6. 1930's dressing gown.
The label on my father's dressing gown states that it was bought from Rufus Sanderson, of 18 Commercial Street, Leeds. It is a good example of his love of exuberant pattern and colour. Anything in our home that stood still for long enough was likely to be decorated; walls, ceilings or furniture. Grandma was treated to a design of large deer leaping amongst luxuriant foliage around the walls of her living room. My father's style owed much to that of the Omega workshop, quirkily innovative, joyful and rather slapdash. I took it all for granted as a child, it was just home and therefore normal. But when I became older and aware of other people's opinions I realised that the word, 'normal' was rather inappropriate!
How wonderful (?) to have a dad with that sort of taste.
ReplyDeleteSuperb. You could only have benefited from such individuality. I love that dressing gown. Leeds eh? I would have guessed Jermyn St!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic gown! Was your father quite bohemian in his ways general?
ReplyDeleteI thought that my father was all of the above, wonderful, superb and fantastic.
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't a bohemian, Gary, a practical, but very individual person with strongly held (and expressed!) opinions and a great joy of life.
And Leeds, Cro, was, and probably still is, a city with high sartorial standards. Our suits and coats were all tailor made. As a child I used to hate standing still whilst being pinned and chalked, but now would love have clothes made especially for me, (although I never got a pleated skirt because our tailor didn't 'do' pleats.)