Style Imitating Art…
Welcome back to my interpretation of a fun and unique piece of art. Salazar, Shelbee, and I are the curators. You can think of this series as fashion meets art museum! SIA challenges people to find inspiration in different art works, create looks based upon that art work, and share them with the curator for that piece. Salazar is this week’s curator with this fun and beautiful textile. I hope you enjoy this post, the information, and my interpretation.
How it works…
Every other Monday one of us selects an inspiration piece of art and posts the image on their blog. We then invite others to interpret that art work through their style. The following Monday, we share our outfits. The curator shares submissions the following Wednesday on her blog. Salazar chose this week’s art work for this round of Style Imitating Art. If you’d like, you can read why she chose it here. Please send your photo to Salazar by Tuesday, March 24th, 2026 by 10 pm EST. Style Imitating Art is an interesting way to inspire your outfits. You can see a few of my looks here, here, here and here.
The artist…
Born on April 15, 1944, during the Nazi occupation of Holland, Annemeike Mein and her family emigrated to Melbourne, Australia in 1951. Though she left behind the occupation and food rationing, Mein also left behind her beloved grandparents. She would never see them again. An only child, Mein developed a love for insects and the natural world. Her father was a dental technician, and her mother was a skilled dressmaker.
A little more…
Mein attended Brighton State School, Mitcham State School, and Nunawading High School. Initially, she didn’t speak English when they first moved to Australia. Mein was seven at the time. Imagine attending school and not understanding anyone! After beginning school, she quickly picked up the language through language immersion. Partly due to being an only child and partly due to not being an English speaker, Mein was a bit of a loner and spent her days wandering the outdoors. There, she discovered the astonishing diversity of Australian wildlife and began sketching and collecting insects. She also learned how to breed and raise butterflies.
Still more…
Once she finished school, she enrolled in an art course at Melbourne State College but abandoned that for a career in nursing at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, graduating in 1967. In 1968, she married Phillip Mein who was a general practitioner she’d met at the hospital. In 1971, Mein, her husband, and six-month-old daughter, Joanne, moved to Sale in Gippsland, Victoria. A son, Peter, was born in 1972. Following the births of her children, Mein left nursing behind for motherhood. When she attempted to return to nursing, the policy was not to employ wives of medical staff! She turned to crafting and dabbled in many different types. As I mentioned, Mein’s mother was an accomplished seamstress, and it seems Mein may have inherited some of that talent.
“She made gift cards, lace, and then lace pictures. She also made pictures out of bird feathers, and later out of bark. Knitting and crochet, spinning and weaving, clay modelling and papier-mâché, leather-work, jewellery-making, paper-making, découpage, patchwork quilting, felting, dressmaking, etching, and restoration of old furniture were all experienced and mastered. Her flair for interior design was put into the house and into some friends’ houses. Perhaps it was her experience with hand embroidery (ranging from traditional cross stitch to crewel embroidery), and fabric collage work, that led later to machine embroidery (source).”
Even more…
In 1977, she began experimenting with textile pictures. Some of these early works were copies of other designs or simple drawings she’d made then translated into textiles. By 1978, Mein was designing wildlife pictures and then recreating them in textiles. In that same year, she won the inaugural Family Circle/Coats Patons Craft Award. Thousands of entries in every kind of craft from throughout Australia poured in, and Mein won with Coastal Banksia. First prize was a trip to New York. The real prize for her, though, was formal recognition of her artistic achievement. This encouraged her to continue with artworks rendered in textiles.
A skosh more…
During this time, we should also remember Mein was a young mother so she completed her domestic and parental chores before settling down to creating. She continued this pattern even after her children had grown. Mein’s first major exhibition was “Invited Gippsland Craftsmen” at the sale Regional Arts Centre in 1979. She showed approximately eighteen works and received accolades, strong emotional responses, and even tears. People returned with their significant others, children, workmates, and friends. It was then the question, ‘Why do you work in textiles, which take so long, when you can paint and draw so well?’ was answered. In 1988, she received the Order of Australia Medal for services to the arts.
Still more…
In addition to creating these amazing textiles, Mein also held regular workshops and has no problem sharing her techniques and experiences with those who attend. In 1992, her book, The Art of Annemieke Mein, shared rare insights into her creative process for producing these works of art. The illustrations also offer “a comprehensive cross-section of her textile pieces.” Her husband wrote the profile for her book, and you really should read it. You can tell it’s written with lots of love. You can find that here.
