Permanent paid employment for married women was not a common condition until well after World War II.
Between the wars, however, a considerable number of women worked from their homes or from small businesses engaged in the manufacture of made-to-measure clothing. This was seen as an acceptable way of contributing to family finances or as a way of supporting themselves if widowed or unmarried. Many women preferred it to the alternatives of secretarial, shop or factory work.
In Whanganui, a fashion-conscious town, there were several such employment opportunities. Listed in the 1934 telephone directory were 13 drapers, two dressmakers, two ladies’ tailors, nine men’s tailors, four milliners, four gown specialists, three ladies’ outfitters, six men’s outfitters, a shirt manufacturer and a clothing manufacturer.
The current Outfit of the Month at the Whanganui Regional Museum is a flapper style georgette, tulle and silk evening gown which was designed and made in Whanganui by a “gown specialist” who ran her boutique at His Majesty’s Corner (now Majestic Square) on Victoria Avenue between 1926 and 1936.
The gown specialist was Mrs Dorothy Ward who was known, and marketed her business, by the name Lucille Ward, Gown Specialist. Lucille was her middle name. For name recognition, it also helped that Lucille Ward was the name of a popular American movie star who appeared in 140 films between 1915 and 1944.
