Fear of Fancy Dress
Fear of Fancy Dress
Words: Kim Newth Photos: Dorothy McLennan
Until recently, the words ‘fancy dress’ on a party invitation would have had me ducking for cover. Then Dorothy introduced the essence team to costume hire stylists par excellence, Christine Andrews (a.k.a. ‘The Chief’) and her able assistant Catharaine Hogan at the North Canterbury Musical Society’s (NCMS) costume hire service. We came away so impressed at how easy they made the whole process.
So, don’t consider turning down that next invitation to a fancy dress party: put your faith in Christine and Catharine and don’t stress. You’ll be thrilled to discover what they can do for you.
It is one thing to be given a theme for a fancy dress party, but just how do you pull off things like ‘retro’, 1970s or ‘royalty’? Frankly, people like me would sooner not go than try to convincingly play the part. Well, that was until the day Dorothy piled us all into the car earlier this month and took us down to the NCMS costume hire base at Northbrook. There we were greeted by Christine and Catharine, who turned out to absolute angels in the art of costuming. Left to our own devices, we wouldn’t have known where to start, but Christine and Catharine volunteered to show us how it was done. Catharine started us off with a tour of the costume collection, explaining that this is first and foremost a working theatrical wardrobe. There are a limited number of ready-made costumes, but more than 10,000 individual items to mix and match.
Everything is well organized with signs highlighting particular areas. It is possible to dress by decade – from mid-1800s, 1900s and Edwardian all the way through to the 1980s – or by profession, (Nurse, Air Hostess, Police Officer, Firefighter, etc). Just about every theme is catered for here from Indian and Western through to Fantasy Princess and Ballroom Beauty. There are also dedicated men’s and children’s sections, as well as costumes from various NCMS shows. (NCMS has overall governance of the costume hire, which is run as a not-for-profit community service).
Hats of every conceivable type are neatly displayed by theme and decade. A vast array of jewellery, shoes, boots, corsets, tights, bowties, braces and other accessories complete the collection. It doesn’t matter who you are: Catharine and Christine have successfully outfitted a multitude of farmers, retailers, teenagers – you name it – and are used to working with every type of body size and shape. They have a great eye for what will work on a particular individual. For example, Catharine picked out a gorgeous powder blue dress for Caroline that would have been perfect for a party with a prince/princess theme. Caroline went into the changing room wearing jeans and a top and emerged a real Cinderella. Pearls, hat, bag, petticoat and a white fur completed the look.
Then Catharine costumed me out as a lead from My Fair Lady and it looked just great. I even got a cute little parasol to twirl. Our ‘Angel in Disguise’ turned out to be Debbie – fabulous in feathers. We were all having such a good time and I personally found my aversion to the idea of dressing up was rapidly eroding away. Catharine gained her appreciation of colour and texture from her mother and aunt, who taught her about clothing construction, elegance and fashion. One of the dresses that really made an impression on her some years ago was a little black dress by pioneering French fashion designer Coco Chanel on exhibition in Auckland. “The cut had to be seen to be believed – it was a work of art,” says Catharine. Eight years ago, this creative stylist was diagnosed with and treated for a rare form of ovarian cancer and has had surgery to remove a granulosa tumour. While the cancer is “in a holding pattern” for now, Catharine still requires on-going drug therapy. She now enjoys sharing her passion and love of clothing design with costume hire clientele. Prior to her cancer diagnosis, Catharine was in community-oriented work in the state sector.
Christine was a teacher for many years in the Dunsandel area. She served a six month ‘apprenticeship’ at the costume hire rooms before taking charge of it two years ago. It was her love of creating and sewing that led her to becoming involved with the costume side of NCMS, having started in the singing group. Both women take the time to ensure that every customer is absolutely satisfied with their look. The costume collection has benefited from many community clothing donations over the past twenty plus years. “We have original garments from the 1930s onwards including social history garments such as retired fire fighter jackets and a Ministry of Transport uniform,” says Christine. “In terms of accessories we have genuine nylon stockings, gloves and handbags, along with witches britches, girdles, shawls, furs and more. We also have a great selection of accessories for men. The only restriction is whether or not an item fits.” The unique combinations available are unlikely to be repeated by anyone else at your party.
The requests they get are many and varied. One of the more unusual ones of late came from a woman wanting to dress as a peacock! Christine custom made a cape and hat for that one, which Debbie couldn’t resist trying on. There are more than a few ‘one of a kinds’ like this in the collection. NCMS Costume Hire is also used by schools for educational purposes, as well as for shows or ball formals. We reluctantly ended our session having had a lot of fun and feeling full of inspiration and encouragement for our next theme party.
NCMS Costume Hire is located at Northbrook Studios. Ph: (03) 313 4854. Open: Monday and Thursday, 7pm to 9pm; Friday 4pm to 6pm; Saturday, 11am to 1pm. Group fittings by appointment. Pricing is very competitive.
Donate your old treasures
Catharine and Christine have a wish list for the collection, including: pipes, cufflinks, costume jewellery, old fabrics and haberdashery, spectacles, bicycle clips, school satchels, plus size items for men and women, shoes, belts, braces, hats, sparkly fabrics and trims, large gold buttons, hair accessories, gloves, tie pins, older style clothing items of any type, unwanted costumes, wigs and corsets. NCMS Costume Hire is grateful for all donations.
