THREE Wellington City Council employees are swapping their day attire for “flirty” sailor uniforms at the much-anticipated Rugby Sevens.
Anita Denzel, Jodi Turton and Hanna Stephen came across five sailor-girl outfits on Trademe, and decided they would be the perfect look.
“We had the idea of a strawberry shortcake theme, but we had to import them from the US,” says Denzel. “We didn’t want something skanky, but we still wanted to fit into the general feel. These outfits were one-size fits all, which was a big draw-card.”
They like the fact that Wellington is the only city in the world where it’s tradition to dress to the nines.
“We heard it was mandatory to dress up here. We didn’t even think about not dressing up. The costumes go hand-in-hand – it’s all about the atmosphere,” says Denzel.
The three laugh that they’ve heard of people who don’t go to the Sevens, but dress up for town afterwards to “fit in”.
To make the most of the weekend, the girls are having pre-rugby barbeques with the rest of their group, which includes five other sailors (girls), and two pirates (guys).
It’s the first time they’ve been to the rugby extravaganza.
“I’m going on my OE in May, and I’m a Wellingtonian who has never been to the Sevens – you’ve got to do it at least once,” laughs Denzel.
They won’t be the only people from the council enjoying the big weekend – Mayor Kerry Prendergast will be present under the guise of First Lady Jackie O.
Prendergast is impressed with the girls’ get-up.
“She thinks it’s great. She always backs us when we go to Wellington events,” says Denzel, adding the three almost missed out on tickets.
After the initial sell-out they resigned themselves to the waiting list – and luck.
“We entered competitions [to win tickets] everyday. I’d run in and say ‘Jodi, today the code word is “butterfly”’,” laughs Denzel.
But when the organisers re-released a load of tickets, the sailors successfully secured the treasure.
They insist while the atmosphere is important, the Rugby Sevens are not just about the party, and they do have a healthy interest in rugby.
Of course, they say, they will be supporting New Zealand, but that Fiji will be a team to watch out for. And apparently, the US are a nice team to watch.
“They’re hot,” is the unanimous conclusion.
NZI Sevens, Westpac Stadium, February 5-6.