The fashion world is often obsessed with the new and the next, but designers dipping back into their house archives for inspiration isn’t rare either.
Given the challenges facing fashion and retail in general, it’s great to see labels, particularly homegrown ones, celebrating significant milestones.
The latest is Karen Walker, the label marking 25 years since its famous ‘broken pearl’ design was released. Originally released as part of the ‘Etiquette’, resort collection, shown at Australian Fashion Week in May 2000, the print’s touch of elegance tied with a hint of rebellion will be familiar to fans of the popular New Zealand fashion label.
New collection ‘Pearl Girl,’ plays on the unravelling pearl design, with pearls scattered across a number of garments and items such as a bomber jacket, bow-front shirt, silk scarf, socks and even an umbrella.
Such is the heritage of the design, the original wool dress featuring the print was acquired by Te Papa. The museum says the design “subtly subverts the traditional respectability of little black dress and string of pearls.” A t-shirt with the print also featured in the original collection.
According to the New Zealand Fashion Museum, the concept of the original Etiquette collection was ‘Karen’s rejection of the rules of polite clothing etiquette – blue and green should been seen together, and clothing conventions should be broken.’ The Museum listing says the dress was was also selected for the Grand Marnier/Powerhouse Museum’s Fashion of the Year 2000 exhibition in Sydney in 2000, calling it a ‘fashion icon instantly recognisable and attributable to Karen Walker’.
Pearls have been recurring element for the label, first founded by Walker in Auckland in 1989, including in its fine jewellery line.
