atelier swarovski

Atelier Swarovski collaborations make me actually interested in Swarovski for once. Hmm.

Christopher Kane FW09. I love scarab beetles.

Giles FW09. I'm not a huge fan of brown as a whole but this piece is called the Ennis necklace, so I still kind of love it. I am also liking the use of felt which I feel has been a generally under-appreciated material, with the exception of Joseph Beuys.

knotted

Finally back home and in the possession of rope, so played around with a couple of variations on top of an Acne t-shirt dress. Will do more when less jet-lagged.

more testino

Nadja Auermann in German Vogue, June 2008

V Magazine, Spring 2008 issue

"Couture When It's Hot!", V Magazine, Summer 2009 issue

French Vogue, January 2006

German Vogue, June 2008

French Vogue, May 2009

city of dreams

"City of Dreams" shot by Mario Testino for US Vogue, July 2009

source: mario testino

Preen Resort 2010. I have an almost unhealthy attraction to the outfit on the left. Or at least to those pants.

miss moss

Vogue Paris, April 2008

nicht schlimm

Slim Barrett has apparently been an extremely influential jewelry designer who until recently I'd never heard of. He apparently helped Karl Lagerfeld to develop silver wire thin enough to be knitted (very cool) and was influential in spreading the use of the tiara, especially among brides (not so cool). Among his collections was a period of chainmail work:

An EXTREMELY crappy photo I took of a book, intending to find it later on the internet. Couldn't manage to locate it, so this will just have to do.
British Elle, 1990

The same piece from the photoshoot. If I was a patient person, which I am not, I might try to make one myself.

A few other pieces from his chainmail collection:

source: slim barrett

more chain

Vogue Italia, March 1997

alteschinken

Detial from Jan Vermeer's The Art of Painting. I love the slits cut into the back of his ... coat? Fashion inspiration from Old Masters (Or as they're known in German: Alte Schinken aka Old Bacon. P.S. I know he's Dutch.) how pretentious.

why you gotta tempt me like that?

A. Wang slit skirt and Givenchy chain and feather (allegedly) bracelet

Pugh and Braganza jackets respectively. I've never watched that Rachel Zoe show, but to quote her anyway, I die.

Lanvin and Braganza dresses - seemingly incongruous but I love both and can afford neither

G. Pugh's metallic slit top

I almost like the extremely skimpy version even more - I wonder if the black bandeau comes included?

joan arc goes to the disco

is how sarah mower described alessandro dell'acqua's fall 2009 collection, noting that it was fairly similar to the other collections shown in Milan that season. One distinguishing feature, obviously, was the use of hardware and chainmail in the clothes, which basically pleased me in a way no man ever could. Yeah, I just said that.

Anyway, if you have 8,000 Euros to spare, you can pick up that sweet armored dress on LuisaViaRoma.

Anyway, ever since then I've had chainmail on the brain hardcore, and my mission when I get home is to make myself some chainmail accessories - start small, just a belt, bracelet, etc. Maybe rip off this picture from March's Russh of Tallulah Morton - which Maison des Reveries did a while ago in chains rather than chainmail.

if it's not baroque, don't fix it

Last year when I went to the Grünes Gewölbe in Dresden, which is full of riches beyond imagination, there were dozens upon dozens of little figurines made out of baroque pearls set into metal to create different creatures.

Baroque pearls are the shit. When I went through my prep phase (everyone else went goth or punk, I went through a rebellious phase of cableknit and pleated skirts), I accumulated the requisite strand of pearls and a set of earrings. I don't wear them anymore because they add an instant prissyness to anything you wear - well that is except for whenever I have a job, I wear them to distract from the fact that I'm wearing entirely work-inappropriate outfits. Flawless round pearls are so boring in their perfection - the lumpy irregularities of baroque pearls makes them much more interesting.

Lydia Courteille Baroque Pearl and Diamond Ring

I have yet to find any baroque pearl jewelry that I'm particularly wowed by - the Lydia Courteille ring is pretty cool but would probably make me look like a madam from 17th century France. Really, all I want is a single wonky pearl to put on a chain and wear along with my wisdom tooth.

This is a cool ... setting? I'm not even sure what to call it. Like I said, I'm not too hot on these other pieces, but I just wanted to post some differently shaped examples of pearls.