
3. The World of Wearable Art and Classic Cars
Location: Cadillac Way, Nelson, New Zealand
This excellent museum-slash-gallery is one of the more unique attractions you'll come across during your time in New Zealand, and has won widespread acclaim for its distinct take on all things fashion-related.
As a gallery showcasing the clothing worn during the annual World of Wearable Art show, one of the main principles of the facility is “taking art off the wall”, and you'll see plenty of examples of this firsthand here; unlike other typical art galleries, at The World of Wearable Art and Classic Cars (or WOW as it's known for short), the art is designed to adorn the human form.
What started off as a small exhibit has now grown to become an annual show held in Wellington, however it's at the Nelson attraction where you'll be able to view the displays of garments worn during the yearly show up close.
While this might not sound appealing to those who don't have a strong interest in fashion, you'd be surprised with the amazing things that the show's fashion designers have been able to do with all kinds of materials to create art/clothes combinations that have to be seen to be believed.
It's a fresh idea that had not previously been done, and originated from some typical New Zealand ingenuity back in 1987.
Something for the guys and gals, the World of Wearable Art and Classic Cars exhibition is a must-see when in Nelson. You'll see wild fashion and classic cars from a variety of time periods in history.
The museum provides video presentations of the previous year's World of Wearable Art show to give further context to what the various wild and wonderful fashions looked like being presented, which helps provide some context while getting up close with the various examples of out-of-the-box design that are right in front of you.
The gallery has an automated runway carrying mannequins adorned with the various garments so you can see what they look like while worn.
Interestingly, the curators of the museum seemed to realise that this focus towards fashion would be mainly of interest towards women; it's an added bonus, then, that it's also combined with a wing showcasing some outstanding examples of classic cars (hence the name) that should keep the guys happy as well.
Having opened in 2009, the Classic Car section has become a favourite amongst enthusiasts and features around 100 classic cars from varying time periods of the past – such rarities as Zodiacs, the XK150 Roadster and the Mk III Zephyr can all be found here, all of which are in remarkably good condition given their age.
It's hard to find such an assembly of impressive classic cars under one roof anywhere in the world, and as such this is a relative rarity in New Zealand that makes the gallery well worth a visit for car buffs. A true testament to the power of man-made creativity and design from two very different angles, the World of Wearable Art and Classic Cars is the perfect Nelson-area attraction for those looking for something different – particularly on a rainy day.