Orange & white gingham bikini

Anita Arlov was just 13 in 1970. The decade comprised her formative years and her interest in fashion and shopping bloomed as she grew. Her experiences of fashion were limited at first. Initially her clothing didn’t extend much further than her school uniform, a few homemade dresses and hand-me-downs from her sister. It was these hand-me-downs and an insight into fashion retail which sowed the fashion seed in Anita. She possessed a stylish older sister who loved to sew and a mother who worked in some of Christchurch’s top fashion boutiques and department stores, including DIC Beaths and House of Raymonde. During Anita’s last years of high school she began to explore the city’s fashion retailers in search of ball outfits, and her interest grew when she took up a job at top department store Ballantynes while she was at university. She was familiar with emerging retail trends – op shops, vintage clothing, markets – as well as department stores and high-end boutiques. Her wardrobe of the decade made use of all parts of the retail sphere of the 1970s.

Read more about 1970s fashion in the New Zealand Fashion Museum publication 
The Age of Aquarius: A 70s Revolution in Fashion

Listen to an interview with Anita Arlov talking about fashion in 1970s Christchurch.  

Details

Credit: Loan courtesy of Anita Arlov
Copyright: Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 Licence
Designer: Unknown
Manufacturing location: Stoddard Rd, Mt Roskill, Auckland
Garment type: Bikini
Material: Cotton gingham
Features: The legs and waist are elasticated
Colour: Orange, white
Purchase location: Christchurch
Label: Maggy
Date: Early to mid 1970s