Tuesday 8 October 2013

The Age of Aquarius - NZ Fashion Museum: Pop up exhibition 2. part


The Age of Aquarius - A 1970s revolution in fashion
NZ Fashion Museum
14 SEPTEMBER - 13 OCTOBER 2013
Geyser Building, 100 Parnell Rd, Auckland / New Zealand
Exhibition hours are 10am to 4.30pm. Open Monday-Saturday. 

After that I read the Fashion Museum's catalog about The Age of Aquarius, It was necessary to turn back second time to see the 70's garments. These clothes, carry a lot more interesting details than one might think at first glance. I discovered fabrics, print and knit techniques which has been completely forgotten so I would like share with you this experience.

Gold jumpsuit by Pepertree in satin jersey, loan courtesy of Christine Ludbrook
Full-skirted dress in red printed jersey knit with thin shoulder straps and back lacing,
Hullabaloo label 1977
Loan courtesy of  Fiona Carter 
Hullabaloo label 1977
Loan courtesy of  Fiona Carter 
Home sewn bright blue cotton velvet dress with embroidery.
Left: 3-piece dress in ombre-dyed peach silk with stencilled cloud, flower and butterfly motifs by Susan Holmes, loan courtesy of Aorewa McLeod
Right: Kimono jacket and trousers in black crepe with stencilled flying bird print by Susan Holmes
courtesy of Aorewa McLeod
Swirling coat in navy cotton velvet extensively stencil and block printed inside and out by Susan Holmes
courtesy of Aorewa McLeod
Custom made cape and full-lenght dress in blue jersey knit with stencilled flying bird print by Susan Holmes, 1976.
Loan courtesy of Karen Roberts


Ensemble  comprising - Hullaboloo blouse in small floral print rayon, unlabelled zip-front jacket in dusky pink crushed velvet,  Biba flared trousers in mushroom cotton sateen, unlabelled navy printed scarf.
Kaftan in bold geometric print on linen, Peer Gynt label.
Front: One-pice El Jay silk culotte in vibrant abstract floral print on black ground.
Loan courtesy of Diane Strevens
Back: Full lenght silver lurex knit dress with butterfly sleeves by Society.
Loan courtesy of Deborah Wilson
Evening dress by House of Raymonde in black crepe with silver braid belt and floor length cap sleeves in chiffon with circle motif,
Courtesy of Betty McCrostie





Bikini in orange cotton gingham by Maggy, worn with butterfly pedant necklace.
Loan courtesy of Anita Arlov
Block printed habotai silk shirt, unlabelled, courtesy of Liz Powell.
Printed panné velvet flares, Elle, Tudor Arcade Hamilton label, loan courtesy of Kathie Figgins


"... many ethnicities questioned how "safe" the testing of nuclear weapons was, it the French needed to do it in our Pacific neighbourhood, rather than in their own backyard."
NZ Fashion Museum's catalogue: The Age of Aquarius
"Hullaballo butique in Victoria St in 1970. This was an early concept store with the fittings, signage, props, music and lighting all carefully selected to support the brand image."
NZ Fashion Museum's catalogue: The Age of Aquarius

70's badges of the women's liberation movement


" The social climate was ripe for creative local solutions and that was reflected in the fashion of the day, both un what we wore and in the way our clothes were being made and sold."
NZ Fashion Museum's catalogue: The Age of Aquarius

Knickerbockers suit in brown corduroy by Colin Cole, unlabelled sheer printed lawn shirt, John Webster tie, ox blood platform shoes, PM by Maitland. Loan courtesy of Geoffrey Bailey
Cuffed flares in cream checked, unlabelled, orange muslin shirt with puppy ear collar, unlabelled, Fair Isle pattern knit tank top, Forum label. Sanders label photo print Tevira tie.
Unlined dark brown gabardine suit,  Zelfra label, yellow shirt with pintucked bib front, Summit label (loan courtesy of Kim Smith), unlabelled tie.

Tuesday 1 October 2013

The Age of Aquarius - NZ Fashion Museum: Pop up exhibition 1.part

The Age of Aquarius - A 1970s revolution in fashion
NZ Fashion Museum 
Pop up exhibition in Auckland
Exhibition hours are 10am to 4.30pm. Open Monday-Saturday. 100 Parnell Road, Auckland.

