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The Dress Circle: New Zealand Fashion Design since 1940, by Douglas Lloyd Jenkins and Lucy Hammonds of the Hawke’s Bay Museum & Art Gallery and Clair Regnault of Te Papa, has been nominated as one of five finalists for the Illustrated Non-fiction category of the New Zealand Post Book Awards 2011.

The Dress Circle inserts seven decades of history into the family tree of New Zealand fashion design. The book showcases the talents and undeniable flair of a wide range of New Zealand fashion designers, from the well-known to those who have slipped out of the public eye.

The Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust (HBMT) collection has played a significant role in this book. All three authors have been closely involved with the museum’s fashion and textiles collection, with Claire Regnault having formerly worked as curator at Hawke’s Bay Museum & Art Gallery (HBMAG) before her move south to Wellington. Many HBMT garments were selected and photographed for the book, showcasing the quality and diversity of the collection.

The awards will be announced, with the overall book award of the year presented at a functions held in Wellington on Wednesday 27 July 2011.

Fans of The Dress Circle will be able to vote for the book in the People’s Choice Award – voting opens on 1 June and closes on Friday 8 July and can be placed via the awards website www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz.