Hallmark of style
Lorraine Hall may have spent her life in contemporary fashion, but she also has a respect for the past.By Katherine Robinson. Photo by Lucia Zanmonti.
In the 1870s, great grandparents of Greytown designer and fashion store owner Lorraine Hall stepped off a boat from Denmark and trekked the rugged 135km from Wellington to Eketahuna. They were among a resilient community of Scandinavians who felled the Forty Mile Bush. It’s not too fanciful to imagine that if they had ever made a return trip to Wellington 20 years later, they might have dropped in to pick up a loaf from a bakery in the heart of Greytown.
“It interests me that they would have been in the Wairarapa beforeDuff’s Bakery and home was built in 1893,” says Lorraine, who runs home and business – fashion store Hall – in that same building fronting Main Street.
There have been some changes in its 137-year history, including a sensitive contemporary extension housing the store, but the original character is still intact. As a trustee of the Greytown Heritage Trust, Lorraine believes in preserving and celebrating the town’s unique features, particularly on Main Street which makes up Greytown’s Historic Precinct.
“I’ve got a real interest in heritage. We should preserve what we have for future generations. Lots of people come to Greytown because they love the look of our town. We have to be careful to ensure the town can grow but in a careful, planned way. It can all come down to details – choices of lighting, landscaping, signage or building materials.”
Born into the rag trade, her mother a seamstress, Lorraine was destined for a life in fabrics and fashion. As a young mother, Lorraine tutored sewing for REAP and at Waiarapa College night-school classes.. She went on to design and produce her own label, Hall, championing natural fibres such as linen, cotton and New Zealand wool. Difficulty sourcing quality fabrics forced her to end her designing of the label but her style and attention to detail are evident in her well-curated store.
“I like simplicity of design and fabric is very dear to my heart. As a fashion designer with a background in sewing, I’m always very aware of the finish on a garment. I think sometimes the clothing reps are surprised when I look so closely at a garment’s cut, fabrication and construction.”
Her eye for detail encompasses her house and garden – behind the shop’s fire door. Lorraine, who “loves a project” had a massive one on her hands when she moved here seven years ago. Re-piling the building along with refurbishing the shop were priorities, the house’s Victorian character slowly revealing itself beneath a veneer of 1980’s decorating. Now, it’s a welcoming space – Scandinavian and contemporary in its simplicity – with objects full of meaning for her and her family.
The peaceful courtyard garden, ‘Dogwood Hall’, featured in the recent Pūkaha Wairarapa Garden Tour, and 2019’s NZ House & Garden Tour. Largely designed by Lorraine, it’s a private haven where in the evening you can hear the song of a resident Ruru, a guardian of Stella Bull Park across the road.
A trip with family to Denmark to explore that Scandinavian heritage – has been put on hold thanks to Covid 19. Meanwhile, she and Coco, the family’s laidback chocolate labrador, look forward to enjoying the quintessential Greytown pleasures of shop, home and garden.
