A forgotten Dublin department store with a matriarchal heritage
Slyne & Co. was at the forefront of a changing Dublin landscape from its founding in the late 19th century until its decline in the 1960s.
by Erin Frumet
Freeman's Journal, 13 November 1918
Slyne & Co was founded in 1885 by a husband and wife team, William and Rose (née Geoghegan) Slyne. William Slyne started his career as a Buyer and Manager of the Dress and Costume Departments at Brown, Thomas, and Co. Marketed as moderately-priced and high- quality, Slyne & Co. was the more approachable neighbor to Manning's. They quickly gained popularity, becoming one of the leading dress establishments in Dublin.
Dublin Daily Express - Wednesday 25 February 1885
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Portraits of Rose and William Slyne, courtesy of Maura Frenn
This ad helps it to give a bit more insight on what shopping was like at high-end Grafton St. establishments like Slyne. Instead of browsing racks with multiple sizes, there would be single garments bought directly from abroad in the latest styles. These would be copied to your exact measurements and taste by a skilled dressmaker.
Irish Times - Wednesday 06 May 1885
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Below are their illustrations of available fashions from Weekly Freeman's Journal, April 1887:
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They were so successful, in fact, that they were able to build a larger, more fashionable establishment just down the road. In March 1890, their new store opened on 71 Grafton Street. This building is still in use today, and is one of the most beautiful storefronts on Grafton Street. The Irish Society, 22 March 1890, described their new shop as follows:
The outside, of red stone, is in Gothic style, and we can safely say is the most imposing establishment in the decorating and fittings. The ceilings are of pitch pine, the windows bordered above with stained glass, the pillars and carved bannisters and doors are black and gold, the upper portion of the stone walls, carved in foliage and the monogram of the firm. Massive fixture wardrobes, with sliding panels of plate glass, combine use and ornament. The millinery showrooms on the second floor is also decorated in black and gold, and has handsome fixture mirrors on the walls. The health and comfort of the large staff of workers has been carefully looked after by the erection of spacious workrooms at the top of the house which are ventilated on the newest sanitary principles. The fitting-rooms for ladies are furnished most comfortably, and all draughts excluded by heavy plush hangings. Yesterday the establishment opened with a new stock direct from Paris. Ladies will find it to their advantage to inspect these goods, which, although of first-rate quality and style, are very moderate in price.
Exterior of 71 Grafton Street, 1960. Photo taken by Cyril Smith, courtesy Maura Frenn.
Dublin Evening Mail - 17 March 1890
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Unfortunately, only 9 months later, Mr. Slyne died of typhoid fever on Christmas Eve, 1890. Now a widow with five young children, Rose Slyne became the sole proprietor of the shop. She was well-respected, and a role model for young women who wanted to make a successful career in fashion. One of these women wrote into the fashion advice column in the Social Review (2 May 1896) , apparently asking for their advice on how to gain employment there:
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From 1890, Slyne and Co. becomes a major fixture in the "Drawing Rooms" of Dublin Castle, dressing debutantes alongside Manning and James Forrest. The Social Review includes descriptions of what everyone was wearing (and sometimes even illustrations!) and the ones from Slyne and Co. sound stunning. Here are some dress descriptions from a Drawing Room hosted by Countess Cadogan in 1896:
The Social Review - Saturday 22 February 1896
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Mrs. Slyne is recommended frequently in the fashion advice column of the The Social Review during this time, with an emphasis on Slyne and Co.'s "tailor-mades". Tailor-mades were menswear-inspired jacket and skirt sets made by a tailor instead of a dressmaker during the Edwardian period, and this was Slyne and Co.'s specialty. We can get a glimpse of how much this might have cost from a blurb in the Irish Times from November, 1906, which lists the price as 4 guineas. This would be the equivalent of £329.99 in 2017 (according to this historical currency calculator).
Irish Times - 13 November 1906
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Although there are no known extant examples of Slyne & Co.'s tailor-mades, this one from William St. Pierre Limited in Montreal (c.1900) is probably very similar to what they would have looked like.
Image from McCord Museum, Canada. Object Number M977.44.2.1-2
In 1906, we find the first mention of Rose's daughters helping out with the family business. There are numerous mentions of them returning from buying trips abroad.
Irish times - 11 May 1906
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A New Era
By the time of Rose's death in 1921, her daughters Kathleen and Eileen were running the business. Eileen worked as secretary, and Kathleen was the Managing Director of Slyne & Co. Kathleen was a talented businesswoman, and lead the company into the 20th century. Although we do not have a firsthand account of her experience running the company, the drastic changes to their business model around this time can most likely be credited to Kathleen.
Kathleen and her family, c.1920s. Courtesy of Maura Frenn
In the early 1910s, Slyne and Co was thriving as a supplier of "Drawing-Room" and Court Dresses for presentations at Dublin Castle. This was a time of increasing political unrest in Ireland, and the push for separation from British rule was at a tipping point. As the decade progressed, almost all advertisements and mentions of Slyne disappear from about 1914 to 1917, most likely due to the reduced state of court-sponsored events. Kathleen's husband at the time, Charles Hyland, was shot and killed during the Easter Rising on April 27, 1916. Charles, a dentist, was shot in his garden after having tended to the wounded during the rising. (1)
In 1918, Slyne emerges back onto the scene with a bit of a rebrand. Gone were society mentions and court dresses, and in their place were two new departments: "Fascinating" lingerie and childrenswear.
