In the wardrobe with: Alison Plevey
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I have often found it easy to spot Alison Plevey across a crowded theatre foyer. Her style is arresting, effervescent.
As the party leader of Australian Dance Party her life as a dancer and creative person lends itself to a playful sense of dress. It has been a pleasure to better understand her approach to style and to delve into her wardrobe.
Emma: How would you describe your style?
Alison: Eclectic, fun, vibrant, velvet addict, and admittedly a bit daggy. Being a dancer/performer, often my daily outfits are track pants or leggings and a favourite t-shirt.
E: What does style and getting dressed mean to you?
A: For me it is definitely a way to feel renewed, try on a different spirit or reflect the energy I am feeling or seeking that day. To enjoy the fun of creatively putting an outfit together when there’s time for it, that is, is a complete joy and privilege of shaping identity through fashion.
E: What is your current favourite piece and why?
A: Currently it’s a silvery grey crushed velvet shift dress I found in the op-shop. I wear it over tights, leggings, or jeans and brightened up with a pop of colour in a scarf or hat, shoes and jewellery.
E: What outfit or look have you been returning to lately?
A: Jeans (blue or black) with a snuggly colourful jumper is fun and practical as I jump on and off my bike. Feeling comfortable and warm is uber important to me, as well as a bit of vibrancy and quirk. Retro woollen jumpers and a fun beanie are my go-to in these colder months.
E: Tell us about your wardrobe, what does it look like, how is it arranged?
A: To be completely honest my wardrobe goes through terrible states of disorganisation and chaos. Which is fine, it seems to work for me until…it doesn’t. Writing this article forced a bit of a winter tidy for me, so thanks Emma!
Currently I have my summer clothes upstairs in our spare room covered in a sheet to prevent fading and dust and my winter wardrobe is in the bedroom. Both are not really ordered in any way other than similar items next to each other. In an apartment with small wardrobe space, if it’s accessible and fits in okay, I’m cheering!
E: Where do you most like to shop or look for clothes that are new to you?
A: Op shops! With far too much fast fashion in our world, anything I can do to contribute to a circular cycle of reuse is important to me, along with benefits of giving to charity. Plus I love the fun of the hunt and the find! I rarely go looking for something specific, so I think it helps to be open to what might slide along in front of me.
E: How does sustainability and ethics factor into the way you dress?
A: Enormously. I try to only buy second hand nowadays or sew clothes myself if I’m after something particular or just want to get creative. My grandmother, Mardi, was a great seamstress, and growing up I learned a lot from her when she was alive. She would sew my dance costumes and would always be making things for the grandchildren from fabric she found at Vinnies or from repurposed or altered clothes. Her example has shaped my approach, paired with an urgency to reduce textile waste in our world.
I run a dance company, Australian Dance Party, and when working with costume designers or creating a look ourselves, we prioritise second hand materials and repurposed clothing to reduce our environmental footprint. Core to our creative themes and work as a politically and socially aware dance company, we often ignite conversation concerning zero emissions, waste production and our relationships with nature. We created a piece called Seamless in 2017/19 which specifically addressed the issue of fast fashion.
E: What are you looking for in your next piece or purchase?
I’m not really looking. I feel sometimes we need to stop consuming and look at what we have, see it in a fresh way and create different combos (be brave!). For me this makes it feel like I have something new without the price tag and the environmental cost.
Follow Alison @alliplevey and Australian Dance Party @AustralianDanceParty
