Chloe has fashion success sewn up

Chloe King dreams of moving from Fieldays to film costume success. Photo/John Stone

Northland student Chloe King took a step toward realising her dreams when she won the Classroom Couture category in the 20th Ag Art Wear contest, at the National Agricultural Fieldays in Hamilton.

The 16-year-old Whangarei Girls' High School art, textiles and fashion technology student fancies seeing her name in lights when the credits roll for costume design for a future big movie or stage show.

Her Fieldays success earlier this month is just the incentive she needs to encourage her to work hard for one of the half-dozen places open annually for the costume construction course she covets at the New Zealand Drama School, which she wants to attend in 2016.

"It would be like a dream come true to work on films and stage," Chloe said.

The Classroom Couture category is about developing aspiring young artists and designers from secondary schools.

Chloe's category winner, called Felt Like Flowers, was a dress made by hand-felting wool blended from brown to white. Overlaying the dress was an overcoat made of alkathene pipes shaped into flowers.

Flower/bailing twine shoes and a flower fascinator completed the outfit. Chloe said she had created Felt Like Flowers working outside school under the guidance of Quarry Arts Centre tutor Hayley Clark.

"Make sure you acknowledge Hayley helped me, she's amazing," Chloe said.

Chloe's parents, Vivian and Stephen King, and her sister Megan, 15, were at Mystery Creek to applaud her win.

"I was so happy to have my entry accepted for the contest, it was a bit surprising to take first place. Winning was like icing on the cake," Chloe said.

Her Classroom Couture triumph earned Chloe $1000, which she said she would use to help buy herself a car, or maybe put a bit of the cash aside for another Fieldays Ag Art Wear entry next year.