Mildred Dorey, who retired on Friday. Picture by Derek Pereira (00794605)

A SEAMSTRESS is laying down her needle and thread after 46 years of mending Islanders’ clothes.

Mildred Dorey has seen many fashions come and go in more than four decades of working at Voisins Department Store in King Street. But, she has decided it is time for life to move on and retired yesterday.

When Miss Dorey, who lives in St Lawrence, started her job there were 13 other seamstresses working with her.

But illustrating the sign of the times, with clothing more disposable now than it ever was, Miss Dorey now works alone.

In her years spent at the department store, she can recall a time when she went to work for ladies fashion shops in France, that were owned by the Voisins family, and can also recall celebrating the birthday of Gerald Voisin’s great grandmother.

Describing how times have changed, she said: ‘People used to buy clothes season to season, but now they don’t seem to do that.

‘People also buy much lighter clothes for the winter, when they used to buy lots of heavier clothing such as wool garments. Maybe that is down to central heating.’

She added that shoppers’ habits had also changed, saying: ‘Everybody seems to shop around these days, where as before they would stay loyal to just the one shop, so that is something that has changed over the years.’

Miss Dorey marked her retirement by going out for a meal last night at the Bistro Central with friends from work.