Late Lady Diana Dress

This dress was made by Florence Jaukae Kamel, a fashion designer based in Goroka, Papua New Guinea. It was made in response to the passing of Diana, Princess of Wales who in died in 1997. It is a unique example of upcycling in Papua New Guinea as it is made from two dance aprons worn by men of the Enga province. The dance aprons were made using the same method as bilum (string bags).

Bilum Fashion

Bilum are a type of bag made using a hand-looping technique that allows the bags to expand when they are filled. They can be made from from a variety of materials including plant fibres, acrylic and wool yarn. Bilum are used on an everyday basis to carry yams, taro, food and other food stuffs and sometimes even babies.

In the 1980s, women in Papua New Guinea began to extend their traditional bilum making skills to create clothing. A wide range of garments were made during this time including shirts and shorts however it was largely viewed as a novelty. Today, bilum fashion has become a serious commercial enterprise for designers such as Florence Jaukae Kamel who established Jakaue Bilum Products (JBP) in Goroka to promote and market the art of bilum.

The Late Lady Diana Dress

The design was inspired by Princess Diana's wedding dress designed by Elizabeth and David Emmanuel in 1981 for her marriage to His Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales. Her extravagant gown was made of six different fabrics and embelished with over 10,000 mother of pearl sequins and pearls. A unique feature of her dress was the 25 foot (7.6m) train, the longest on record for a British royal wedding.

Florence's floor length gown references several elements of the Princess Diana's wedding dress. Attached to the back of the dress is a narrow mermaid tail train. The v-neck collar and sleeves have been lined with job's tears (grains) which references the sequin and pearls of the wedding dress and as a way to commemorate her passing. In Papua New Guinea, necklaces of job's tears are worn by widows to show that she is in mourning.  

Acquisition History

This dress was acquired from the artist in March 2016 when she attended the 2016 XII International Symposium of the Pacific Arts held in Auckland.

References

Emmanuel, David and Emannuel, Elizabeth, A Dress for Diana, 2006

Wilson, Natalie (ed), Plumes and Pearlshells: Art of the New Guinea Highlands, New South Wales Art Gallery, 2014.