Fashion in her tea cups

A tea-drinking habit formed while flatting was the inspiration behind fashion student Nicole Hamilton's World of Wearable Art entry, one of three from Dunedin for this year's show.

The third-year student at the Otago Polytechnic School of Fashion stitched together about 500 used tea bags, coated in PVA glue, before covering them in plastic for her entry into the open section of tomorrow night's awards.

It was the first time she had entered and said creating the garment gave her a break from her busy third-year course, allowing her to be a bit more creative.

Ms Hamilton's entry is one of 150 garments selected from New Zealand and internationally for the awards, with more than $100,000 in prize money.

The show is in its 20th anniversary year.

Artist Rosy Harray, who graduated from the Otago Polytechnic School of Art in 2006, has created a hoop skirt and inverted hoop skirt out of aluminium wire inserted in fabric for the inspired-by-architecture section.

Ms Harray, who works as a full-time artist in sculpting, painting and graphic design, said her unusual entry was modelled off rose windows in churches and other architecture.

She also entered the awards last year, in the open section.

Third-year fashion student Bobby-Lee Wadsworth has created a dress made out of vinyl for the avant garde section.

Ms Wadsworth has entered the show twice before.

In 2004, she was highly commended for her entry in the avant garde section, and last year she was a finalist in the white section.

For this year's entry she cut out 1600 vinyl triangles which were sewn together to form three-dimensional triangles, which were, in turn, sewn together to create the outfit.

She estimated it took her about 90 hours to create.

The winners will be announced tomorrow.