of dresses that were so popular with Horrockses Fashions’ customers as they were suitable for almost any daytime occasion. This dress was made in the 1950s and was purchased by the donor from a shop in Preston.

This unusual Horrockses Fashions day dress is an example of where the brand, famous for their stylish printed floral designs, occasionally deviated from their usual style. The collared tartan dress is made of cotton, instead of the more usual wool, and is patterned in the weave rather than by print. The tartan design has been brightened up by the use of colours such as yellow and fuchsia pink, making it a bit more exciting and less traditional.

The dress is also cut on the bias, a technique where the fabric is cut diagonally, and uses more fabric. This technique often means a dress will hang more delicately on the wearer, giving the dress a more interesting and flattering effect.

The attention to detail in the design and cut of this dress is what helped earn Horrockses Fashions their reputation in the 1950s where they gained in popularity. This particular dress was bought at Nottingham House on Fishergate in Preston by the donor and was donated to the Harris in the 1970s.

This cinnamon brown Horrockses Fashions cotton shirtwaister dress was produced to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. The dense pattern is made up of the hand-written words ‘Elizabeth Regina 1953’ printed all over the fabric.

The small repeating letters and the spaces in-between form a fine pattern against the taupe ground colour. Lots of commemorative textiles such as tea towels were produced to mark the Queen’s coronation in 1953 but few are as sophisticated as this dress!

The dress was acquired directly from Horrockses Fashions at their London showroom by the donor who knew John Tullis, Horrockses senior in-house designer, which meant she able to buy the dress for a bargain cost price!

This pretty pink cotton halter neck sun dress is printed with a yellow and white tulip pattern, it also come with a matching bolero and belt.

The dress was designed by Joyce Badrocke, who was the in-house designer for Horrockses Fashions. This particular Horrockses fabric print in blue was chosen by Queen Elizabeth II for her 1953-4 tour of New Zealand. The design wouldn’t have been made available to the public until after she had worn it!

The donor purchased her version of the dress at Nottingham House on Fishergate in Preston in 1954 to wear for her honeymoon.

This Horrockses Fashions printed dress with ruched bodice is made of white cotton with a black printed honeycomb net pattern and imitation lace design. It comes with a sleeveless jacket in a matching design.

The dress was worn by the donor in the 1960s and was bought for her by a family friend who went on regular shopping trips to London. The donor was brought up in Wirral but knew of the famous and well known Horrockses Fashions brand as her father was from Lancashire.

She would regularly wear the dress for nights out when attending dances in the Chester and Liverpool area to venues such as Quaintways, Clemences and Reeces and said she “always had a good time in this dress”.

Horrockses Fashions were famous for their floral dresses, but more unusual patterns were also part of the company’s repertoire.

This cotton sun dress with a rouched and boned bodice, full skirt and a matching sleeveless bolero jacket was worn in the early 1950s and purchased from a department store in St Anne’s.

It was designed and worn at a time when food rationing was still in place in Britain until the mid-1950s. The types of food illustrated include asparagus, quiche and artichoke, all of which must have appeared very exotic to people living off wartime rations. You can also spot other foods in the design including cherry pie, apples, cheese, asparagus and even a boiled egg!

In the 1970s Bianca Jagger made the white trouser suit a fashion statement. Mrs Cheadle of Longton was rocking a similar look on nights out in Preston! Mrs Cheadle and her husband donated several examples of their 1970s clothes to the museum in the 1990s. This cream trouser suit John Travolta style outfit is by fashion label Spinney.

This red plaid dress was handmade by Ruby Barden in the 1930s. Mrs Barden worked at Dick, Kerr’s in Preston and was a keen dressmaker. She used the backroom of the family home as her workspace to make clothes on her Singer Sewing Machine. She bought her fabrics from local markets and stored all them in the children’s bedroom. Her daughter said that this was her favourite dress and that she had been very proud to have made it herself, it comes with a matching jacket and shawl.

This shift style evening dress was sold at Krafchik in the 1960s although it never actually found a buyer! Krafchik was a Preston boutique established in 1918 by Polish emigrants Nettie and Benjamin Krafchick on Cannon Street. The couple were originally from Konin in Poland. In 1977 Krafchik was closed and the unsold stock came to the Harris to add to the collection.