First Wills Fashion Design Awards

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30512, 6 August 1964, Page 2

First Wills Fashion Design Awards

; The first Wills Award competition for - fashion design was held by the New Zealand I Modelling Association at the Majestic Cabaret, ; Wellington last week. The awards were • plaques featuring a golden rose. One award ‘ was for daywear, the other for evening wear.

-Wool was the fibre that scooped the pool in both cases. For day wear the winner was a bright cranberry nubbly wool fabric, and the award winning evening gown was designed in fine wool and angora in a fuchsia pink shade. -Twelve designers competed. • Carrying off the “Golden Rose” in the day wear section was Joan Todd of Salon Fantasia, who earlier this year was given the supreme award in the Wool Board’s 1964 wool awards. 'Her dashing cape-back jacket and shift dress was in a loose-weave, nubbly Australian wool. “Firebird” Exotically named “Firebird” the evening gown winner swept on to the platform in a high-collared, narrow evening coat of the vivid pink wool, which the model opened to reveal the newest of lines—a V-fronted skimmer with three-tiered back, each tier edged with a narrow band of beading.

The designer of “Firebird,” i 24-year-old William McEvoy, > emerged as the find of the • competition. Not only was his winning • design hailed by judge Anne i Soutter, a Melbourne fashion i co-ordinator as “new and exciting” but his other . designs in the competition i were adventurous. i A knickerbocker suit in i olive and white checked wool ; was one, a gold leather shift s with gold lace jacket another. ; Both of these won honourable mentions. Daring i Bill McEvoy’s other even- • ing gown was daring. In black, it had a halter neck and was slashed down the centre front with an equally . dramatic high slit in the front i of the panelled skirt Plenty of other design . talent was revealed in the I Wills Award. I The modelling association’s ; president Jeannie Gandar, • compered the parade of Wills i Award designs. Models, who ' were members of the association, paraded the clothes.