Dress

This dress was bought in 1967, when mini skirts were at their shortest. The dress has a yoke ornamented with buttons and voluminous sleeves; features which foreshadow the influence of Victorian styles, that became popular in the 1970s. However, its day-glo colour makes the dress very much of its day.

The dress bears a Dollyrockers label, one of the many brands produced by Samuel Sherman. Born around 1911, Sherman's first label was Sambo, established in the late 1940s and known during the 1950s for its floral shirtwaist dresses. In 1963 he added Dollyrockers, a label for teenagers and young women specialising in 'dresses in man-made fibres'. According to The TImes newspaper of 11 July 1968, Dollyrockers were so successful that Sherman's profits rose from £2,300 in 1963 to £223,000 in 1967. There was also Dollyknits and Super Dolls, the latter producing clothes for larger women. Under the labels 'Colin Glascoe' and 'Concept', Sherman sold more high-end fashion.

During 1964, Dolcis shoes were advertised with matching pieces from the Sambo and Dollyrockers labels using the model Pattie Boyd. Having become famous as the 'Smith's Crisps Girl', Boyd had recently started to go out with Beatle George Harrison, which aided the campaign's success. Dollyrockers continued to trade in the 1970s. The Samuel Sherman company was dissolved in July 1991.