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TENNZ touring exhibition brief
Exhibition Title/subtitle A 1970s Revolution in Fashion
Current status Currently Available
Description The Age of Aquarius is a new 'pop up' exhibition curated by the New
Zealand Fashion Museum [est. 2010]. It follows Looking Terrific: the
Story of El: Jay [Gus Fisher Gallery, Auckland, June - July 2010 and
Kirkcaldie and Stains, Wellington,Sept – Oct 2010], Black in Fashion
[Britomart, Auckland, Sept–Oct 2011 andMuseum of Wellington City
and Sea, Feb - March 2012] and most recently HOME SEWN: Original
New Zealand Fashion, winner of the 2013 Museums Aotearoa Award for
Exhibition Excellence, [Auckland, Sept 2012, Whangarei Art Museum
Dec 2012 – Feb 2013, Dunedin Public Art Gallery 9th March - 14th April
2013, the Dowse Art Museum, Aug 9th – Nov 24th 2013].
AGE OF AQUARIUS
"When the Moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars,
then peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars"
James Rado and Gerome Ragni, ’Age of Aquarius’, from the musical Hair
Flares, platforms, hand-painted muslin tunics, crushed velvet,
embroidered jeans and shirts, long hair, op-shop frocks, Liberty prints,
empire line dresses, skinny rib tank tops, aviator sunglasses, peasant
skirts, unisex t-shirts: this is what the 1970s looked like in New Zealand.
Whether this summation causes cringe or happy nostalgia will depend
upon your age and where you were in the 1970s. If you were young,
optimistic and embraced the era as the dawning of the Age of Aquarius
you will remember the decade as a dynamic time, a time when the
social status quo was being challenged. The 1970s brought social
upheaval, with many questioning the validity of the prevailing post-war
culture: comfortable, suburban, consumerist.
Young women were asking why their lives should be limited to child rearing and
homemaking and why when they did participate in the work force they were being paid
less than their male counterparts. Young men were asking why we were fighting an
American led war in Vietnam, and why they should be conscripted for military training in
the first place. Everyone questioned how “safe” the testing of French nuclear weapons
was if they were doing it our Pacific neighbourhood rather than their own backyard. And
closer to home we had decided that we were not prepared to sacrifice our natural
environmental assets, the pristine shores of Lake Manapouri and Lake Te Anau, in order to
provide cheap electricity that would generate profits for a foreign owned aluminium
company.
We were coming to the realisation that we needed to formulate our own views and to
look our own capabilities and resources for our future well-being both at home and in the
world. The social climate was ripe for creative local solutions and that was reflected in the
fashion of the day, both in what we wore and in the way our clothes were being made and
sold.
The Age of Aquarius 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. They represent the diversity that existed and the
trends that were prevalent. The consciousness-raising espoused by the women's liberation
movement had clearly found purchase with our group, where regardless of marital status
all were working. The experience of the one man profiled in this exhibition shows that
there were also benefits for men that arose from social equity for women, because it
removed some of the pressure on them to be the sole providers for a household, and
allowed them to indulge their own interests.
Geoffrey Bailey was 36 at the beginning of the decade and worked for the civil service, but
outside of work he expressed his passion for clothes. Eloise Watts was 54 in 1970 and
together with her husband Vic was the proprietor of the London Bar on Wellesley St, a
working life that required a glamorous, yet practical, wardrobe. Kathie Figgins was 25 and
working as medical laboratory technician in 1970. Although she had married in 1968 she
continued to work and earn her own income, which she put partly towards clothes.
Rachel Stace was 20 when she left home and moved to Auckland. Parties, weddings, music
gigs and the like were motivation and inspiration for purchasing something new and for
dressing up. Rachel (1973) is our cover girl. Anita Arlov was a 13 year old student in 1970
in Christchurch and shares her wardrobe over a decade of growing up. Also living in that
city, Zora Price was a 39 year old and spent the 1970s working as a teacher, a dressmaker,
a housewife and a mother of three girls.
While each expression of identity is different and personal, each of these people shared a
time and place, and illuminate the sociological influences that impacted the entire culture
at the time. These signs of the times reached into all forms of cultural expression including
what we wear, and also, importantly, how our clothes were being made and sold.
