DRESS OF METAL

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31632, 19 March 1968, Page 3

DRESS OF METAL

When Marieke van Melle, a dancer with the New Zealand Ballet Company, leaves. Christchurch on Wednesday, her luggage will contain a party dress of linked metal discs designed and made for her by Bernard Hoursseau. The French-born principal dancer with the company, and choreographer of the new ballet, “Repercussion,” constructed the first of his modem armour for a French television show before coming to New Zealand.

Hours of work went into Miss van Melle’s model, but the result is surprisingly shapely. Its first wearing at the Wellington premier party for “Petrouchka” caused quite a stir. “I was very self-con-scious at first and everyone stared. But it became quite fun. People came up and poked me, asking what it was made of,” she said yesterday. Oblong stripes of brass foil backed with a smooth-sur-faced plastic, are joined by three, linked brass rings at each corner. The links allow the dress to expand and it can fit almost any figure. Miss van Melle has made a skin toned under-dress as a lining.

For added interest studs normally used as furniture coasters have been fixed on to the bodice and sprayed

with gold to match the brass. “It’s heavy, although I don’t notice it very much when its on, and it is scratchy,” Miss van Melle said. Her scratched arms show it is definitely not the dress to do the “shake” in, but for an eye-catching, conversation piece it would be hard to better. Dutch-born Miss van Melle’s golden hair and warm tan are nicely complemented by the glittering brass. “But what a job cleaning it!” she said.

The photograph shows Miss Annabel Murray, also a Wellington member of the company, admiring the dress worn by Miss van Melle yesterday.