Actor Clare Leonard in the vintage 1940s dress she will wear in The 39 Steps, and the 'CC41' label that proves its authenticity.
Actor Clare Leonard in the vintage 1940s dress she will wear in The 39 Steps, and the 'CC41' label that proves its authenticity.
Centre Stage Taupō is gearing up for its latest production, but one star of the show didn’t even need to audition.
In May, the theatre company will stage Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, with a twist.
The actors on stage will be performing a live radio play of the classic, with music and perhaps mishaps along the way- all carefully planned and acted, of course.
The play-within-a-play is set in the 1940s, meaning vintage fashion was needed to set the scene.
Wardrobe manager Alise Dumble unearthed the perfect piece in Centre Stage’s archive; a British-made 1940s dress, complete with a label proving it was made in the rationing years around World War II.
“It was really exciting to find that in our wardrobe - I think it’s the oldest thing we have.”
Once the dress had been dusted off, catalogued and researched, the team wanted to put it to good use.
Happily, it fitted Clare Leonard, one of the show’s main cast, “like a glove”, meaning the dress instantly received a starring role in the production.
Director Kylie Dumble (left) and wardrobe manager Alise Dumble (right) are both vintage fashion fans.
Dumble said it was a fitting fate for the dress, which had made the long journey from the UK to New Zealand at some point during the past 70 years.
The key to tracing its time of production, said Dumble, was the discovery of a “CC41″ label in the back of the dress, confirming it was made as part of a scheme put into place during the UK’s rationing era.
During and after World War II, Britain faced labour and materials shortages as well as rising inflation.
Rationing was put in place for a range of goods over 13 years; most famously food, but also products like petrol, paper and clothing.
Similarly, rationing was in place in New Zealand between 1942 and 1948, largely to divert resources to the UK.
According to Te Papa, the first items to be rationed in New Zealand were sugar and stockings.
As in Aotearoa, British families were given coupon books, with a limited number of coupons per person in the household.
New clothes could only be purchased with coupons, with “prices” varying according to how simple the garment was and how necessary it was in day-to-day life.
The CC41 label, like the one found in Centre Stage’s dress, was a mark of quality used in the UK between 1941 and 1952 to show the buyer’s precious coupons were not going to waste.
The label showed the product met austerity standards, such as not using too many buttons or too much fabric, but also that it was high quality and would not shrink, unravel or leak dye.
The quality of the production was clear to see, Dumble said, as the dress was still looking good more than 70 years on.
The main mystery that remained was how the dress had come to be in Centre Stage’s collection.
Dumble said she would be interested to hear from anyone who might recognise the distinctive garment, perhaps from a grandparent’s house or old family photos.
In the meantime, she’ll be continuing to research the dress and other vintage items the theatre holds, along with her mum and fellow volunteer wardrobe manager, Sue Mrozinski.
“I’ve learned so much and I’ve only just scratched the surface.
“It’s what we love doing.”
Milly Fullick is a journalist based in Taupō. She joined theTaupō & Tūrangi Herald team in 2022.
