Hilda's halter-neck dress with mandarin collar and peacock motifs

This halter-neck dress from Hilda's was owned by Leonie Koenitz, who was one of the first fashion models trained in Singapore at Joan Booty and Ruth Warner's Mannequin Training and Charm School, which opened in 1956. Hilda's was a prominent fashion boutique and textile shop that opened along Orchard Road in the early 1950s selling fabrics and pattern sheets. By the 1970s, Hilda's had stores at Cold Storage Arcade, 392 Orchard Road, and Liat Towers and carried a range of local and imported ready-to-wear.