This blazer was worn by Yvette Williams (now Yvette Corlett), New Zealand’s first female Olympic gold medallist, at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. Yvette was the only New Zealander to win gold at the Games, and was the third individual New Zealander to ever become a gold medallist. She was 23 when she won the long jump event, wearing a singlet supplied by the New Zealand Olympic Committee and shorts she had to make herself. She also placed sixth in the shot put and tenth in the discus. This blazer is very simple. It is unlined and the only embellishments are the embroidery on the breast pocket and the New Zealand fern embossed on the silver buttons. Read more about wearing the colour black in the New Zealand Fashion Museum publication Black: The history of black in fashion, society and culture in New Zealand.