Historic Hawke's Bay: Hat's off to the girls

This photo of four women with their glamorous hats was taken around 1910 and was part of a series of photos which appeared to be taken in Hawke's Bay and at a vineyard.

An article appeared in the Hastings Standard (now Hawke's Bay Today) in 1910 which criticised many women's choice of hats by saying: "Small women disappear bodily under them, stout women accentuate their size, tall women look like Grenadiers of the Guard, and pretty women are swamped."

The latest fashion at the time was white hats with many being adorned with white flowers, such as Christmas roses or chrysanthemums.

If money was no object however, long, white ostrich feathers were used on the hats.

Many of the early women shopkeepers in Hawke's Bay were milliners, who sold hats. Furriers, which sold fur coats and accessories, were also commonly owned by women.

The longest running women's clothing shop in Hawke's Bay was started by Elizabeth Horn - who bought her business from Mary Garden, who started her shop around the 1920s.

Elizabeth added an "e" on the end of her shop name to give it more flair.

A regular column on feminine matters ran in the newspaper every week during 1910, which not only gave fashion advice but also commented on life as woman at the time.

A hot topic was inequality of salaries, where a woman was doing the same job as a man - why were they not paid the same, and why wasn't the government doing something about this?

It was also noted that men were starting to prefer "athletic women", but a warning was given that changing a woman's shape may be unflattering.

Michael Fowler will be speaking on a history of Napier's Marine Parade from the 1850s to 1933 at Duart House, Havelock North, 10am, April 17, 2013.