Designed by Zora Price - black wool tunic with lurex thread, trimmed with gold braid - worn with gold lame hot pants

The Age of Aqurius exhibition provides a platform to see and experience New Zealand  in the 1970s through the wardrobes and stories of six individuals, and through examples of six different modes of fashion making.

Zora Price green wool and lurex jumpsuit and orange textured polyester trimmed with intricate roulé work and has a matching caplet.
"The 1970 s were a time when the prevailing interpretation and side effects of prosperity were being challenged. People sought a way to live more harmoniously and cooperatively with nature and with each other. At the end of the decade Lake Manapouri had indeed been saved, the Vietnam War was over and military service was no longer compulsory. The Waitangi Tribunal had been established to redress land alienation from kiwi. It provided a legal process where these grievances could be aired and resolved. And while it would take until 1996 for the French to stop nuclear testing at pacific, political action had raised awareness and let to New Zealand staunch antinuclear stance, which resulted in Labour passing the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act in 1987.
At the end of decade the population was only 3.2 million, as the rate of population growth slowed thanks in part to the increased availability of the pill and access to abortion.
The domestic Purposes Benefit had been introduced, providing independence and economic support for women with children, and the Equal Pay Act and Matrimonial Property Act had been passed, giving women more social status and freedom."
New Zealand Fashion Museum's catalogue: The Age of Aquarius







Designed by Phil O'Reilly for Black Sheep
" The 1970s were a time when the prevailing interpretation and side effects of prosperity were being challenged. People sought a way to live more harmoniously and cooperatively with nature and with each other. "
New Zealand Fashion Museum catalogue The age of Aquarius



Virginia label


The fabulous 1970s furniture that features in the exhibition is from Karakter.

The mannequins are in the 70's



Tuesday 23 July 2013

Kleenex "fashion design competition 2013" - New Zealand

2009 was the first year that the Kimberly-Clark company and the NZ Fashion Tech collaborated and organized as part of their nationwide marketing campaign - a fashion designing competition for students. The concept is the same every year - "Create a glamorous and luxurious white cocktail dress" - from Kleenex Cottonelle toilet tissue. The design needs to survive 10 catwalk shows at the NZ Fashion Week besides numerous fashion shoots and promotions.


Kimberly-Clark is an American personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. Kimberly-Clark brand name products include "Kleenex" facial tissue, "Kotex" feminine hygiene products, "Cottonelle", Scott and Andrex toilet paper, Wypall utility wipes, "KimWipes" scientific cleaning wipes, and "Huggies" disposable diapers. Based in Irving, Texas, it has approximately 56,000 employees. Kimberly-Clark UK holds a Royal Warrant from Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales in the United Kingdom. Kimberly Clark is also listed among the Fortune 500."
Wiki
"Kimberly, Clark and Co. was founded in 1872 by John A. Kimberly, Havilah Babcock, Charles B. Clark, and Franklyn C. Shattuck inNeenah, Wisconsin with US$30,000 capitalization. The group's first business was operating paper mills, which the collective expanded throughout the following decades. In 1914 the company developed cellu-cotton, a cotton substitute used by the United States Army as surgical cotton during World War I."Wiki

The Kleenex Cottonelle Paper Dress 2012 competition.
Kapi Fonua was only 19 years old when he won the Kleenex Cottonelle Paper Dress 2012 competition. He born in Tonga and studied in Auckland. He inspirated from pohutukawa leaf-shaped - Pohutukawa tree: 
“Renowned for its vibrant colour and its ability to survive even perched on rocky, precarious cliffs, it has found an important place in New Zealand culture for its strength and beauty and is regarded as a chiefly tree (rākau rangatira) by Māori.” Wiki
He created a fabulous ball gown. The dress's shoulder is reminiscent of the beautiful vintage  lace. The under part of the dress is a bit like a dress from foxtrot dance floor. Despite the lower part of the dress crowd in contrast to the detailed openwork lace top, the designer found the balance of the sophistication and created an exceptional ladylike dress.

