Outfit of the Month for October at the Whanganui Regional Museum is a delicate pale pink cotton organdie evening dress, complete with a Peter Pan collar and charming embroidered flowers adorning the sash and skirt.
This elegant piece was handcrafted in 1944 by Mrs Alice Free (nee Perry) for her daughter Patricia Hazel Forsyth (née Free), who was around 20 years old at the time.
The dress was generously donated to the museum by Patricia herself and stands as a testament to the fashion of the era. Patricia wore the dress despite not being particularly fond of it, and it now finds its place among the museum’s notable collections.
Regular followers of the Outfit of the Month series may remember Patricia’s halter-neck dress and matching jacket, which was featured in March 2023. That dress, made of pale pink cotton chintz, accompanied Patricia during her 1953 voyage to England aboard the RMS Rangitiki.
Patricia’s life story is one woven with a rich history. In 1948, she married David Forsyth, with whom she had two children. Later, in 1970, she inherited the historic house Beccles in Bulls from her godmother, Pattie Levett, where she lived until 1998.