This isn't to say that they abandoned womenswear. Not only were descriptions of their styles featured weekly in the Irish Society newspaper, but illustrations proliferated at this time. The Slyne and Co. customer was trendy and glamorous, but also practical. Slyne and Co. was turning into a one-stop-shop for all of your millinery and clothing needs. The below illustrations are from 1918 - 1919, anticipating the straighter silhouettes of the 1920s.
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From 1920 to 1924, Slyne & Co. hit their stride. Consistently featured in the fashion columns of Irish Society newspapers and mentioned in the bridal trousseau descriptions of so many fashionable weddings, Slyne was leading the fashionable pack of 1920s Dublin. However, this was still in the midst of the war - in 1922, their secretary applied for financial compensation for damage to the shop: "Plate glass broken due to gun and rifle fire at 1 and 2 Harry Street in the first week of September 1922; damage to goods due to fire and bombs at Gresham Hotel, Dublin on 1 to 7 July 1922."(source)
Illustration published in The Tatler, 12 September 1923
© Illustrated London News Group
Vintage Slyne & Co. packaging - image courtesy Maura Frenn
In 1923, Slyne & Co. ventured into Sportswear - the earliest sportswear being knitted sweaters and easy to wear suits:
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Slyne continues to be mentioned in society pages throughout the 1930s and 40s, and maintains their reputation as a high-end fashion boutique. They are frequently mentioned in bridal announcements and other formal events where dressmakers are mentioned.
1930s Slyne & Co. Ltd ads.
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Possibly the only surviving dress from Slyne & Co is from the 1930's. Found and preserved by Dirty Fabulous Fashion in Dublin, this dress is made of satin and gold lace and showcases the best of early to mid-1930s styling.
All photos from Dirty Fabulous
During the rationing of the late 1930s and early 40s, Slyne offered "coupon" rates for garments. This rationing was a huge upset to the clothing industry in Ireland, sparking protests across the country.
Both clippings above from the Irish Independent, 1942
© Independent News and Media PLC.
Slyne & Co. ads from the 1940s
Slyne & Co. ads from the 1950s
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Kathleen stepped down from her position as managing director in 1955. She continued other pursuits, such as managing "The People", a Wexford newspaper, until her death in 1957 (1).
In 1959, Slyne and Co. comes under new management and attempts a modern rebrand for changing 1960s Ireland.
Although the new owners tried to re-invigorate the shop with up-to-date advertising, the shop must have seen a decline throughout the 1960s. By the 1970s, Slyne & Co. disappears from the record, and by 1986 the storefront is taken over by a fur repair shop. It appears that without the expert steering of Kathleen, Slyne's wasn't able to keep up with the changing times.
Drogheda Argus and Leinster Journal - Saturday 02 November 1963
© Independent News and Media PLC.
Slyne's Legacy
Slyne & Co. stands out as an anomaly in Dublin fashion history not only because their adaptiveness to social change, but also because of their continual female leadership. While the 1922 Irish Free State Constitution guaranteed equal rights for all citizens, the government's adherence to Catholic ideology began to restrict the rights of women in the mid-late 1920s (2). In 1925, the Civil Service Regulation Bill prevented women from applying for Civil Service jobs. In 1933, a marriage bar was introduced requiring any female teachers (and other civil servants) to resign from their positions upon marriage (3). The marriage bar for teachers was lifted in 1958, and for civil servants in 1973.
During this time, the reported number of women with paid employment in Ireland was around around 30%, although this number may be misrepresentative of the actual experience of women in Ireland during this time (4).
These social developments happened alongside the trajectory of Slyne & Co.'s woman-lead department store. Although they were somewhat of an anomaly, the case study of Slyne & Co. shows that women in early 20th century Ireland were more active and ambitious than statistics may show.
Special thanks to Maura Frenn, who contributed insightful personal photographs and family history to this article.
If you have more information related to Slyne & Co. or images of extant garments, please email us at thelibertiesarchive@gmail.com! We would love to hear from you and update this article.
Sources + Additional Reading:
“Mrs. Hyland-Channing, Dublin.” Wicklow People, December 28, 1957.
Caitriona Beaumont (1997) Women, citizenship and Catholicism in the Irish free state, 1922-1948, Women's History Review, 6:4, 563-585, DOI: 10.1080/09612029700200154
O’Leary, Eoin. “The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation And The Marriage Bar For Women National Teachers, 1933-1958.” Saothar 12 (1987): 47–52. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23196053.
Elizabeth Kiely & Máire Leane (2004) ‘What would I be doing at home all day?’: oral narratives of Irish married women's working lives 1936-1960, Women's History Review, 13:3, 427-445, DOI: 10.1080/09612020400200402 https://doi.org/10.1080/09612020400200402
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