Abigail Rasing

From the Resene Whitecliffe Colour of Fashion gallery

Colour: Resene Drop Dead Gorgeous

“When I was given the brief, I wanted to do something from my past but make it modern. I took inspiration from the Barbie movie when Barbie was skating alongside the beach. The pink suit really stuck with me and I wanted to take my own spin on it especially when I found out I was doing a pink shade, Resene Drop Dead Gorgeous.

Abigail Raising and model

Leaning towards fabric manipulations, I really loved the diamond smocking. When it was stretched and flipped over it reminded me of a mushroom cap or moss. Making 3D flowers out of what was a flat piece of fabric was so fun for me because the lilies reminded me of my childhood picking and smelling different lilies around backyards, the two metre tall lilies around my nan’s garden that my mum and dad got married next to in the mid-summer of 2000. So, I felt like I needed to have lilies in my design to acknowledge the people in my family who had planted these beautiful lilies.

The bodice is inspired by Sphagnum moss and dyed pink reindeer moss, I saw dyed reindeer moss in bouquets and centrepieces and for arts and crafts in primary. When my family went on hikes in the Kaimais along the trails, covering logs and creeping onto the trail, up trees, over old metalwork was sphagnum moss, and it was a pink when it was in bloom and healthy.

Abigail Rasing and model

Abigail Rasing design

Abigail Rasing design - 2

One of my main elements is texture which I have showed by doing flipped diamond smoking on the bodice. You may notice at the bottom it’s straight and not squiggly. I did this to represent the lilies strong stems holding these massive flowers high.

The pink stargazer lily symbolises prosperity, abundance, admiration and love. This flower is a bulb and comes back every year in midsummer and has 4-12 blooms each stem. I chose to leave the ends of the petals un-neatened to represent how torn and frayed life can be at times. I choose to do this flower because my nan has always grown lilies in her garden, and I love seeing them rise out of the ground and show off their amazing tall blooms. They are very confident and strong in their stems, with the added beauty and elegance of their blooms. The repeated use of the lily creates a sense of rhythm.”

Abigail Rasing design - 3