Shirtwaist dress
Production date
1940
Country
Australia
State/Province
Queensland
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Object detail
Description
A seersucker waisted cotton dress featuring peter pan collar, short sleeves gathered at shoulder, belt loops on either side of waistline, four-gore flared skirt, zippered front with hook and eye fastening at top and triangular pockets on sides at front. Label reads, "Players \ Regd \ Sportswear \ Brisbane". Fabric design features horizontal coloured stripes in orange, yellow, green, blue and red against a cream background.
Classification
COSTUME
COSTUME Daywear
COSTUME Daywear woman
COSTUME Daywear
COSTUME Daywear woman
Production date
1940
Production place
Measurements
Overall length - 1285mm
Bodice length (shoulder to waist) - 425mm
Skirt length (waist to hemline) - 860mm
Skirt circumference - 3595mm
Waist width - 335mm
Zip length - 580mm
Bodice length (shoulder to waist) - 425mm
Skirt length (waist to hemline) - 860mm
Skirt circumference - 3595mm
Waist width - 335mm
Zip length - 580mm
Media/Materials description
Cotton
Metal
Metal
Signature/Marks
Players \ Regd \ Sportswear \ Brisbane
History and use
This striped seersucker day dress was made by Players Sportswear, a Brisbane women's sportswear company founded by Dorothy Drouyn (Hansford) - State hockey player, champion athlete and swimmer - widely hailed as ‘one of the most spectacular and versatile athletes in Queensland’ of her time.
Established by Dorothy in 1932, with the financial support of her mother Elsea, Players Sportswear catered almost exclusively to sportswomen ‘designed with a view to utility without the sacrifice of feminine charm’.
Inspiration for Players’ up-to-the-minute fashions came from imported fashion magazines but predominantly from the latest Hollywood films shown at the Regent Theatre (one of the first Hoyts’ Picture Palaces from the 1920s) or Hawthorne Cinema, which Dorothy, a talented artist, attended each weekend without fail, sketchbook in hand.
In the first few years of the business’s operation, clothes were made-to-measure, with customers able to choose from a range of fabrics and have clothes tailor-made according to their particular body size and shape. As the business grew, so did the number of sales staff and seamstresses needed to supply customer demand – according to Denis Drouyn (Dorothy's nephew), by the late 1930s, Players’ staff numbers had grown to over sixty, including several women who worked from their homes.
Throughout the decade, under Dorothy’s supervision, Players continued to grow and flourish, offering fashionable sportswear and smart-casual clothing designs previously not available in Brisbane.
As far as can be determined, there are few surviving garments from this fashion business. From an historic perspective, the garments reflect the re-shaping by American sportswear designers of women’s ideas of fashion during the 1930s, a decade defined by global economic and political upheaval with mass unemployment and the looming threat of war.
After Dorothy’s death, the company continued for some time under the supervision of her mother and husband, Harry Hansford, whom she had married in 1934. From 1942 to 1945, as well as continuing to meet civilian demand for their dlothing, Players turned predominantly to making uniforms for service women, munitions plants and other defense needs.
The khaki fabric pieces are remnants of women's military uniforms which Players and Co turned to making in 1942 as part of the war effort.
Though clearly only a small representation of Players’ pre-1942 range of clothing, the collection nevertheless suggests the quality, range of fabrics and designs available to customers at that time.
Established by Dorothy in 1932, with the financial support of her mother Elsea, Players Sportswear catered almost exclusively to sportswomen ‘designed with a view to utility without the sacrifice of feminine charm’.
Inspiration for Players’ up-to-the-minute fashions came from imported fashion magazines but predominantly from the latest Hollywood films shown at the Regent Theatre (one of the first Hoyts’ Picture Palaces from the 1920s) or Hawthorne Cinema, which Dorothy, a talented artist, attended each weekend without fail, sketchbook in hand.
In the first few years of the business’s operation, clothes were made-to-measure, with customers able to choose from a range of fabrics and have clothes tailor-made according to their particular body size and shape. As the business grew, so did the number of sales staff and seamstresses needed to supply customer demand – according to Denis Drouyn (Dorothy's nephew), by the late 1930s, Players’ staff numbers had grown to over sixty, including several women who worked from their homes.
Throughout the decade, under Dorothy’s supervision, Players continued to grow and flourish, offering fashionable sportswear and smart-casual clothing designs previously not available in Brisbane.
As far as can be determined, there are few surviving garments from this fashion business. From an historic perspective, the garments reflect the re-shaping by American sportswear designers of women’s ideas of fashion during the 1930s, a decade defined by global economic and political upheaval with mass unemployment and the looming threat of war.
After Dorothy’s death, the company continued for some time under the supervision of her mother and husband, Harry Hansford, whom she had married in 1934. From 1942 to 1945, as well as continuing to meet civilian demand for their dlothing, Players turned predominantly to making uniforms for service women, munitions plants and other defense needs.
The khaki fabric pieces are remnants of women's military uniforms which Players and Co turned to making in 1942 as part of the war effort.
Though clearly only a small representation of Players’ pre-1942 range of clothing, the collection nevertheless suggests the quality, range of fabrics and designs available to customers at that time.
Associated person
Registration number
H50180
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