Marching Girl's dress

This marching girl's uniform is a good example of a distinctive element in New Zealand's dress and sporting culture.

Since the 1920s, New Zealand girls and young women have marched in precision formation in striking outfits. From the mid 1940s to the 1970s, marching became a major sport in which thousands of girls and young women marched in parades, competitions, and civic receptions for visiting royalty and dignitaries.

This dove grey uniform with contrasting mauve buttons and epaulettes was worn by members of the Gore Cavaliers senior marching team, which was led at the time by Diana Tait. The uniform was especially made for the 1959 season by Esther Richmond, with assistance from Diana's mother, Elsie Tait. It was worn with a fore-and-aft or garrison cap.

While the bodice of the one piece dress is fitted, the skirt is heavily gored, giving it plenty of swing as wearer stepped through her routine.

During competition, marching teams were judged not only on the preicion of their movements and ability to move as one, but also on their costumes. Although ‘Snappy uniforms, varying from shorts and blouses to short, pleated frocks, crossed by team ribbons’ were viewed as adding ‘colour and gaiety’ to marching events, (1) at competition level, the teams’ uniforms were judged 'not according to their elaborateness, but for neatness, cleanliness, simplicity, fit – and uniformity. Skirt length, tunic length, sock length, hat angle, all come in for the judges' critical glance’. (2) 

References

1. ‘Girls on March at Carlaw Park’, Auckland Star, 24 March 1945, p. 14.

2. Quoted in  Charlotte MacDonald, ‘Moving in Unison, Dressing in Uniform: Stepping Out in Style with March Teams’ in B. Labrum et al, Looking Flash: Clothing in Aotearoa New Zealand, AUP, 2007, p. 196