High Couture meets High Country

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

Central Otago Couture: The Eden Hore Collection

By Jane Malthus and Claire Regnault, photographs by Derek Henderson

Te Papa Press

RRP $70.00

Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples

We know who all the great names in New Zealand fashion of last century  are  -Karen Walker, Kate Sylvester, Trelise Cooper, the list goes on. There are even some key male figures – Gus Fisher, Adrian Hailwood and Francis Hooper.

One name though  has been missing from that list for many years. Eden Hore. A merino farmet from the Maniototo of Central Otago, he epitomises the “Southern Man” having been one of the first farmers to introduce cattle to the normally sheep running areas of Central Otago.

But his main claim to fame is his collection of high couture garments which he has amassed since the 1970’s and is considered to be one of the most impressive collections of garments in the Southern hemisphere.

A new book “Central Otago Couture: The Eden Hore Collection” by Jane Malthus and Claire Regnault with photographs by Derek Henderson is a remarkable publication documenting the life and times of Eden Hore, his collection and the development of the high fashion industry in New Zealand  

Along with the release of the book there will be exhibitions at Toitū Otago Settlers Museum and Art Gallery, Alexandra, celebrating Hore’s remarkable history of collecting and his unique museum which held his collection for many years – a converted shed on his farm.

The designers of many of the clothes featured in the book  were all well-known in fashion circles in the 1970s and 1980s – Kevin Berkahn, Vinka Lucas, John West, Rosalie Gwilliam, Jo Dunlap, Wapiti Handcrafts, Annie Bonza and James Jaye Leathers.

The photographs of the garments in the book were taken by Derek Henderson during two photoshoots in Central Otago in 2024 and 2019 with models Ngahuia Williams, Alannah Kwant and Hannah Clark.

The dozens of designs which he has photographed are set in the stunning landscapes of Central Otago. There are the tussock lands, vineyards, orchards, lakes, rugged hills and  old stone buildings.

In many of the photographs the striking garments contrast with the lands  and building while others blend in with the landscape. Colours and textures of some seem to have grown out of the landscape and there are some shown with iconic images of the area such as the photospread with the Wedderburn goods sheds made famous by Grahame Sydney.

Jane Malthus is a dress historian and honorary curator for the dress collection at Tūhura Otago Museum, and has an academic background in textiles, clothing and fashion, history and fine arts. She has been Involved with Eden Hore’s collection since the 1980s.

Claire Regnault is Senior Curator New Zealand Histories & Cultures at Te Papa and is the author of Dressed: Fashionable Dress in Aotearoa New Zealand from 1840 to 1910 (2021), and co-author of The Dress Circle: New Zealand Fashion Design Since 1940 (2010). She is the President of Costume & Textiles Aotearoa New Zealand, and a member of the Eden Hore Central Otago steering committee.