Was anybody else devastated to learn that fashion chain Katies will close its doors forever this month?
Their parent company, Mosaic Brands, is in voluntary administration and Katies has been axed, which I found surprising as it sounds like their other brands – eg Millers, Rockmans, Rivers, Noni B, etc – will still be around although with a vastly reduced number of stores.
With Katies first opening in 1956 (according to its own website, though other news sites report it as 1954), long before I was even thought of, it’s been a part of my life and wardrobe pretty much ever since I first become “fashion aware“.
My First Katies Experience
I was in that awkward stage – too big for children’s sizes, but no boobs yet which would enable me to move into adult fashion – when Mum took me on a rare shopping trip to Katies at Toombul Shoppingtown, I think as a birthday treat (my birthday is in January). It was the early 80s so pastels were all the rage, and I was so excited to come home with my first items from a “real” women’s fashion store – a pair of aqua pedal pushers and a striped top in aqua, peach and lavender. I definitely remember it was my outfit of choice for going roller skating back in the day!
No photos from back in those days sadly.
Katies for Workwear
By the next summer I’d grown and the pedal pushers no longer fit, plus as I was about to turn 15 and keen to look for a part-time job, I was in need of some suitable workwear. Advertisements from the 70s and 80s show that Katies built its reputation on providing stylish, affordable workwear so once again it was the natural choice.
This time I came home with a lavender straight skirt with a kick pleat (which matched my existing striped top), as well as a white knit sleeveless top and matching lavender and white short sleeve cardigan to dress it up a bit, and a shirt dress. I thought I was it and a bit, and although it was nearly a year before I landed my first part-time job (in a jewellery store), I loved wearing my new grown up ensemble to church 🙂 .
Katies continued to provide my working wardrobe right up I fell pregnant with my first and then went on maternity leave in 1994. I didn’t return to the paid workforce until 2002, so safe to say I didn’t shop at Katies much during that period.
In recent years Katies has changed its focus, some saying that it was cannibalising some of Mosaic’s other brands – all of which seemed to be aimed at the older demographic (yep, even older than me!). I checked my wardrobe just now and there weren’t many items of Katies origin – maybe five tops, a party dress, and a deep red jacket which I wear a lot for work in the cooler months. Certainly not as much as I thought there would be.
Rockmans is another store that’s been around for yonks, I can remember it from my days working in the city. It also used to be one of my favourites but the last few years not so much, I didn’t like the cheap nylon-y fabrics and patterns they’d been stocking.
Most of my current wardrobe seems to come from Jacqui E (workwear), Suzanne Grae (weekend wear), TK Maxx, and Target – and if I’m typical of others in my age group, you can see why Katies and its sister brands have struggled to stay afloat.
I popped in to my local Katies last week, just to see if there was anything of interest – but came home empty handed.
Nevertheless, I’m saddened to think that such an iconic Australian brand will be no more, and that I’m kissing Katies goodbye forever.
Share with me one of your Katies memories in the comments below!
