Part Three: An Interview with Bobi (Nicholas) Petch
jan.s: Bobi, as I've said before both you and Dinah Lee had 'the London look' more so than anyone else I can remember in Sydney in the '60s'. In fact you had your own look...and exuded cool...can you tell us about your interest in fashion and about the influences of any NZ designers...? Bobi:We made our own clothes as the Boutiques as such, didn't happen until 1962. Our stores carried great fabrics, and of course you chose the pattern, and could change things around as you went, of course we loved the mini - it got more mini by the minute...In Auckland The Casual Shop was really our first Mod Boutique, but only earning 4 - 5 Pounds a week, could only afford to look then, or buy on sale. Dinah hadn't arrived in Auckland, and Jacky Holme and I used to do summer and winter fashion parades, we had that look. Bobi, Billy Thorpe, Jacky Holme Jacky had already cut my hair into the bob, with huge dressmaking shears - Dinah put that ...
