This beguiling little shift dress was made by Phyllis Smith for her daughter Robyn Hall (nee Smith) to wear to a job interview at Society Fashions Ltd. Phyllis based this and many of her creations on patterns from The Australian Women’s Weekly. Robyn says she wore it with a pink short-sleeved cardigan, white T-Bar shoes, and a tan. The position was for a receptionist/house model, a common dual role at the time, and the interview even included an underwear check by a female employee. This dress represents the beginning of a nearly 50 year connection to the company. Robyn got the job and in 1974 married the boss, Bill Hall, to become the other half of a ragtrade legend. A similar dress with long sleeves was included in the winter range of that year. Read more about the history of home sewing in the New Zealand Fashion Museum publication Home Sewn.