The IH Hawaii Dress

Here’s a neat find from the recent Red Power Round-Up – an authentic IH dress! This dress belongs to Doug and Connie Etzkorn, who were kind enough to let me try it on. What a gem!

Details on this dress are hard to come by. My best guess is that it is from the 1957 IH Dealer’s Convention, a huge event which included many levels of incentives for IH dealers who met or exceeded their sales goals. According to a 1957 press release (courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society), a ten-month sales campaign culminated in a trip to Los Angeles for more than 600 dealers and their wives.

For the 131 dealers who had exceeded their sales projections by 60% or more, the excitement continued with an all-expense-paid 5-day trip to Hawaii. What a treat! My sources indicate that this dress and matching shawl was made for that special event, along with coordinating shirts for the men. It’s a little unclear who received them (all attendees, or just the workers?), but they make a fabulous collector’s item today!

The material is full of 1950s flair – palm trees, tropical flowers, happy couples receiving leis, a United Airlines plane, and the words “Tom McGuire welcomes you” and “Nellie McGuire welcomes you.” The IH logo is, of course, scattered throughout the print as well.

While the dress I tried on has a tan background, one with a blue background (and up-close looks at the print) is available for viewing here. A travel book and pin (featuring the Hawaiian Holiday) is available here.