Established manufacturers like El Jay, Society, Southwell and House of Raymonde, which
had developed a loyal client base, continued to flourish by following the fashion of the day
and delivering it to their customers. There also emerged a new breed of manufacturers,
keen to take a different approach and to cater to an increasingly educated, informed, well-
travelled and youthful clientele. Labels like Peppertree, Miss Deb, Attic 80, Fotheringay
and Hullabaloo targeted this younger set, while labels like Bendon were agile enough to
change their product to suit the changing market.
High-end couturiers like Colin Cole continued to successfully occupy the glamorous end of
the spectrum while responding to changing demand by adding ready to wear. But the
avant garde of couture was led by a new generation epitomised by Annie Bonza who
combined the skills of couture cutting and making with the application of contemporary
artistic embellishments using colour blocking, appliqué and cornelli techniques.
Customisation was a strategy that many of the aspiring designers of the day followed,
bypassing the limitations of available fabrics to create their own original garments using
materials that were hand-woven, appliquéd, printed, painted or embroidered. These
designers made and sold their work through various models such as textile dyer and
printer Susan Holmes who sold through artisan market Brown's Mill. Others
like Linda Evans and Mary Jane and Phil O'Reilly sold through emporia, either small local
shops or larger venues like Cook St Market. Still others chose the model of an independent
boutiques. Wendy Ganley of Elle boutique is a noteable example, as is Laraine Flowers of
Petrouska. There were others who joined forces such as the group who sold through
Tigermoth or Virginia King who was sold her designs through Nova.
By the end of the era it was widely accepted that different styles of clothing and of making
and retailing could co-exist and that it was possible for everyone to choose clothes that
expressed your individuality.
A new reader in the Fashion Museum series about the 1970s is for sale at the exhibition.
Dates Open at (insert your venue) 14th September - 13th October 2013 at the Geyser Building 100
Parnell Rd, Auckland. Mon – Sat 10 – 4.30 pm
Size In our current confirguration with full mannequins it occupies 277m2
Cost $7000,- plus GST for 3 months then $1000 plus gst for each additional month
Content Exhibition package that NZFM can supply
• up to 57 outfits of original NZ made garments of the 1970s• exhibition label texts in the form on 13x AO poster finished
artwork supplied or actual printed posters can also be supplied at cost.
• Exhibition handout / catalogue files • 12 female tailors forms and 1x male tailors form with stands• 1 hero shot mannequin for window or entrance display• associated ephemera of 1x women's lib singlet, 17x protest
badges, assorted shoes and bags as required• exhibition logo and imagery for signage and promotion• Photographic images for facebook and other promotional
campaigns• Curatorial oversight for installation [required minimum x 1 day
visit]
Size for Freighting
Merchandise Exhibition reader from the FM series, RRP $20.00
Other Fashion Museum publications available for sale if desired
Availability dates between
1st November 2013 and 3rd Feb 2014
23rd May 2014 and 30th November 2014
Number of objects Up to 57 outfits
Target audience General. It is intended to draw in a broad audiences by appealing to a sense of nostalgia while also reaching out to the new generation on two fronts – current fashion trends are embracing the silhouette, prints and bold colours of the 1970s so the exhibhtion is very fashionable, and it is also relevant for those young people who are interested in the exploration of alternative lifestyles and modes of engagement with society and culture empowering them with knowledge of their own histories presented in an accessible way
Special requirements The host institution will supply
• Public liability insurance and insurance cover for the exhibition content from the time it leaves NZFM storage until the time of its return.
• A suitable, safe and inviting venue• An appropriate marketing programme for the success of the
exhibition• All transportation costs [we recommend Apparelline as a very
cost effective supplier of the required transportation services].
Other Notes The exhibition can be tailored to the needs of the host institution, which may like to edit or add to the exhibition content in consultation with the NZFM. See Dunedin version of HOME SEWN.
Additionally the NZFM can facilitate arrangements for the supply of additional tailors forms and /or mannequins for the display of the garments
Touring Institution New Zealand Fashion Museum Charitable Trust
Contact Doris de Pont
Title Exhibition Curator and Trustee
Phone 09 3760929
Email [email protected]