Looking Terrific – the Story of El Jay

Looking Terrific - the Story of El Jay, the first ‘pop up' exhibition of the New Zealand Fashion Museum.  Gus Fisher headed the house of El Jay for close to 50 years and in that time contributed to a broadening of the New Zealand fashion perspective by looking to the couture of Paris, interpreting it and making his version of European style available to women in New Zealand.  Gus and his wife Irene were recipients of the 2010 Arts Foundation of New Zealand Award for Patronage.    Gus Fisher passed away on Tuesday, 20 July 2010.

Looking Terrific - the Story of El Jay, opened in Auckland and has received rave reviews with over 4000 visitors, among them designers looking for inspiration, mothers and daughters taking a trip down memory lane and a surprisingly large number of men.

Curated by Doris de Pont, the exhibition showcases 30 vintage garments from the 1940s through to the 1980s by New Zealand fashion industry leader Gus Fisher and his label El Jay.

For those unfamiliar with El Jay, the label was established in 1938 and under the leadership of Gus Fisher it became one of New Zealand's foremost fashion manufacturing houses. Over the years El Jay won numerous prizes and accolades for the quality of its work and for the elegance of its style which was an interpretation of European elegance. A major claim to fame is that it held the exclusive New Zealand license to manufacture and sell Christian Dior originals and Christian Dior prêt a porter to the New Zealand market for 34 years.

The venues for Looking Terrific add meaning to the story, with Kirkcaldie and Stains being loyal stockists of the El Jay label during its fifty year history. Appropriately, the exhibition will be held on the Fashion Floor. The Auckland exhibition, held at the Gus Fisher Gallery drew large crowds, demonstrating a keen interest in looking back at our fashion heritage.

The exhibition not only documents the changes in fashion over the decades, but also the wonderful stories associated with many of the outfits on display. De Pont who gathered all of the garments from private collectors says "It has heartened me to have these garments revive great memories and stories. There is a real emotional attachment to beautifully tailored clothes that we have worn as life-shaping decisions were made, or events occurred. The exhibition has provided a platform for sharing this history with a new generation." One cocktail dress from the 1960s includes the charming story of being worn on a first date with a man who was later to become the woman's husband.

The exhibition is the first of many pop-up exhibitions planned by the New Zealand Fashion Museum. With no fixed abode, this mobile fashion museum is thought to be the first of its kind in the world. When an exhibition has completed its run it will be recorded for posterity on the fashion museum's website and the exhibits will be returned to the homes that love them. The website, will be developed once fundraising is completed. The Museum has already enlisted the support of a number of Foundation Fans who are each contributing $500 to get this project off the ground. To find out more about how to become a Foundation Fan and check out who is already on board visit.