Ward wows art world

One of the hundreds of entries in the World of Wearable Art Parade. Marty Melville / Getty Images

Mike Ward, a Green Party MP-in-waiting, last night won the 2005 Montana World of Wearable Art Supreme Award.

Ward's entry, a play on Hans Christian Andersen's tale The Emperor's New Clothes, was called The Emperor's Entourage.

Made up of two large wearable canvases, it also won the American Express Open section.

Ward is awaiting the counting of special votes to determine whether he will return to Parliament from the Green Party list.

He needs the Greens to reach 6.2 per cent of the vote during special counting to become the party's eighth MP, after Nandor Tanczos.

Ward lives in Nelson, ironic seeing that Nelson last year lost the awards to Wellington after hosting the event since it began in 1987.

Last night's show in Wellington attracted a crowd of more than 3500 and featured a lavish array of more than 170 garments.

Wellington designer and former supreme winner Simon Hames won the $7500 Creative New Zealand artistic excellence award with his bizarre bra entry.

The Servitor is made of polystyrene and velvet. He described it as "couture meets cocktail cabinet meets wearable art".

Singaporean Xian Ping enjoyed beginner's luck, winning the first-time entrant award for Picasso's Cubism.

The creative excellence award was won by Wellington's Chloe McGlashen.