Title:
Vita Dress
Episode:39Te Papa Collection:History
Suggested curriculum levels:3 – 8
Curriculum connections:English: Listening, Reading, and Viewing, The Arts: Understanding the Arts in Context
Description:Simon Morton discovers beautiful art that is made for a human canvas. Women's handcrafts and fashion combine in a stunning dress by Marilyn Sainty and Vita Cochran.
Questions for students
- What does the word 'fashion' mean to you? It's a word that has many connotations and collocations. Find out what these terms mean, then make two lists: one for the connotations of 'fashion', the other for some of the collocations of the word.
- The presenter refers to a dressmaker's dummy as a canvas – he says Marilyn Sainty is a designer who makes art wearable. What distinctions do you think there are between art and fashion? Who decides which is which?
- We learn that the decoration on the dress is made by another person. When two or more people contribute to a work, it's often called a collaboration. Research other examples of collaboration in any area of art. Comment on the contribution of each person involved.
- What can fashion tell us about a time or a culture? Use the 'Then and now' response template to compare fashions now with those of another era. What changes over time, and what remains the same?
- How does the Vita dress illustrate the point that 'fashion take its inspiration from the past'? Can you give other examples of this?
Related links:
Related templates:
Proudly brought to you by:
