Glancing Back At Summer A Horrockses Fashion Vintage Dress

This post was found abandoned in my ‘to be scheduled‘ list. Looking at the pictures it made me smile at the colour of the sky and the amazing summer of 2018. Slightly out of season I thought you might like to see another of my vintage dresses, this one by Horrockses Fashion.

Here I am proudly wearing my Horrockses vintage dress. I love these images, Marc snapped them whilst we were strolling through the fields, on our way to The Great Dorset Steam Fair. Oh happy days…

Vintage cotton Dress by Horrockses Fashions

A mini History:

Horrockses Fashions label launched in the late 1940s. The company began using their own cottons to produce ‘off the peg’ dresses which proved to be very fashionable. The Queen would famously wear Horrockses dresses on her first Commonwealth Tour.This is why the original designs are still much coveted today.

Then & Now the prices:

Back in the 1940s and 1950s, a Horrockses dress was the absolute epitome of style and sophistication. But at a price of £4-£7 in old money, roughly equivalent to around £80 – £130 today, it was also the sort of treat most ladies had to scrimp and save for.

Horrockses Fashions’ success was based on their use of quality cotton fabrics, cutting-edge textile designs and dress styles based on the latest catwalk fashions. The London-based design team, led by John Tullis, ensured the dresses were beautifully styled and cut from an extraordinary range of printed fabrics.

Horrockses Fashions acquired exclusive use of designs by leading British artists including Eduardo Paolozzi, Alastair Morton, Graham Sutherland and Pat Albeck. They also used their fashion brand to sell sheets and towels, with adverts making clever reference to the dresses.

In 2010 there was an exhibition of the dresses: I found the video to share with you…

There is also a lovely book that went with the exhibition In fact in the interest of research for the blog, I just bought it and cannot wait to read it…

We spent a happy few hours, walking around the Steam Fair, drinking cider and lapping up the sunshine. As we walked back home the sun was beginning to set, my idea of the perfect way to spend an afternoon.Wearing a fifty year old summer dress to The Great dorset Steam fair, well it doesn’t get any better than that!

More Posts, on wearing vintage:

Why I am writing about my Vintage collection

Another pink dress in another field

A Marks and spencer blouse that is almost as old as me!

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Linking up with Catherine for #iwillwearwhatilike