This dress is a typical Annie Bonza design from the 1970s. One of Annie’s first attempts at braiding on clothing was influenced by an Austrian friend. "She was a forceful character and had a huge influence over everyone. She and her sister had been smuggled out of Austria in the early part of the war, and they’d ended up in England in a women’s prison. They never saw their parents again. The only thing she had from Austria was a plum wool curtain with beige cording. It was thick, and the bottom of it was cornellied with a peasant design. I copied that Austrian design using bright colours on a black velvet skirt. It was pretty in-your-face but very effective." Annie’s braiding took on an unintentional Māori feel, something she now attributes to the influence of the famous weaver Dame Rangimārie Hetet, who taught her Māori craft when she was at Te Kuiti High School. Read more about 1970s fashion in the New Zealand Fashion Museum publication The Age of Aquarius: A 70s Revolution in Fashion.