Presented by ...
 Exhibition: “Looking Terrific: The Story of El Jay”
(New Zealand) - May 2010
The newly established New Zealand Fashion Museum will host its first pop-up exhibition – “Looking Terrific: The Story of El Jay” – from June 4 to July 17 in Auckland, before travelling to Wellington, where it will run from September 6 to October 4.
Curated by Doris de Pont, former fashion designer and founder of the New Zealand Fashion Museum, the highly anticipated exhibition will showcase more than 50 vintage garments from the House of El Jay, which was headed by Gus Fisher for 50 years. While Fisher’s generous support of the arts is well documented, his unique contribution to the development of New Zealand fashion is lesser known in this day and age.
In an era when young Queen Elizabeth II set the style for many New Zealand women, Fisher was looking to Paris instead. During the 1950s, he attended fashion shows in the French capital, gaining first-hand experience of the mood, fashion trends and fabrics, which he reinterpreted back home, creating his own version of uncluttered European elegance for El Jay.
Fisher’s keen awareness of fashion trends and commitment to style saw him foster relationships with Paris couturiers, which led to El Jay becoming the licensee for Christian Dior in New Zealand, giving the company exclusive rights to manufacture and sell both Dior originals and prêt-a-porter in the local market. The quality of manufacturing at El Jay was legendary and Fisher’s claim to the Dior licence was undisputed, being the longest held in the world.
For 50 years, El Jay was sold in top department stores and fashion boutiques, along with Fisher’s own stores in Auckland – the French Shop in Remuera and El Jay at 246 Queen Street, which was considered a cutting-edge retail development in the 1960s.
The venues for Looking Terrific are also interwoven with the El Jay story. The exhibition will be held at the Gus Fisher Gallery in Auckland, before travelling to Wellington’s Kirkcaldie & Stains department store, which was a loyal stockist of the El Jay label for many years.
Industry veterans are welcome to attend My El Jay – (a special event being held at the Gus Fisher Gallery at 1.00pm on Saturday, 3 July) – where former employees will share their personal histories. Given the number of people who have worked for Fisher over the years, the event promises to be a ragtrade reunion and attendees are invited to wear their Ultra Suede and garments from the House of El Jay.
For more information visit: www.fashionmuseum.org.nz
Image: Dianne Boles models a Dior gown in Auckland's Vulcan Lane (1968)
Looking Terrific: The Story of El Jay
June 4 to July 17, 2010
Gus Fisher Gallery
The Kenneth Myers Centre
74 Shortland Street, Auckland
Gallery Hours
Tuesday to Friday 10.00am – 5.00pm
Saturday 12.00pm – 4.00pm
Public Holidays Closed
Public Events
Saturday, 5 June, 2010
1.00pm / Floor Talk: Doris de Pont
Curator, Doris de Pont, will conduct a floor talk in the exhibition, explaining the finer points of “Looking Terrific”.
Saturday, 19 June, 2010
1.00pm / Presentation: Linda Tyler
Director of the Centre for New Zealand Art Research & Discovery, Linda Tyler, will present her paper on the calico printing technologies of botanist and illustrator John Buchanan (1819-1898), from the 2010 New Zealand Costume & Textile Association conference – “Hanging by a Thread”.
Saturday, 3 July, 2010
1.00pm / “My El Jay”
People who worked for El Jay and Gus Fisher share their personal histories. Attendees are invited to wear their Ultra Suede or garments from the House of El Jay.
Saturday, 10 July, 2010
1.00pm / Lecture: Caroline Daley
The black singlet is a ubiquitous garment in the imagining of New Zealand. Rural, masculine and hard-wearing, it is the woollen equivalent of number-eight fencing wire. This lecture, given by history department associate professor Caroline Daley, will argue that the black singlet has straight-jacketed the writing of New Zealand’s history. Thankfully, a new generation of historians are delving into the wardrobe of the past and finding that satin and sparkles were also part of the country’s story.
Saturday, 17 July, 2010
1.00pm / Tour: Doris de Pont
Curator, Doris de Pont, will lead a tour around the garments in the exhibition, outlining Gus Fisher’s contributions to New Zealand fashion design.
....back to Latest Updates >>
....more Events >>
.... Tell us your thoughts on this article >>
|
