150 years of Smith & Caughey's

In 1928, a reporter in the New Zealand Herald wrote: 'See how they march down Queen Street, this clear, fine winter day of July 1928, the mothers and misses of modern Auckland. Blithely they step out, unencumbered by any clinging masses of drapery about the limbs, striding along with a freedom born only with the present generation.

They all wear little hats pulled tightly down over their shorn heads, dresses without a waistline and an inch or so above the knee, and the rest is legs, silk-stockinged legs, pearl-grey, rose-beige, sun-blush, mushroom.

That same year, in their spring/summer catalogue, Smith & Caughey's featured numerous "dresses without a waistline" and pure silk stockings in a choice of 50 shades including sun tones and beige.

Whatever the fashion trend - tea gown, visiting frock, ready-to-put-on costume or flapper dress - Smith & Caughey's could always be relied upon to deliver. By 1928 the department store was one of the largest in the country, a far cry from the modest drapery opened in Queen St in 1880 by Marianne Caughey, an immigrant fresh off the boat from Northern Ireland.

The fact that the drapery was founded by a woman was quite remarkable for those times. Although she was soon joined by her husband William Smith and her brother Andrew Caughey, who formed a partnership, the decision to start the business, which is still owned by the Caughey family, was entirely Marianne's.

If shops could talk, Smith & Caughey's could tell many tales. The store's archives offer a glimpse, not only of fashion changes over the decades, but of Auckland's social history. As the city's population grew, the store expanded to cater for its needs. The present store is actually four separate buildings under one roof, with the original drapery at its heart.

Deemed very progressive by the local media, whatever Smith & Caughey's did in the early years generated interest. The installation of electric lights in 1900 was duly reported on, the writer marvelling that you could turn the lights on and off with the flick of a switch. In 1904, the purchase of a motor van to replace the horse-drawn delivery carts then in service also rated a mention.

If you own a vintage brass bed or a Minton tea-set that belonged to Great-Grandma, chances are they came from Smith & Caughey's. When the Government introduced state loans at reasonable rates of interest in 1894, it sparked a building boom.

All those new villas in Ponsonby and elsewhere needed furnishing, and who better to provide the creature comforts than Smith & Caughey's? The entire first floor was devoted to furniture, furnishings and household effects of every possible variety. You could buy anything from a pudding basin to a Persian carpet or a grand bookcase with cathedral glass doors.

In a photograph taken in the 1890s, Smith & Caughey's shares an advertising board on a horse-drawn tram with Flag Brand pickles and Akarana butter. An advocate of advertising from the very beginning, its relationship with the NZ Herald began in 1880 and continues to this day. The store's advertising style was so distinctive that when an imported knitwear ad in the Herald some years ago failed to mention the store name, customers knew where to go and the merchandise sold out within a day.

When wearing hats was de rigueur (up until the 1960s when they were ousted by big hair), Smith & Caughey's was renowned for its model millinery. If your budget didn't run to a Paris hat, or one from London, models designed and made in the store's own millinery workroom provided a less expensive alternative.

Should you wish to titivate last year's model, you were offered a selection of fancy trimmings which included feathers, veiling and artificial flowers. "A rose droop Madam? Personally, I think a lily trail would be more chic." If you're lucky enough to have a Smith & Caughey's hatbox in your possession, hang on to it. The hatboxes are now collector's items and rather rare.

"Respectable" women didn't wear makeup prior to World War I, so there was no reason for Smith & Caughey's to stock it. But as soon as makeup application became acceptable, the company set up a Toilet Goods department selling cosmetics, skincare, scented toiletries and perfume. Early favourites included Persian Eyeblack, a predecessor of modern eyeliner, Mirror Nail Polish, a pink paste in a tin for shining nails and Kissproof Lipstick whose very name heralded the arrival of a more permissive society.

The present-day Beauty Hall - completed in 1989 - was the first of its kind in the country. Gone were the formal counters and out-of-reach product displays. A new open-plan layout allowed the major beauty brands to interact with customers within their own unique environment. "Try before you buy" became the new mantra.

In more recent years, Smith & Caughey's has facilitated the New Zealand launch of brands such as M.A.C, Chanel Beaute, Bobbi Brown and La Mer, selling them exclusively for a period before they were made available elsewhere. The latest, the quirky American brand Benefit, was introduced earlier this year.

An abiding memory many women have of Smith & Caughey's is of the Fabric Hall, the inspiration for many a wedding gown, party dress, suit or coat, and the most profitable department in the store for almost a century. Auckland's early settlers made their own clothes, or had them made, creating a big demand for cloth.

Dressmaking skills were much prized. Seamstresses were encouraged to immigrate to the colonies, and it was considered more important for young girls, particularly in large families, to be able to sew than to read or write. When sewing machines came on the market, Smith & Caughey's sold those too - the same reputable American brand they used in their own workrooms. For many years the store also offered an in-house tailoring service for men and women.

The eventual decline of home sewing led to the gradual downsizing of the Fabric Hall and, finally, its closure in 2004.

Smith & Caughey's has survived two economic depressions (1880s, 1930s), two world wars, the 1918 influenza epidemic, restrictive import licensing and competition from boutiques and suburban malls.

It is the only one of Auckland's early department stores still in business, Milne & Choyce, John Courts, George Courts and Rendells having long since closed their doors. In the past 20 years, every department has undergone extensive refurbishment and those no longer relevant have been phased out.

Karen Walker, Miss Selfridge, Stolen Girlfriends Club and Armani Collezzioni are among the new key fashion players, fine foods and wine have been added to the mix and customers can shop online. Every Christmas for the past six years, the upper floor, once home to a select ladies' club, has been transformed into Santa's Enchanted Forest, visited each season by about 10,000 children.

The face of retailing has changed dramatically since 1880 but by making wise business decisions and not over-extending itself, Smith & Caughey's continues to thrive.