New Acquisition: Horrockses Fashions Dress
The Harris recently accepted into its fashion and textile collection a beautiful Horrockses Fashions cotton summer dress with original matching belt. The dress was gifted by a Mrs Margaret Clarke of Kendal. A member of Margaret’s family contacted the museum, asking if we would like the dress. After taking a closer look, our Decorative Art Curator Scott decided it would be a fantastic addition to our beloved Horrockses Fashions collection, the largest museum collection in the UK.
The Dress was purchased in Duckworth’s, a popular fashion store in Kendal, in about 1957. Margaret paid around £5 for the dress which is the equivalent of £150 today. Green is one of Margaret’s favourite colours, so she was immediately attracted to this dress and its interesting colour combination and pattern. She remembers feeling very comfortable in the dress and loved how it not only washed well but also was very flattering on her figure.
The dress is very well travelled as Margaret’s husband Gordon was in the RAF and the couple spent some time stationed in Australia. Margaret took this dress ‘down under’ with her as she knew Horrockses’ excellent quality cotton would keep her cool in Australia’s hot climate.
Margaret loved wearing Horrockses and had 5 or 6 Horrockses Fashions dresses in her wardrobe throughout the 1950s and 60s. The Harris is now very lucky to be able to share Margaret’s story and preserve her Horrockses Fashion dress for future generations of fashionistas.
Harris Your Place
Harris Your Place is a £16 million project set to restore and reimagine the Harris for 21st-century audiences as a cultural learning space. The aim of this project is to protect the building and the architecture for future generations whilst enhancing accessibility options and positioning the Harris as a community hub for Preston and Lancashire.
The capital project is more than simply preserving this much-loved building; Harris wants to ensure that it remains a vibrant heart of the community. A place where people want to spend their time.
