Taonga: Howick Historical Village's Krissy Perrett has a wardrobe full of memories

Howick Historical Village general manager Krissy Perrett in one of the dresses she inherited from her great aunt's vintage fashion collection. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Howick Historical Village general manager Krissy Perrett treasures the legacy of her glamorous and inspirational great aunt, Doreen.

My biological grandmother Mary died when my mum was in her early 20s. Her sister Doreen became a surrogate mother to her and later a nana to me and my four brothers and sisters, although she's actually our great-aunt. We called her Deen.

She was an incredibly independent woman and didn't marry until her late 50s, which was quite rare in those days. When she was 15, she started a sales job at Smith & Caughey's and worked her way up, joining Armstrong & Springhall, selling typewriters in Fiji. She could apparently fix anything and was an amazing mechanic. If she was alive today, she'd probably have specialised in IT or software programming.

We were extremely close, and her strong sense of independence and love of fashion always inspired me. Deen was chic and very classic; she wore dresses and suits on all occasions throughout her life. She stayed extremely glamorous through her 50s, 60s and 70s, and over the years I borrowed and then eventually inherited a lot of her wardrobe after she died [at the age of 95].

There are about 25-30 pieces, from the 1920s through to the 1970s. She also had an amazing costume jewellery collection that my 5-year-old daughter loves to fossick through now. The quality of the clothes is amazing, and Deen kept them so beautiful as well. Mum used to be quite horrified when I'd wear the dresses to art school and get paint splashed all over them. But that's part of their story now, isn't it? I think there's something quite special about that.

Krissy Perrett's great aunt, Doreen, was an independent career woman with a sophisticated flair for fashion. Photo / Supplied

I have a long history with this particular dress and have worn it through different stages of my life: at a friend's 21st, at art school, and just recently to a friend's birthday party. That 50s style is so flattering, the way it comes in at the waist and flares out. I always wear colour – definitely not the black wardrobe of Auckland. I don't look like Deen but I think that absolute flair she had for life is something we share.

Deen wasn't your typical nana, making cookies. That wasn't her jam. But she loved soap operas. She lived just down the road from us — the house Mum lives in now — and I'd often feign illness and go down to watch a mountain of soap operas with her, beginning with The Young and the Restless at 11 and ending with Coronation Street at 2pm. I wasn't allowed to talk but in the commercial breaks she'd fill me in on all the drama.

Sadly it's getting to the point where not all her clothes fit me now. My hope is that my daughter will be interested one day and I can pass on the collection to her. She can put her own stamp on them and hopefully treasure them, as I do. Even at the height of my Marie Kondo phase, I couldn't bear to part with any of them because they hold so many special memories.

— As told to Joanna Wane

On March 27, Howick Historical Village is holding a summer soiree, an evening of live jazz, food and wine in the gardens, as part of the Summernova Festival. The heritage museum, which recreates the mid-to-late-1880s, has some big changes planned and is embracing the #cottagecore revival — check out the videos on its TikTok handle "howickhistoricalvillage".