A sad diagnosis…
Sadly, Mein suffers from cryptogenic sensory neuropathy which is an autoimmune condition. This condition has stolen the feeling from her hands and feet. I cannot imagine how heartbreaking that initial diagnosis was for her. But, please read this article in which she discusses that as well as what’s she’s currently doing. This woman is amazing.
The artwork…
I have to say I’d really love to see Whirlpool Frog! It measures 41 x 67 in (105 x 170 cm) and is a large textile wall sculpture. Mein used hand-painted silk organza, quilted it, and embroidered it to create this three-dimensional piece. It is based on a real- life experience when Mein discovered a frog caught in a flood. She flipped it out with a stick! It is part of a private collection at this time. If you want a piece of her work, visit Gippsland Art Gallery in Sale, Victoria, Australia!
Sources…
My interpretation…
I knew exactly what I was going to wear for this SIA challenge! I bought the Rasgulla Sari Gold Dust Muu (just an example) back in October. It’s a weird kinda garment. It’s very wide, has these ruffles down the side, and those humongous sleeves. But, I really liked the print. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. You really can never quite tell what color you’re going to get from Kantha Bae. Of course, that’s the way online shopping is, right? Your monitor tells you one thing; the item is something a lot different. With Kantha Bae, the difference is usually pretty noticeable. Well, either before or after, I had also purchased this sleeveless wrap dress. The problem with wrap dresses, as I’m sure you know, is they have to fit you right. If they don’t, you’ve just got a mess. There are two problems with the KB wrap dresses. One is they are called One Size so that they fit sizes 00-22/24. The second is they forget to include holes for the ties to go through! So, while I appreciate their mission, their size inclusiveness, I don’t really get the fit I like. This time, I am wearing the wrap dress under the Gold Dust Muu. I wrapped it tightly around me and belted it. I really just need to get my sewing machine out and put a hole in the side! All that to say, I was thrilled to see how closely these two items matched. I thought they were the perfect “watery” combination of colors and prints for our little froggy art. Under both pieces, I am wearing a lace Halftee in Latte to mimic the froth of the whirlpool.
The Lewk!
It reached 80 (26.7C) the day I took these photos so it was definitely sandal weather. My Shay sandals from Miz Mooz in sage were the perfect color for this watery look I created. I now have them in black and a beautiful pink. Honestly, if you have arch problems, these will fit your arch like they were tailored just for your feet! To pick up that purple in the artwork, I added in this Purple Multi Strand Millie Necklace from Sylca Designs. I cannot say enough about the quality and uniqueness of their jewelry. I have loved everything I’ve bought there. I added these amethyst drop earrings from my eBay shopping days. I don’t know why I don’t have a pair from Sylca. I need to fix that pretty quickly!
Wrap it up, Marsha!
I am pretty positive Shelbee will have an amazing outfit as these are two of her favorite colors, too! And, I will go so far as to say Salazar will have a frog or frog-adjacent brooch. I do apologize for the wonky photos. Using a tripod requires some learning, and that’s what I’m doing. It was a very warm day, and I really can’t leave Nigel alone for long. We go to the doctor today (Monday) for a check up/check in. I really have no idea what to expect. As soon as we get home, the home health nurse is coming to replace his PICC line bandages. I kinda doubt she’ll check his incision though she might be required to do so. Then, the occupational therapist is coming for an evaluation, I think. I’m not 100% sure why that’s occurring, but I’ll keep you updated. So, can we talk? What feelings does this piece evoke in you? How do you think losing her sense of touch will affect future art for Mein? If you were going to create a piece like this, what would the subject be? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as quickly as I can.
Don’t forget…
If you want to be included in the Style Imitating Art round up, send Salazar your photo by 10:00 pm EST, Tuesday, March 24th. Photos of everyone participating will appear on her blog on Wednesday, March 25th! If you’re interested in joining us, consider all of your options…the colors, the textures, the feelings they evoke! Come on, give it a try! I think you’ll love it!
Thank you!
I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for reading, commenting, subscribing or emailing! It truly means so much to me! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.
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Where you can find me:
Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style, Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, Suzy Turner, and Away from the Blue as well as Deb’s World . I also link up with I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, Style Splash and Elegantly Dressed and Stylish as well as the Senior Salon Pit Stop (Esme’s Salon) and Slices of Life. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month as well as the Global Writing Challenge on the second Thursday. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda, Lisa, Cat, and Rena. I also host 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!