Sci-fi fan Jeffrey cites Blade Runner heroine Rachel and the futuristic sets she admired so much in the movie as the inspiration for her retro-contemporary design. A structured tubular skirt contrasts with a gently contoured bodice and signature ‘Rachel’ collar.
Kei Ho found his design inspiration in cupcakes, and says the playful layering of the skirt on his dress alludes to the silhouette of a lily, the pleating mimicking the paper cases, and the bodice swirls like ribbons of icing. 
 The Kleenex Cottonelle Paper Dress 2013 competition.


Vili Tonu is a 25 years old Tongan-born fashion designer student from Auckland. He designed a very elegant, delicate detailed cocktail dress. The dress separated to 2 part, layered skirt and plaited, fine detailed bodice. He used 4 weeks to finished this unique design piece. His message through his design is “ paying respect and embracing his culture" He was inspired by the kauri canopy of the Auckland Art Gallery.
Kat McLeod (24) 'Camellia Dress’ “I wanted the flowers to be scattered and falling down towards the hem to bring the softness,” says McLeod.
And the youngest of the three finalists, Maria French (21), has echoed the textures of nature in her contribution called ‘Contradictions’. This was inspired by Kimberly-Clark’s sustainable principles and Forest Stewardship Council certification. She says the papier maché bodice is reminiscent of tree bark, and the skirt spreads out like a soft, leafy canopy.
Contradictions Dress – Maria French


I would like reveal a little about Kylie Bax who is the face of the competition. She wore the winner's dress this year. As an internationally famous kiwi super model, she took part in this competition with pride. In her words: “ Being involved with Kleenex Cottonelle Paper Dresses is so unique - seeing what the students from NZ Fashion Tech can create, their style and fashion sense and the whole journey. It’s absolutely personal for me. New Zealand is my country and it’s important that I can come home and then help others create their dreams as well. To be a mentor to these students is just a dream.



She is an amazing NZ super model. 

Her face and body appeared in lots of different world magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Madame,... she advertised to Anna Sui, Anna Sui 'Sui Dreams' fragrance, Ann Taylor, Bergdorf Goodman, Cesare Paciotti, Clinique 'Happy' fragrance, Club Monaco, DKNY, Escada, Escada Sport, Gianfranco Ferré, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Madeleine, Oscar de la Renta, Patrick Cox, Plein Sud, Sonia Rykiel, Trussardi, Versace.


Kylie Bax Vogue Italia Sep. 1996 – Andy Warhol’s Museum by Steven Meisel



Bombshell Alert

She is like a feature from german photographer Helmut Newton's canvas, who paints beautiful images with his camera. Impressive, cool and dynamic, through her body language you can grasp something unique, something that doesn't belong in this world.
I will let you know some private details about this blond Icon and things related to her: With her " Bombshell Alter" editorial inspired me to create and direct the photoshooting style of JOKKAdesign's Sunnyday collection in 2011.


"... story by Steven Klein. Dressed in futuristic jet black ensembles, big sunglasses and high heels, Kylie looks larger than life, her signature look has always brought austerity and sex appeal to her editorials, but here Klein utilizes all her talents. The entire story is elevated by Kylie’s presence; the acrobatic poses, expressive glances and sheer attitude that she brings to the table, remind us why she’s one of modeling’s true greats."
Photo: Edina Csoboth http://www.edinacsoboth.com/
Dressdesigner: Erzsébet Zsóka Majzik www.jokkadesign.com
Special thanks: Zoltan Balogh Fotográfus/Photographer http://baloghzoltan.blogspot.com/ /
Model: Lilla Fehr
Concept: Erzsébet Zsóka Majzik
Hair: Viktória S. Tóth
Make-Up: Kata Kertész
Accessories: Szandra Csek stylist
Photo: Mariano Vivanco for Dazed and Confused, stylist- Katie Shillingford

Photo: Mariano Vivanco for Dazed and Confused, stylist- Katie Shillingford

The Winner of 2013
 Kylie Bax and Vili Tonu


Congratulations to everybody who took part at Kleenex Cottonelle Paper Dress competition. I wish to the designer students good luck and exciting future! We are looking forward to see your next designs guys.