Experience the World of Wearable Art at the WOW Museum in Nelson New Zealand

We had so much fun at WOW: World of Wearable Art

WOW 2017 invites you to enter the wondrous worlds of WOW and celebrate the infinite possibilities of creativity.

www.wowcars.nz

The fashions in WOW are not like anything on the runway. They are bizarre, interesting, fun and completely different from anything I have ever seen, anywhere.

I loved the exhibition and I love the back-story of how WOW was created.

What is the best revenge if you apply to art school and don’t get in? The best revenge is success.

Dame Suzie Moncrieff was not accepted into art school. So she started her own gallery. Then she started WOW. The first exhibition in 1987 was a stage show combining wearable art, theatre and dance. It was a huge success and became an annual event.

The annual WOW show contributes $15 million to the New Zealand economy.

You don’t need an art degree or a fashion degree to enter the annual WOW competition. You need a big imagination.

The exhibition epitomises the heart of WOW – that anyone can enter the competition, as long as they can meet the challenge to create a piece of wearable art that is original, innovative and truly exceptional.

 

As is the case every year, the designers in the 2017 competition came from all walks of life, ranging from fashion designers and artists, to a realtor, an orchardist and two welders;

 

The competition attracted international attention with finalist garments from 13 countries around the world.

 

The garments are made of a range of materials including recyclables such as bicycle spokes, chopsticks, horsehair and orange peels, through to high-tech, cutting edge developments with the likes of Worbla, Fosshape and Plasterzote.

Dame Suzie Moncrieff created herself while she created WOW. She was born Suzanne Elizabeth Dick. After two marriages and two divorces, friends encouraged Moncrieff to create her own surname. She chose “Moncrieff”, a name from her mother’s Shetland Islands ancestry.

She became Dame Suzie Moncrieff when she was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to the arts and tourism.

And finally, she has her fine arts degree. In 2014 she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts by Massey University.

Are you ready to enter the world of WOW?

The exhibition opened with wearable bras

These bras are not made for comfort. But they must be wearable.

The WOW museum has a theatre that showcases the highlights of the annual stage show. It was really interesting to see the performers wearing the fashions that I had just seen in the exhibition.

The stage show used to be held in Nelson. It moved to Wellington, the capital of NZ, in order to accommodate a larger audience. It is sold out every year.

I took a few photos of the video. They are dark and blurry but they give you an idea of the spectacular show. (I felt like I was making a pirated movie when I was taking photos in a dark theatre.)

This performer is dancing in her false teeth bra

Is she wearing falsies?

Can you fly in a metal bra?

The sign for this bra said ‘Fill My Cups’

This is Flower Power in a bra

Are you ready for the Man-Bra?

Would the man-bra look good with these outfits?

After the bra exhibit, I was ready for the weird and wild world of WOW

This is the showpiece at the entrance to the main exhibit

This Game of Thrones outfit sets the stage for the world of imagination.

This is a close-up of the Game of Thrones jacket

The Scales of Justice takes centre stage

You can dance with the Scales of Justice on the WOW stage

WOW has a Canadian connection

Winners can intern at Cirque du Soleil, the largest theatrical producer in the world. Cirque du Soleil was founded by two Canadian street performers in Montreal.

https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/

Are you ready for the dark side of WOW?

These lampshade dresses remind me of the lampshade in A Christmas Story

These are the dancing lampshades at the WOW show

Dancing Rock Stars

This outfit reminds me of Ayers Rock in Australia

This heritage rock outfit is made of felt

‘Peacocking’ means dressing for attention

WOW if a cornucopia of peacocking outfits

Are you ready for Prom Night at WOW?

This is not the type of skull cap we wear in Canada in the winter

I want to travel the world with my own orb

This outfit reminds me of Hermes, the Greek messenger god

Dressed to  Kill

This is a history lesson in a dress

Dressed to Kill

Is this a black widow spider?

This gown is made of goatskin

Is this Satyr, half human, half goat?

This is a dress of ice and snow, fit for a Snow Queen

This is the Snow Queen on stage

Would this make a good wedding dress?

Can you fly if you dress up like a bird?

This is a wearable tech dress

You can plug it in or light up the night with lithium ion batteries

This dress defines ‘heavy metal’

This dress changes colours with reflected light

My name for this dress is ‘The Three Faces of Eve’

There’s no such thing as too much bling

Bling takes Centre Stage at WOW

The show is a wrap

Now you know why I loved WOW: World of Wearable Art