Wedding dress
1971
- Medium
- wool, leather, nylon, acetate (lining)
- Measurements
- (a) 131.0 cm (centre back) 55.5 cm (sleeve length) (dress)
(b) 154.5 × 113.0 cm (veil)
(c) 149.5 × 115.0 cm (veil) - Accession Number
- 2019.1126.a-c
- Department
- Australian Fashion and Textiles
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Shirley Groves-Klebaner, 2019 - Gallery location
- Gallery 11
Level 2, NGV Australia - About this work
-
Born in Melbourne in 1940, Rachelle King was in primary school when she learned to knit and crochet, guided by her mother, magazines, do-it-yourself kits and her own experimentations. After studying advertising and fashion design, she started crocheting for herself and friends, before selling her work in the early 1960s. In 1961, King began working at Lincoln Mills where she designed patterns, knitting books, yarn labels and advertising artwork. From 1963–89, she ran her own business, which became known for its crocheted bikinis. Wedding dress showcases King’s innovative use of wool, leather and crochet to create a dramatic and technically complex patchwork, with decorative seams that cleverly disguise functional stitching.