Buyer's catalogue, 'The Art of Eve by Catalina'

Description

Spiral bound fashion catalogue of 12 pages, printed on both sides. The front cover an illustration in black and purple of a young nude oman holding an apple in her right hand and the text: 'Canterbury presents The Art of Eve by Catalina'.

The catalogue features four pages of fabric swatches and small black and white photographic prints of models wearing swimwear. The colour swatchesare divided into‘serpent’, ‘apple’ and ‘passion’ tones.

Significance

Kate Coolahan illustrated this buyer's catalogue while in the employment of Carlton Carruthers du Chateau, a Wellington advertising agency known for its ‘artistic character’. One of the firm’s key clients was Lane Walker Rudkin, a Christchurch clothing manufacturer. Coolahan designed packaging and promotional material for the company’s ‘Canterbury’ label which included fashionable women’s clothing, children’s wear, lingerie, swimwear and hosiery.

Buyer’s catalogues - or ‘look books’ - were produced to entice retailers into stocking their ranges. Coolahan remembers these catalogues as being silk screened by hand.

Catalina was a popular Californian brand of swimwear, connected with beauty pageants in the United States. It was made in New Zealand under licence by Lane Walker Rudkin in association with the Canterbury label.

For this campaign, Carlton Carruthers du Chateauchose to takea playful spin on the myth of Eve, whom they cast as ‘the perfect lady’.

Coolahan worked with Carlton Carruthers du Chateau and King until 1957, and again between 1960 and 1962 when it was Carlton Carruthers du Chateau.