Christchurch Women Will See International Trends

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31678, 14 May 1968, Page 10

Christchurch Women Will See International Trends

A fashion spectacular, including some of the most modern and exciting trends to be shown in Christchurch, and which will also provide professional hairdressers with the opportunity of competing to create a style suitable and easy to manage for the average New Zealand woman, will be held in the Majestic Theatre on Wednesday, May 15.

The show, a result of the realisation that the modern, fashion-conscious New Zealand woman should be shown the very latest in international hair fashion trends, is being organised and sponsored by Sonata Laboratories, Ltd, after more than a year’s preparation.

It will be held in 17 centres throughout New Zealand, with a grand final in Wellington on August 14. The manager of the Christchurch branch of Sonata Laboratories Ltd. (Mr 0. K. Wilson) said that modern styles such as “Schmetling,” ‘Princess,” “Princess Royal,” “Capricio” and “Vidal Sassoon” had been widely used in New Zealand, but they had all been originally created overseas.

“The fact they we have never created our own New Zealand hair style encouraged our Danish hairdressing division manager, Mr Carl Hansen, to approach the directors of the company with the idea of running a competition for professional hairdressers throughout New Zealand to create such a style,” he said. The winner of the New Zealand Line competition, selected at the finals in Wellington, and the model, will fly to Vienna to demonstrate the winning style at the world hairdressing championships in September. This will be the first time New Zealand has been represented at these championships.

Mr Wilson said that 28 entries had been received for the competition in Christchurch.

The hair fashion spectacu-

lar in Christchurch will open at 8 p.m. with a presentation of hair fashions from the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, featuring magnificent wigs and elaborate costumes. The models, who will be wearing styles dating back to the days of Marie Antoinette, will have specially designed costumes, according to the era of the hairstyle. This will be followed by a demonstration in the use of hair fashion accessories, such as wigs and switches, in

creating special styles for special occasions by Mr Robert Hillemacher, a Ger-man-trained stylist, and his Australian wife, Wendy, who is also a trained consultant and fashion expert.

Mr Wilson said that to improve the standard of hairdressing in New Zealand and to demonstrate correct ways in the use of Wella products. Sonata Laboratories, Ltd, had also brought out three other demonstrators from West Germany in the last five years.

The first of these, Mr Gunter Rolifen, had arrived in 1963, and had not only been a very competent hairdresser but a master showman. He had been followed by Rudolf and Margit Hogger who left New Zealand in February, after three years’ work.

The New Zealand Line competition will be held at the end of the first half of the evening and the second part of the show will open with a hair colour kaleidoscope or human colour chart. Seventy models, specially coloured and styled by local hairdressers, will parade almost the whole range of Wella hair colours to give women an opportunity to see the colour that would suit them best.

Throughout the evening, quick quiz questions will be given and lucky ticket numbers will be drawn oy the host of the show. Mr Michael Molloy, a well-known show and radio personality from the North Island.

A grand finale, including the presentation of prizes and diplomas, will end the show.