Between 1960 and 1964, in the Spring of the year, a trail of silver caravans travelled across New Zealand on behalf of “gaiety and glitter, chandeliers and champagne”.
The New Zealand Gown of the Year Contest was truly “Fashion on Wheels”, the name splashed across the caravans. It took glamour across the country, although it was most definitely not glamorous for the models who traveled in the convoy, and celebrated New Zealand design in fashion in towns and cities that otherwise might have been overlooked.
Tam Cochrane, who started this “fashion extravaganza”, had a career in retail following an earlier one as a child. model. By the early 1950s she owned a salon, boutique and hat shop in Papatoetoe in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau, and “New Zealand Gown of the Year followed in 1958. Two years later the travelling show was born.
In a charming book, written by Claire Regnault to accompany an exhibition at Hawke’s Bay in 2002/ 03, the history of this amazing and ground-breaking endeavour is laid-out together with photographs of models, the caravanserai, and. of course, the gowns. The book starts with a history followed by sections on the models, the dresses and their designers. It is a great read that captures the essence of what must have been one of the must-see sights in the small towns and big cities of mid-century New Zealand.
The book is now in the studio library for perusal.
Leave a Reply