— Linen Chest and Paquerette
In 1940, mom got a job as manageress of the Linen Chest, a small boutique which originally sold hand-embroidered linen napery and silk lingerie from Swatow, as well as ivory and lacquer objects from around other places in China 😀
The shop was owned by Ronald Ramsey and his company, Carr Ramsey.
Obviously they had to close the business when the Japanese invaded but as soon as HK was liberated, Ronald got hold of mom and they opened the Linen Chest again.
I was surprised to find an article about Thomas Carr Ramsey, talking about an Englishman who arrived in China in 1874 and spent 54 years in China without going back to the old country for a break!
Thomas died in 1931 and was buried in Swatow. His son, Noel Ronald, continued to run the business in Swatow but, as the newspaper article shows, a large estate was left to him in Hong Kong.
This is the whole sadness of the matter … I met Ronald and his wife, Joanna, as a kid. My folks were good friends of Joanna and her sister, Izzy Gawler, who worked at Cambridge University.
We used to see Joanna and Izzy when we were in the UK during our leaves in 1957 and 1961, and I guess I could have asked my folks all about their friends as we got older but the interest was never there! I really don’t know what happened to Ronald … did he die or did he and Joanna get a divorce?
They were my parents’ friends, I was a kid & a teenager and finding out backgrounds about these people never crossed my mind until now, when it’s too late to ask and I have to try and find out this information on my own. Such a waste! 🙁
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It seemed to be de rigueur up until the 1970s for restaurants or bars to take photos of their patrons and then present them with the photo in a very nice folder. Then, all the people at the table would sign their names and date the photo for posterity’s sake 🙂
I have similar pictures taken in the early 1970s in Hong Kong but I honestly don’t know when that went out of fashion, if it did!
Still … onto fashion shows!
What better way for the Linen Chest to branch out into ladies’ fashion and accessories by organising fashion shows for various charitable events!
In December 1951, Ronald Ramsey sold Carr Ramsey and its affiliated companies, to a Dutchman named Rob Moor and his wife, Nella.
Mom stayed on as manageress and, over the years, Rob and Nella became good friends of my parents.
We had our first leave in 1953 and mom had to interview a replacement for her job since we were away from March 29 until November 28 😀
Mom got a lot of ideas while she went around London and the other cities we visited on the Continent to bring back to HK for the boutique.
Mom was always looking at ways to improve sales so she decided that the Linen Chest should branch out into ladies’ underwear which, in those days meant bras as well as corsets.
She went to San Francisco in 1954 in order to learn about “the art of fitting corsets” with Warner’s, which was a well known ladies’ underwear company.
I honestly can’t remember how long she was away for – she flew PAA from HK to San Francisco and in those days that trip must have taken 2-3 days at least! 😮 She must have stopped in Hawaii both times as on her return, she brought back a lei for daddy as well 😀
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A great article with pictures showing how elegant and glamorous travelling by Pan Am was back in the 1950s/60s 😀
Pan Am, when flying was first class
Now, I *think* — but am not 100% sure about this — that when Rob took over the company, he decided that Paquerette was a more attractive name for a ladies’ boutique than the Linen Chest. However it was still located at the same place — 3 Chater Road — at the time.
These two photos show mom and Lydia Britto, one of her sales ladies, outside the shop on Chater Road …
And this photo shows where Paquerette was in Gloucester Building – facing Des Voeux Road Central and almost next door, separated by a small laneway 🙂
Mom worked in the office, which was called Carr Ramsey, in Gloucester Building on the 3rd floor. It was fun to go up in the lift as it was an old fashioned one with grille doors and an operator, who knew me!
Mom’s secretary was Joyce Liddell, a gorgeous Australian lady whose husband, Eric, worked for the HK Telephone Co in Prince’s Building; and Joyce was so loved by all of us that Lindy asked her to be Matron of Honour at her wedding.
The Carr Ramsey accountant was a very competent and wonderful guy called Tony Tse. He worked for my mother from Linen Chest days until Paquerette was sold in the 1970s.
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However mom used to go down to the shop, if they were busy, or if she finished her work in the office 🙂
Each time we went on leave from 1957 onwards, mom used to go to suppliers and fashion houses to see the latest fashions in the States or Europe, then order dresses, coats and shoes for Paquerette.
During the early 1960s, mom used to employ me and a couple of my good friends to help out during sale time in the shop. It was good fun and great to get some money into my pockets 🙂
Lucy Furlani was a saleslady at Paquerette – she was married to Mr Furlani (his first name escapes me) who was a manager at the Repulse Bay Hotel – and she drew cartoons of customers in the shop and the salesladies’ reactions. It was so funny – you can download the pictures HERE 😀
My mother organised many fashion shows after the war to help different charities to raise money for their cause. You can read about them here …
Hong Kong Fashion Shows Which Lila Organised
1940-1970 ~ Linen Chest and Paquerette
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