The Fashion Museum’s Little Black Cocktail Evening saw the fashion faithful slip quietly into De Brett’s for cocktails. All (bar one or two that appeared to have NOT read the invite) were dressed head to toe in black…
The Fashion Museum’s Little Black Cocktail Evening saw the fashion faithful slip quietly into De Brett’s for a few cocktails and nibbles on Tuesday.
All (bar one or two that appeared to have NOT read the invite) were dressed head to toe in black…
We were there to listen to the fashion fabulous discuss our great and lasting love with the colour black. Speaking during the evening were Beth Ellery, Teresa Hodges from her label BLAK, Liz Findlay from Zambesi and Grant Fell and Rachael Churchwood from BLACK magazine.
Beth Ellery spoke about her influences with colour – as her own palette is rather sparse with dark ink blues and blacks as staples. It is form that interests her more, and visually darker colours ground the design.
Next up was Teresa Hodges looking stunningly sexy for 7 months pregnant in a floor-length black lace dress. She explained that they started the label to fill those gaps in a woman’s wardrobe for perfect basics – and black always works well as most women can wear the colour. She read out the label that is attached to each garments she produces which spoke eloquently of how versatile and perfect black is. She had with her a model in one of her winter dresses, which perfectly illustrated her love of differing fabrics. The bodice of the dress was made in black lace with a leather corset design stitched to the front.
Pictured left: Neville and Liz Findlay, and Jarrad Turpin from Zambesi.
Then there was the lovely Liz Findlay who so very much epitomises the use of black in design. She spoke of how black can take us so many places – dress it up or dress it down – and of how we just need to wear the clothes that make us happy ALL the time and not just keep things for an ‘occasion’.
This is a rule I have always lived by. If you own beautiful things, why not wear them? If the last month has taught us nothing at all it is just to live in the moment, and not wait for ‘another time;’ another ‘occasion’ to wear, say, do whatever it is that we wish. So wear that beautiful beaded dress that is hanging in the closet, but as Liz said, dress it down with heavy boots and tights instead of high heels, don’t just leave it there for the ‘right’ time.
Lastly Grant Fell and Rachael Churchwood from the internationally-acclaimed BLACK magazine spoke. Rachael had memories from her childhood of her own mother dressing her and all her siblings in black because she hated the children’s clothes that were available at the time. There still aren’t many available in that shade! She also spoke about the fact that her own career as a stylist was actually started when Liz Findlay encouraged her to do her own styling for magazine shoots, and that she was grateful to her for the encouragement.
Below: Belinda Watt, Rachael Churchwood and Grant Fell from BLACK magazine.
A pleasant evening was had by all, with the night ending with Doris du Pont speaking about the Fashion Museum’s upcoming projects with the world’s first online fashion museum, and the Black In Fashion exhibition later in the year.
She also asked if anyone had any black clothing from Karen Walker’s collection from 1999 that went to London along with World, NomD, and Zambesi to show at London Fashion Week that year. Du Pont has acquired pieces from all the other designers that showed that year (from New Zealand) and would like to add the Karen Walker ones to the exhibition.
And finally to paraphrase Teresa Hodges from Blak – this is the quote from the swing tag that accompanies every garment she makes…
"Black (Blak) is a blank canvas for you to express yourself. Delete the negative. Accentuate the positive. Be mysterious, unknown, yet sophisticated, timeless, powerful. Trust black."
Thank God – because we all do.
Below: Benjamin Swann, Amanda Parker and Shelley Cave.
Patrick Flannery and Dianne Ludwig.
Story and photos by Anya Brighouse, 15 March 2011.
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