Jean Clarke of Tairua crafted a whole fashion show of 50s outfits from op shop items. Photo / Alison Smith.
Jean Clarke of Tairua crafted a whole fashion show of 50s outfits from op shop items. Photo / Alison Smith.
Jean Clarke of Tairua can achieve Audrey Hepburn style from second-hand duvet covers – a superpower being showcased in a one-off catwalk show like no other.
The former hairdresser and secretary who never trained professionally in sewing has spent hundreds of hours creating 1950s fashion worn by glamorous icons from Hepburn to Marilyn Monroe to Elvis.
But these are no ordinary copies of the glamorous originals.
"The brief was 'everything must have originated from an op shop'," explains Jean.
Jean and fellow society member Auriol Farquhar began searching hundreds of photos online for styles worn by a handful of well-known 1950s celebrities before scouring op shops in Thames, Tairua and Waihi.
"There were some looks that I almost managed to recreate with just a little bit of adjustment but just couldn't find one of the items, like a jacket in a Doris Day outfit. So then it was back to square one," says Jean.
"Other times I used a duvet cover because it had this lovely spray of pink flowers and I thought, 'that'll make a Princess Margaret dress'."
Jean used the fabric on the back of that duvet for another dress, working for several hours most days for three months to sew the entire collection.
Half the original items came from Tairua Op Shop, where the team of women volunteers helpfully put clothing aside for the cause when they saw something they thought might be useful.
Jean Clarke has recreated 1950s glamour for a fundraising fashion show using op shop finds. Photo / Alison Smith
The 82-year-old seamstress recreated the looks of Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Margaret, Doris Day, Audrey Hepburn and an unknown 1950s starlet.
Among the men, she's sewn the outfits of Elvis, Bing Crosby, Rossano Brazzi and Humphrey Bogart.
There are cigarette pants, swing dresses, a wedding dress, ball gowns, plus fours, teddy boy outfits and a classic Elvis suit.
Contrary to the Scottish proverb you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear - meaning you can't create a fine product from inferior materials – Jean has created beautiful outfits and drew on her imagination to see the potential of many op shop items.
Models from the Tairua Heritage Players acting group have been fitted over several weeks and warned not to lose or put on weight before the event, which also features celebrity chef Jo Seagar as special guest.
The fundraising retro fashion show at Tairua Bowling Club on November 19 is one of four events by Tairua Heritage Society from November 17 to 20 including a Roaring Twenties series of plays on Thursday, November 17, a booked out dinner, the fashion show and afternoon tea on Saturday, November 18 and an antiques roadshow on Sunday, November 19.
Jean started sewing with the encouragement of her father and her aunt's borrowed Singer sewing machine that had a handle turned by hand, and sewed her own wedding dress.
She says sewing is a great asset to have in life.
"It's very satisfying when it's finished, and there is a little bit of pride in having done this. When I look at all the outfits I think 'my goodness did I really do all this?'."
