"I wanted to make people think, wow, condoms, and then keep thinking . . . about safe sex, about stopping HIV/Aids, about sexual diseases," said Radius Medical The Palms sexual health nurse specialist Jody Macdonald.
"It was to draw the eye."
While New Zealand does not experience the high level of HIV/ Aids infection as some overseas countries, it concerned her that there was no sign of infection rates slowing down here.
"The first half of 2007, we saw 84 new cases reported nationally. About the same as last year," Mrs Macdonald said. "We need to think about safe sex, discuss it, get the issue out in the open . . . realise it's an issue that affects everyone."
She made the dress by stitching condoms and packets of condoms to fabric. It's displayed at The Palms medical centre on Ferguson Street, with safe sex information.
"The dress is actually wearable," she said. "And if it starts a train of thought that somebody could wear a condom, then that'd be nice. And safe. And improve public health."
