Sue Fowler – Fashion shows

Simon: Did you ever …the Fashion Shows have been something that people have spoken about as a sort of really quite a highlight and quite an event.

Sue: Yeah, there was quite …

Simon: Did you take part in those or were you a sort of a Dresser behind the scenes.

Sue: We dressed them (laughs).

Simon: How was that?

Sue: That was fraught at times (laughs). Yeah one person dressed, did one model (clears throat) unless there was a hiccup and then everybody went where they could go that would help out, but the thing was, we didn’t get paid for it either which was …(laughs)

Simon: Oh really.

Sue: No, we … I think you got something slipped in your wage packet occasionally but not that often. It would only happened once or twice a year.

Simon: And was that seen as quite a sort of a social moment.

Sue: Yeah, it was quite a social event. There was nibbles and wines I think for the customers, not for the staff (laughs).

Simon: Right, and they came down the staircase did they and then walked through the shop?

Sue: Yeah, they came down the front stairs and then round and up the back stairs to get back up to the top again.
Simon: Whereabouts was the Dressing Room then?

Sue: It was part of the Kitchen. It was all …

Simon: The Coffee Bean

Sue: … in the Underwear (coughs).

Simon: So, my understanding is that from the outside it all looked really calm and models are elegant and walking through, but behind it was ‘aaagh’.

Sue: Hat the wrong way round or something. There was somebody sort of checking as they went out to make sure that everything was right. If Mrs Barrow was around, she would do it, but usually she’d be off somewhere else and one of the girls would just adjust the hats and what have we and make sure they had their gloves. ‘Cos everything was done with gloves in those days.

Simon: Ok.

Sue: Yeah, white leather ones and …

Simon: Did you say your daughter modelled?

Sue: Yes.

Simon: For the fashion.

Sue: Yes.

Simon: What sort of age was she then?

Sue: Oh crikey. 20s, in her 20s, must have been.

Simon: That must have been quite a thrill for her to …

Sue: She was … very, not introverted, she was very shy I think. (clears throat). It took a lot. She did it and she carried on doing it but it took a lot. I didn’t have anything to do with persuading her ‘cos I thought if I do it, and it goes wrong, I shall get it in the neck (laughs) but I think Mrs Barrow actually talked her in to it eventually (clears throat).

Simon: Ok. It must have been a thrill for her to dress up in the fancy clothes.

Sue: She liked the clothes, yes, she did like … well, no most of the clothes. Some of them she said, “I’m not wearing that” but she did. She was very, very shy.

Simon: Did it bring it out of her, bring herself out of it?

Sue: It helped, yeah. She’s an Accountant now, as is my son and my son-in-law.