James Eden Hore (28 September 1919 – 15 May 1997) was a New Zealand farmer and collector of 1970s and 1980s women's couture fashion by New Zealand fashion designers. The collection is maintained by the Eden Hore Central Otago Trust.
Biography
Hore was born in 1919 in Naseby.[1][2] He attended Kyeburn School and lived at Glenshee Station, a sheep and cattle farm, near Naseby.[1] In World War II he served as a gunner with the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Egypt and Italy.[1][2] Hore's nephew was the singer John Grenell.[1]
Hore's interest in fashion was sparked by Alma McElwain, a model, who worked for Hore as a 'land girl' and housekeeper from 1960 to 1972.[1][3][4] Initially he collected garments made of wool and leather but the collection expanded until it grew to more than 270 garments.[1][5] It included creations by top designers such as Kevin Berkahn, Colin Cole, Lewis Townsend and Vinka Lucas.[3][6] Many of the garments were displayed in Glenshee Park a tourism attraction Hore opened in 1975 on the remaining 100ha of the station after he had sold the majority of the land.[1][5] The fashion display was alongside Hore's other collections which included taxidermied animals, dolls, plates, spoons and fabrics.[1] He also maintained a collection of exotic animals and trees, and formal gardens.[1]
Hore died in 1997 in Ranfurly.[1] After his death his collections were sent to auction but his niece and nephew Margaret and John Steele intervened to stop the fashion collection from being sold.[1] The Central Otago District Council bought the collection in 2013 for $40,000.[1][6] Three more pieces were purchased from the estate of Alma McElwain after she died in 2022 and donated to the collection anonymously.[3][4]
Legacy
The Eden Hore Central Otago Trust works to preserve, exhibit and promote the collection.[7] The collection has been displayed at the Dowse Art Museum in 2021,[1][8] at the Alexandra Museum in 2024[6] and Toitū Otago Settlers Museum in 2025.[9]
A book about the collection, with photos by Derek Henderson, was published in 2025.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Herron, Jill (20 April 2022). "Fashion maven of the Maniototo". Newsroom. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
- ^ a b "James Eden Hore". Online Cenotaph Auckland War Museum. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
- ^ a b c "Eden Hore collection gifted with three new garments - Central Otago District Council". www.codc.govt.nz. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ a b Thomson, Shannon (8 July 2023). "Clothes that belonged to 'muse' join Hore collection". The News. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Central Otago Couture: The Eden Hore Collection | Te Papa". tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
- ^ a b c Asher, Julie (28 April 2024). "A window into the Eden Hore collection". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
- ^ Thomson, Shannon (22 March 2024). "Identities of Eden Hore models sought". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
- ^ "Eden Hore: High Fashion/High Country". RNZ. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ Toitū Otago Settlers Museum. "Eden in Dunedin". Toitū Otago Settlers Museum Official Website. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ Malthus, Jane; Regnault, Clare (2025). Central Otago Couture: The Eden Hore Collection. Te Papa Press. ISBN 978-1-99-107205-4. OCLC 1499219655.
Further reading
- Gilchrist, S. (2014). Fashion in the field; The Eden Hore collection - the story so far. Otago Daily Times, 5 Apr 2014, 45–46.
- Jamie Averill Metzger (2014), The Eden Hore Collection: Exploring scenarios for re-display (Master's thesis), OUR Archive, hdl:10523/4931, Wikidata Q112906345
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