Skirt
Production date
1950s
Description
A checked woollen waterproofed fashion Swanndri skirt, in shades of khaki, blue and pink. Size 30. Manufactured by John Mack Ltd in Waitara during the 1950s.
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Object detail
Artist/Maker
Production role
Manufacturer
Manufacturer
Manufacturer
Production date
1950s
Production place
Classification
Credit line
Puke
Ariki
has
a
significant
collection
of
Swanndri
material,
which
is
unsurprising
given
William
Broome
developed
the
Swannie
right
here
in
New
Plymouth.
Although
the
original
Swanndri
was
developed
to
keep
farmers
warm
and
dry
in
the
seemingly
endless
Taranaki
rain,
the
secret
waterproofing
of
the
wool
was
soon
used
to
keep
even
more
of
the
population
dry,
with
this
skirt
a
prime
example.
Trish Kelly remembers her mother Phyllis Heaphy wearing this skirt to play golf in Westport in the 1960s, and she would always take it off and change as soon as she came home. "She kept her clothes beautifully" Trish remembers. The skirt is in great condition because of this, with Trish remarking, "Looking at the hem, you wouldn't figure it was almost 50 years old, would you?".
The skirt came into the Puke Ariki collection after the Manager Heritage, Andrew Moffat, publicly appealed for anyone who had images of the skirt to come forward on TVNZ's Seven Sharp. Trish saw the piece, and thought "oh my gosh, I can do better than a picture - I can actually donate it to you!".
Trish Kelly remembers her mother Phyllis Heaphy wearing this skirt to play golf in Westport in the 1960s, and she would always take it off and change as soon as she came home. "She kept her clothes beautifully" Trish remembers. The skirt is in great condition because of this, with Trish remarking, "Looking at the hem, you wouldn't figure it was almost 50 years old, would you?".
The skirt came into the Puke Ariki collection after the Manager Heritage, Andrew Moffat, publicly appealed for anyone who had images of the skirt to come forward on TVNZ's Seven Sharp. Trish saw the piece, and thought "oh my gosh, I can do better than a picture - I can actually donate it to you!".
Accession number
PA2013.030
Collection type
Public comments
are you still looking for swanndri donations for your collection?
- Anke Hoggett-Schnebeck posted 9 years ago.