This versatile piece was worn with cork wedge shoes and either buttoned to above the knee as a dress or left open below the waist over pants (in orange of course). Ruth Shepherd was living in Wellington at the time and made the dress for the Dine and Dance era of the late 1960s and early 1970s. When she looks at it she can still vividly recall the "very sore fingers from making all the covered buttons and loops". Ruth learned sewing at home and at intermediate school, then decided to undertake formal training and earned 
a certificate in Fashion and Design in 1993. This has led to new projects such as the replica costumes she created from artworks in the Aigantighe Art Gallery, Timaru. Read more about the history of home sewing in the New Zealand Fashion Museum publication Home Sewn.