KEY POINTS:
A soft drink bottling factory, childhood fantasies, a 50s house and life at Foxton Beach - strangely enough, all of these are the inspirations for the swimwear made by designer Caroline Anderson.
After graduating from Massey University's design course, the Wanganui native visited a friend who had just
bought the old Foxton Fizz soft drink factory which has been been operating since 1918. His plan to turn the place into a boutique drinks manufacturer and the general atmosphere in the tiny township of Foxton itself got Anderson so excited she decided to move there. After spending six months on her designs as well as working part-time at the soft drink factory, she came up with her swimwear collection, the stunningly named Crystal Diamond togs with their cool 50s shapes and 80s colours and patterns.
"The name comes from my childhood desire to be called Crystal Diamond Necklace," Anderson explains. "And I am sure living at Foxton Beach must have had an effect too. I was living in a house that hadn't been redecorated since the 50s and I found the factory quite inspirational too. There's so much history there, they've got all the old signs, and a folder with all the labels they'd made since the early 1900s."
Soon though her swimwear, currently available at Miss Crabb in Auckland will be influenced by a completely different set of stimuli. Anderson is leaving Foxton for a much bigger town, Melbourne, where she hopes to continue to work in the fashion industry. "I couldn't stay in Foxton forever. It was a good place to concentrate but it's a bit quiet."
Who are your favourite designers?
Miss Crabb, Vivienne Westwood, Who is Dead Martin?, and knitwear designer Penny Sage.
What was the last item of clothing you bought?
Miss Crabb jeans.
Who or what inspires you?
Foxton Fizz, sunshine, snippets of conversations, colour combos that make me spasm with delight.
Your favourite accessory?
My Dead Martin skull necklace.
Best fashion bargain?
My fully beaded Y2K 2000 shoes with shooting stars and planets on them, from the Salvation Army shop in Levin.
The best jeans?
I don't know if they still exist but I have a pair of beautiful vintage Jordaches that are great because they come up to my waist and have a nice horse head embroidered on the hip. They are long and fitting and give the impression I'm "all legs".
What endures throughout the seasons?
At Foxton Beach pyjamas and trackies seem to be doing pretty well.
What's the one thing everyone should have in their wardrobe?
An animal suit.
What do you really want this summer?
A Who Is Dead Martin? harlequin dress.
Your best beauty tip?
Relax. And lay off the pies.
What can't you live without?
Water.
What won't you be wearing this season?
Snakeskin chaps.
What do you wear to work?
Crystal Diamond togs.
What is the biggest fashion mistake you ever made?
I don't see them as mistakes, just bad things that you can laugh about later.
Is there anything you think the fashion police should ban?
Those giant foam jester hats people wear to rugby games.
The one fashion rule you always break?
No one ever told me there were any rules.
Favourite fashion movie?
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
You feel best wearing?
Natural fibres.
Dress to impress whom?
Myself and like-minded creatures.
Most stylish city?
I haven't been to it yet but it's probably in Europe.
Never caught wearing?
White slut-slacks with a G-string.
When I was high school I wore?
Fluoro everything. Pink and red and orange all at once with a mad clown haircut.
