Beach print shirt & shorts with elasticated legs

These shorts were made by E L Riley Ltd, who were located on May Road in Mt Roskill, Auckland. The business produced industrial clothing, including more than 7000 pairs of Tufguy jeans a week. Owned by cousins Lionel and Harry Melzer, the company was in the unique position of holding a large number of fabric import licences in recognition of their work manufacturing uniforms during the war. By the 1960s, when these shorts were made, Riley was also designing garments for the fashion industry

Details

Credit: Garment loan courtesy of Kim Smith (shirt) & Cathy Dunn - Penelope Tree Vintage (shorts)
Copyright: Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 Licence
Designer: Robert Leek (shorts)
Maker: John Webster (shirt) & Riley Sportswear (shorts)
Manufacturing location: New Zealand
Garment type: Shirt & shorts
Material: Rayon (shirt) & cotton outer and lining (shorts)
Features: Tropical blue and pink print on shirt
Colour: Blue & pink
Exhibition: At the Beach: 100 Years of Summer Fashion in New Zealand October 2015 - February 2016.
Label: Mario Monti (shirt) & Riley Sportswear (shorts)
Date: 1960s