Silk dress with kimono sleeves

Imports of fabric were limited by a system that required a licence and this restricted the options for designers who were in search of something original. Here Colin Cole has used a hand dyed fabric by Amy Brown of Auckland. The base cloth probably came from Wah Lee on Hobson St who imported a variety of bleached and unbleached silks from China. These were popular with artisans like Amy Brown and Susan Holmes who were using dying and printing to create original fabrics.

Details

Credit: Loan courtesy of Carolyn McCondach.
Copyright: Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 Licence
Designer: Colin Cole
Manufacturing location: Auckland
Garment type: Dress
Material: Hand-dyed habutai silk
Features: The kimono style sleeves are emphasised by the shoulder pads and given extra weight by being folded back to body and to the inside of the dress.
Colour: Blue
Purchase location: Parnell, Auckland
Label: Colin Cole
Date: Mid 1980s