Helena Reid

From the Resene Whitecliffe Colour of Fashion gallery

“After receiving the colour Roadster by Resene I was instantly struck with how bold the shade is. I knew when designing a garment inspired by this colour I needed something equally as bold. The colour initially reminded me of Valentine’s Day and the tradition of sharing your love for someone with a grand gesture. I was picturing dozens of roses and heart shaped chocolate boxes. My design is called J’adore, translated from French to mean “I adore”. I felt like this encapsulated the romantic mood I felt from Roadster by Resene.

Helena Reid and model wearing her skirt in Resene Roadster

When collating a mood board for the colour Roadster by Resene, I wanted to lean into the concept of the city of love; Paris. So, I explored photos of Paris in the evening, especially Moulin Rouge. I was inspired by the way Moulin Rouge’s red neon signs would cut through the night, bold and unafraid, much like Roadster by Resene. I was also inspired by the name of the colour too; Roadster. I wanted my design to be a physical interpretation of the feeling of sitting in a vintage roadster with the roof down zooming through Parisian streets with your lover. I wanted it to encapsulate the boldness of new love and that all-encompassing feeling. I also found inspiration in sweet treats, like chocolates and candy that you would give to your Valentine, as a sweet gesture of love.

When analysing my mood board I found the motif of a heart kept reappearing and it felt natural to include that motif in my final design, I tried to interpret this shape in a few ways, whether that be in the neckline or a cut out in the back but I felt like it needed to be front and centre. I also liked the idea of enhancing the heart motif, with some piping, almost to emulate the look of a vintage chocolate box. Another design element that kept popping up was a corseted silhouette, I felt the corset was a nice reference to Moulin Rouge and the cabaret dancers costumes, but instead of a typical corset shape I altered it to add in my heart motif. I also wanted the skirt to be nice and full, similar to a cancan dancer’s dress. I felt like a big flowy skirt would be super flirty and fun and I wanted it to create movement when the model wore the dress. I also added a ruffle at the bottom of the skirt for even more movement when worn.

My design, J’adore, is a physical interpretation of the passionate and bold feeling you get when celebrating love, perfectly represented in the bold colour Roadster by Resene.”

Helena Reid and model wearing her skirt in Resene Roadster