The new­ly launched New Zealand Fash­ion Muse­um aims to pre­serve and cel­e­brate New Zealand’ fash­ion his­to­ry.

It does­n’t have a phys­i­cal loca­tion, instead dis­play­ing exhi­bi­tions in pop-up loca­tions.

Its first exhi­bi­tion is Look­ing Ter­rif­ic – the Sto­ry of El Jay, look­ing at the career of fash­ion design­er Gus Fish­er and his label El Jay.

El Jay held the exclu­sive New Zealand licence for Chris­t­ian Dior design­ers, bring­ing ele­gant frocks to New Zealand women want­i­ng some Parisian chic.

The exhi­bi­tion is on dis­play at Kirkaldie and Stains, which apt­ly enough was one of El Jay’s stock­ists back in the day.

The Look­ing Ter­rif­ic col­lec­tion spans 40 years of El Jay, from the ’40s to the ’80s, with all gar­ments bor­rowed from pri­vate col­lec­tions — often the orig­i­nal own­er.

The exhi­bi­tion runs until 3 Octo­ber, and can be viewed inside (and out­side) Kirks on Lambton Quay.