Australian Dress Register

The Iced VoVo dress by fashion label Romance Was Born is cheeky take on an iconic Australian biscuit. Designers, Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales are well known for their portrayal of Australian kitsch and use of traditional craft techniques. Shown at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, Spring/Summer 2009/2010 as part of the Doilies and Pearls, Oysters and Shells collection it was widely covered by both newspapers and magazines.

This Iced VoVo dress is significant as an example of unique and original contemporary Australian fashion design. It represents Australian themes in a playful manner and was one of the most talked about and acclaimed collections at Australian Fashion Week. Plunkett and Sales are among the most creative and challenging Australian design teams to emerge in the last decade.

The Iced VoVo Dress has both historical and aesthetic significance. The dress was created by an Australian fashion label that has wider connections to national art and fashion communities. For example, designers Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales have collaborated with Indigenous artist, Bidjigal woman Esme Timbery as well as Archibald prize winner Del Kathryn Barton. The label's unique aesthetic has attracted accolades from celebrities including Cate Blanchett who wore another piece from this collection show to an opening at ACMI in Melbourne. The dress, therefore, contributes to an understanding of the way Romance Was Born draws inspiration from and collaborates with various creative individuals to present a innovative fashion product.

In terms of aesthetic significance, the dress is unique and well-manufactured. There is a lot of attention to detail on the dress. For example, the use of clear rods to represent coconut being stitched on to the red and pink pom poms. This allows for a realistic representation of the Iced VoVo food product.

Furthermore, the dress is significant as it has a known provenance, is in excellent condition and has great interpretive capacity. The display history of the dress is also documented. In terms of condition, the dress shows very slight wear. It is in excellent condition after only being worn for modelling purposes. It is a unique piece combining art, food, and fashion.

All of these factors contribute to the dress' interpretive capacity. It could be displayed to showcase the work of the label, to illustrate an aspect of contemporary Australian fashion, or to draw wider connections between fashion and Australian culture.

Author: Rebecca Lush, 14 June 2016.

Dress designed in the shape of Arnott's 'Iced VoVo' biscuit. It comprises a rectangular body made of light brown fabric with a scalloped edge. The centre front of dress has a single row of seven red woollen pom poms and two rows of seven pink pom poms down each side of the central row. Pom Poms have clear and white plastic rods attached to represent the coconut found on top of Iced VoVos. Reverse of dress is unembellished. The entire dress sits just above the knee.

The ensemble also includes a pair of cobalt blue platform high heels decorated with pink and red fabric flowers.