The September post

In keeping with the tradition of September issues being on the big and shiny side, this post includes some things which are big and/or shiny.

First up, with apologies for the short notice, but those in Auckland might like to check out this Friday’s Kōkōwai: Shona Tāwhiao & Stevei Houkāmau with Mokotron, Celebrating Indigenous Artistry Through Music and Movement. This multi-disciplinary event on 12 September, starting at 7pm at Auckland Museum features the woven couture and urban streetwear of Shona Tāwhiao, Ngāi Te Rangi, and carved uku (clay) works of Stevei Houkāmau, Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, it promises to be ‘no ordinary night at the museum’.

A recent addition to the Auckland Art Gallery collection is now occupying one end of the atrium. Do Ho Suh’s North Wall hangs from the ceiling, a large-scale fabric sculpture rendering of the artist’s father’s studio in Seoul and invoking traditional scholar’s houses. This piece is a taste of Suh’s work on show in a major exhibition at London’s Tate Modern now in its last month and worth eyeing up online.

Down in Wellington, the very different scale of Glimmers of Gold, at Old St Paul’s throughout September. Jo Dixey’s 79 small hand-embroidered human figures are inspired by the many interactions between people and fleeting moments – glimmers – that inspire a day. Something to add to your daily uplift for those of you in Wellington.

The virtual world offers other treats for those looking online for textile information and inspirations. Here in the south, the Eden Hore juggernaut rolls on, with the South Island book festival season. A well-received session at the recent WORD Christchurch festival featuring Jane Malthus and Claire Regnault (and some more display garments from the collection) is available on demand for a small fee until the end of the month. There will be another event associated with the Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival in October. Oh, and the book’s going to another print. Excellent work, everyone.

To finish, a couple of international snippets. Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the house of Armani, they released a ‘living legacy’, a comprehensive online archive. Sadly, the day after this was announced came the news of Armani founder Giorgio Armani’s death. Armani was one of the great designers of the later 20th century, his signature understated luxury and soft power dressing being as prominent in the 1980s and 90s, as the bling factor of Versace and Lacroix and the deconstruction aesthetic of the Japanese and Belgian designers.

In the 1980s, those who couldn’t afford couture (most of us) had access to customised clothing made by hand thanks to the ubiquity of sewing machines and paper patterns selected from fat glossy books in the fabric departments of our favourite department stores. O tempora! They were called the Big 4 apparently: in ascending order of fanciness, Simplicity, Butterick, McCalls and Vogue. The recent announcement that their parent company was sold to a liquidator for $1 launched numerous quips about raiding piggy banks and also a reminder of the Commercial Pattern Archive for those who are unfamiliar with it. You could, with a very simple search, find almost the last thing you ever sewed, or something that you could have sewn in the 19th century on Mr Singer’s brand new invention. Rabbit holes galore. Enjoy your spring, and may it be mild and verdant.