Dressed

WHEN CRINOLINES, BUSTLES AND OSTRICH FEATHERS WERE THE HEIGHT OF COLONIAL FASHION. This richly illustrated and lively social history explores the creation, consumption and spectacle of fashionable dress in Aotearoa New Zealand from 1840 to the early 1900s. Dressmakers were essential contributors to the development of New Zealand, and as a colonial outpost of the British Empire, New Zealands 19th century dress culture was heavily shaped by international trends. Interactions with Maori, the demands of settler lifestyle and the countrys geography all added another layer. Dressed teems with the fascinating, busy lives of early businesswomen, society women and civic figures. Featuring dresses and fashionable accessories from museums throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, and including over 270 images, this major book makes a significant contribution to histories of colonial dress.

'This is an exquisite book, from its tactile padded cover, stunning black & white and colour images, through to the detail of a pink bookmark ribbon; "Dressed" is a book to savour slowly.' - NZ BookLovers; Author feature in Stuff, "How a Te Papa curator presents the collections in her own home", May 30, 2021.; The May issue of Capital has mentioned Dressed as a "gorgeously illustrated social history of New Zealand clothing."; The Listener's Linda Herrick praised Dressed for its ability to "draw many unknown names and faces out of the shadows of the past" in its exploration into women's fashion. "Dressed provides an important analysis of the history and complexity of fashion, manifest from Aoteoroa New Zealand, with impacts that transcended this space." - Fashion Theory Online Journal 13 Dec 2021

Claire Regnault is Senior Curator New Zealand Culture and History at Te Papa and has worked as a curator in the art gallery and museum sector since 1994. Her curatorial practice is eclectic in nature and she is particularly passionate about New Zealands fashion history. She is the author of New Zealand Gown of the Year (2003), and co-author, with Douglas Lloyd Jenkins and Lucy Hammonds of The Dress Circle: New Zealand Fashion Design Since 1940 (2010), which was a finalist in the 2011 NZ Post Book Awards. She is an active member of the Costume & Textile Association of New Zealand, and regularly contributes to the associations symposia and journal.

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