Ardour for Rankin Day all out of legs

By ROSALEEN MacBRAYNE

Today is Christine Rankin Day but some of the sisterhood will be opting for warmth ahead of "look at me" garb.

"You'd have to be brave - or foolish - to dress like her," one woman said.

Others claimed they were getting too old to hoist their hemlines or didn't have the legs for it.

An informal survey yesterday failed to find much support for an e-mail urging women workers to don short skirts and big earrings to show solidarity with the former Winz boss against sexist men.

Mrs Rankin, it said, should not be left to stand alone.

There were no queues at fashion stores for the Rankin look.

"We only have knee-length skirts," said Valerie Wilton of Glassons in Hamilton.

"I wouldn't wear a mini anyway. It's bloody cold here at the moment."

But the store does stock plenty of long, dangly earrings.

And an inquiry at Smith and Caughey's Queen St store in Auckland got an indignant response.

"Nothing like that whatsoever," said the staff member, then revealed that Christine Rankin was a customer there. "She is so delightful. I think she dresses okay."

And yes, the store does sell short skirts and long coats. What is more, bigger earrings are in.

Katies, now Miller's, where the head of the Prime Minister's department, Dr Mark Prebble, famously advised Mrs Rankin to buy her wardrobe, does not stock accessories and the skirts in its Queen St shop are longer.

If any workplaces are planning a stand against sexism today, PricewaterhouseCoopers in Auckland is not one of them. One of the 230 women on the staff said she hadn't heard anyone mention Christine Rankin Day.

"I think it's more of a Wellington thing. It has become so damned boring."

Most of the women in the office wore smart "corporate" pants instead of skirts and there were no long earrings to be seen.

A Winz spokeswoman was not aware of any staff planning to model their clothing on the former chief executive's.

"It's not really the weather for it."