Spring 2012 - Dress and Textile Specialists

Figure 4 Mrs H’s Black coat with faux fur collar c. 1967
Figure 5 Mrs H wearing her fur coat and ‘gold’ jewellery c. 1960s
There was ‘…no love lost’ between Mrs H and her mother-in-law, she had been made to feel that she
was ‘…not good enough for her precious son’. Mrs H remembered how her mother-in-law enjoyed
showing they were a ‘…cut above the rest’ as shop owners which at this time, the 1950s and 60s,
was considered a class above working class. Wearing a fur coat, stole or fur accessories they felt
‘…better than the neighbours’ (Mrs H, 2011). Mrs H’s daughter-in-law remembers her wearing her
fur coat one day and the fur wrap the next so neighbours knew she had both. At this time clothes
mattered a great deal and were important class signifiers. As the lower classes gained access to
superior quality clothing, the middle-class shopper had to find other ways to distinguish him or
herself visually; wearing fur was one of the ways Mrs H chose to accent this distinction (Fig.5).
The black coat with white faux fur collar and large mother of pearl button featured in the exhibition
was worn by Mr H’s mother on many occasions, including her grandson’s graduation. Mr H’s mother
was very close to her own mother, they spent a lot of time together as they owned and ran a
successful grocers shop. They were close in ages and looked more like sisters than mother and
daughter. They regularly went on outings to resorts such as Blackpool wearing their fur coats. Casual
clothing is seen as being the ‘norm’ today but formal dress was the usual attire in the 1950s and 60s
for a day at the seaside.
Figure 6 Mrs H and her daughter c. 1960s
Figure 6 shows Mrs H and her mother on the promenade at Blackpool circa 1960s both wearing their
fur coats. A large emerald ring, known as the ‘…family jewels’ and passed down from mother to
daughter, can be seen on Mrs H’s left hand. When Mrs H eventually inherited the ring it was found
to be coloured paste and not the precious jewel her mother-in-law had always told her it was.
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