Two from two for Kerikeri
The Kerikeri-led team that won the Creative Fibre Festival’s inaugural Group Runway Challenge worked hard to repeat that success in Palmerston North last weekend, and triumphed once again.
“The standard of entries was very high, so we were delighted to be successful,” team leader Erin Titmus said.
All five members of the group were part of the larger team that won the inaugural event in 2017.
“We hid the gold theme influences so it was almost like a treasure hunt for the viewer,” Erin said.
“The style chosen was a ’50s look, the number associated with golden anniversaries.”
The princess line jacket was made with hand-dyed fine merino, New Zealand’s Golden Fleece, which was knitted and felted, the hand-woven halflining worked in undulating twill to mimic the ripples of a gold rush rivers. Gold chains could be found if the viewer searched for them, the weaving growing darker towards the centre, just as a river deepens in the middle.
The team chose purple, the colour of regal robes and vestments, often adorned with goldwork embroidery and cyan, as a nod to the use of cyanide in the extraction of gold in the Karangahake Gorge. It also evoked the colour of the sea at 90 Mile Beach on the golden days of endless Northland summers.
The full-gathered swished and swirled skirt
like currents and riptides, while the crossover bodice had gathers on one side and the belt was adorned with more hand-woven ripples and beaded ‘pebbles.’
“The ’50s were the golden age of rock and roll, when lipstick hankies were the norm and a stylish clutch purse added a touch of elegance to any outfit,” Erin added.
“The magenta-coloured hanky has a fine crochet edging and the purse is hand-woven using handdyed silk. Pebble-like beading on the closure hid tiny gold beads, and there was a gold coin or two inside.
Glenys Mills, the team’s designer, also had exceptional success with her individual entries, winning two awards, the mohair award with a fine lacy shawl, Roses in the Mist,’ and the Black and Coloured Sheep Breeders’ Association Award with a Viking-inspired shawl, ‘Up Helly Aa,’ named after a Shetland festival.
She also won the Sentosa Silk Award for the outstanding silk rich garment, a hand-woven silk camisole under a fine lacy handknitted jacket, which went on to win the major Creative Fibre Award in the fashion parade.