Ready for the frock of your life?

 

Annah Stretton is marking her return to the Montana World of WearableArt Awards competition with a show-stopping entry billed as ‘The Greatest Frock on Earth’.

As a judge in last year’s competition the Kiwi designer was unable to enter herself, so knew she had to make an - extra special - entrance this year.

And what better way to do it, she decided, than with a frock so big, so bold, so beautifully bizarre, it cannot help but command attention.

Fitting in perfectly with the avant garde section’s circus theme, ‘The Greatest Frock on Earth’ is an elaborate - and unashamedly eccentric - version of one of the designer’s favourite pieces, complete with outrageous headgear and other attention-grabbing accessories.
For Annah, entering the awards represents an unmissable opportunity for her team to really unleash their creative talents and indulge their wildest (creative) fantasies.

“Entering the World of WearableArt Awards has always been about pushing the creative processes we employ every day to the nth degree. We started with a frock that has been a favourite of mine and asked ‘how can we really explode this?’. The result is a truly massive dress in more ways than one.”

As someone who has always enjoyed pushing boundaries with her work - even (and sometimes especially) if it courts controversy - the awards’ carnival or circus theme was particularly appealing.

“The circus is all about spectacle and extremes. You have the tallest, shortest and fattest people in the world do why not the greatest frock?”

As much as she relishes the frock’s hyperbolic sense of drama, Annah also emphasises its relevance to the ‘real world’.

“I have always considered the awards a fantastic opportunity to create something that will make an impact both onstage and in real life. We experiment with colours, fabrics, techniques and structures which are relevant to what we do every day so we end up with something that inspires future work.”

As for how it feels to back under the judges’ scrutiny, Annah says she’s simply enjoying the whole creative entry process.

“As much as I enjoyed judging the awards, I really missed being able to enter myself. I’m pleased to be back and entering. I can’t wait for the show in September.”