Wedding Wonderland | Robyn Cliffe Couturiere
nspired designs The wedding dress has universal status. Constructed with the tools of imagination and craftsmanship, it conveys personality and represents commitment. Worn by women from all walks of life, the look of a bridal gown is as unique as the individual who wears it. Throughout time the white wedding dress has become a fashion fixture on the ceremonial scene, although it hasn’t always been that way. Prior to the Victorian era when white became a popular option after Queen Victoria donned the colour in her marriage to Prince Albert of SaxeCoburg in 1840, vibrant colours and fabrics were preferential within the aristocracy and were emblematic of social status. Throughout the world, different cultures embrace different aesthetic traditions when it comes to a wedding. In Vietnam, the ao dai is the formal wedding attire for brides and in China, matrimonial wear is made in red — the colour of success and good luck. In India, the post-wedding lehnga and choli are made in gold and in the Philippines, it’s the aro’t saya. Whatever the societal or personal preferences, designing a wedding dress is a process of experimentation and no one knows more about the importance of constructing a bridal gown with personality than Robyn Cliffe, founder of Robyn Cliffe Couturiere. Her creativity has had a presence at weddings, balls and formal functions throughout New Zealand. Specialising in silk tailoring, Cliffe has made thousands of leavers ball
Specialising in: 3 Wedding Gowns 3 Suedes 3 Leather For all your Drycleaning needs
Pleased to be associated with Robyn Cliffe Couturiere Phone: 03 355 5942 178 Papanui Road Merivale, Christchurch
64 | October/November 2010 www.canterburytoday.co.nz
I travel every year and can say that there is nowhere else in the world that has better bridal wear than New Zealand. Robyn Cliffe Robyn Cliffe Couteriere
dresses, suits and general couture garments throughout her career. And like the aesthetic adventure Cliffe takes her brides on during the development of their dress, Cliffe’s professional evolution has been rich in detail. “I always loved design from a young age, but there were no design training schools in those days,” Cliffe says of her introduction to design. “I actually came down from Nelson to train as a nurse at Princess Margaret hospital and when the very first boutique opened in Christchurch, I put designs in it. I then went to England and trained at the Fashion Design School in London.” Wellington Polytechnic sought out Cliffe’s skills upon her return to New Zealand in the hope she would nurture and educate their aspiring talent but her ambition was to establish a business into which she could drive her creative energy. “As soon as I got back from England I opened my first shop — Studio 201 at 201 Fendalton road. The shop was originally a butchers shop and it was so tiny — the fitting room was literally in the chiller,” she laughs. It was a case of you can’t judge a book by its cover. The business boomed despite its spatial restrictions and Cliffe was commissioned to design and manufacture hand-screen printed Maori motif gowns for MP Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan. After a persistent professional associate drew her into manufacturing with Gypsy Fashions and Group 12 ranges, Cliffe also produced ski jackets, sold through the Para Rubber chain. This contract enabled her to withstand the economic difficulties of the Robert Muldoon era and pursue her passion of designing evening wear. There is no doubt her finesse for designing evening wear enabled Cliffe to achieve what she has achieved to date. Testament to her skills are the multiple achievement awards Cliffe has received throughout her career — the Benson and Hedges Eveningwear Award, Canterbury Designer of the Year Award, Woman Today Lifetime Design Award and several Design of Elegance Awards for evening wear.