Australia's Lost Department Stores IX: McDowells (Spring & Summer 1941-42)

McDowells was one of Sydney's smaller department stores, and like so many others, began as a drapery in the 19th century.  It was founded as John McDowell and Partners in 1889, and became McDowell and Coogan in 1893 when one of the original partners dropped out.  In 1895 it became McDowell and Hughes, when Hughes bought out Coogan, finally becoming McDowells Ltd in 1917.  

McDowells prided itself of old-fashioned service and providing value for money.  Staff often spent their whole careers there, and discipline was considered to be firm, but fair.  (That didn't stop one enterprising manager stealing 70 dozen pairs of stockings from his employer in the early 1920s!)  Notably, McDowells refused to reduce the pay of its employees during the Great Depression.

McDowells did a lot of business via mail-order catalogue, which brings me to this publication from 1941.

The front cover hopes "for a brighter year!" but history tells us that they would be disappointed.  Meanwhile they were advertising a "FROCK you will love to wear to any function" in "SHEER GEORGETTE", a "FLORAL FROCK" in crepe with a silhouette "emphasised by the drama of a WHIRL OF PLEATS", a "WASHING FROCK attractively styled in ... a good quality LINEN LIKE FABRIC" and lastly, a dress cut with "9 complete Gores" in a "Flower-splashed distinctive SUEDE CREPE".

It's a fairly good selection of early wartime fashions, but as wartime economies bit clothes would become less generous in their use of materials.  Tucks, pleats and 9-gored skirts would no longer be allowed.

Another selection of fashions from inside the front cover of this catalogue.  There are hints (apart from the price) that they are intended for special occasion or "best wear".  At the top left we have a "SOPHISTICATED ENSEMBLE", and at the bottom a dress trimmed with white lace and "prettily embroidered with flowers".  McDowells boasts that the dress at the bottom far right is made of the "NEW ALL BRITISH MATERIAL "MERRIESPUN"".

If the material making these clothes was good, then they would probably be preserved for years to come or made over into other garments when they could no longer be worn as they were.

Women would be moving into factories and the fields, but McDowells advertised clothes for women in the home.  At left, three housecoats.  At right, two wrap-over style overalls.  At bottom, aprons.  Fabrics with small repeating floral patterns would remain popular through the war years and beyond.  They not only made it possible to use material more economically (it not being so important to match the prints when cutting out fabrics) but also made it easier to camouflage spots and stains on older garments.

The inside back cover shows some less expensive summer dresses: "GARMENTS YOU COULD WEAR WITH PRIDE IF YOU PAID TWICE THE PRICE!"  Moving from left to right we have a dress with a "generous skirt" in "lovely CARNATION CREPE", a "fascinating printed Diamond Design", a "charming sporty-styled frock in a myrid dotted Fine Crepe", a "brightly colored STRIPED FLORAL PRINT" and a "FLORAL FLAT CREPE FROCK".

The back cover reminds shoppers that there's "No Need to Be Extravagant THIS SEASON".  Going clockwise from the top left is a "Cool, Gay MULTI-COLORED SPOTTED FROCK" with a contrasting white collar, and "Pretty Frock of Floral Sheer" with a wide midriff.  Next to it is a dress with a "Silver Applique worked Corselette waist and an intricately cut Skirt.  The figure on the bottom left wears a dress with a "stitched-down Pleated Skirt", next to it is a dress of satin-back crepe with "generous Golden Cornella work" on the shoulders and waistband, and lastly is an EMBROIDERED 2-PIECE SUIT".

As time went on, McDowells was affected by wartime shortages (as was every other retailer).  Its catalogue from 1943 seems a pale shadow of this one.  However, it remained a very profitable business throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s.  In the early 1960s it started to move into the suburbs, with branch stores opening in the Sydney suburbs of Hornsby, Caringbah and Dee Why.  It remained in the hands of the McDowell family until 1972 when it was taken over by Waltons.  The city store had ceased trading in 1971, and was demolished soon after by its new owners.