The Swelle Life

Christie's Resurrects Vintage Avant-garde

   

Recently, Christie's auction house in London sold a collection of avant-garde designer clothing and accessories from the 1930s to the mid-80s. The sale consisted of 229 lots and included a Cristobal Balenciaga couture evening jacket (yes, designed by the man himself) and four jackets from Balenciaga's protégé André Courrèges.

A few pieces were deemed in their description to be 'rare and important'. Indeed. Here's a look at some of the collection:

(Above, l-r: Norma Kamali, 1970s, Edwardian-style heliotrope tweed with tailored bodice fastening with two mink ties, sold for £750; Azzedian Alaia, 1986, cut on the bias, with a single swathe of aubergine - sold for £1,000; Jean Paul Gaultier, mid 1980s, purple neoprene lined in salmon pink, sold for £2,250)

Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld. Cruciform bangle, late 1980s, gilt-metal set
withgripoix pearls and pastes in Renaissance style. Sold for £1125


Comme des Garcons, Rei Kawakubo. 1983. Skirt and top of
blackgauze, with interlaced, looped bands. Sold for £6,250


Harry Gordon 'Rose' disposable dress. 1968. Screen-printed
tissue, wood pulp and rayon mesh. Sold for £1,750


Pierre Cardin pinafore skirt. circa 1970. Straps of scarlet glossy
vinyl with quilting, skirt of navy wool jersey. Sold for £2,125


Rudi Gernreich. 1964. A 'Rare and Important' monokini topless
swimsuit of wool and elastic. Sold for £1,250


Pierre Cardin. circa 1965. An 'Important' Satellite cape of glossy
 scarlet vinyl lined with synthetic fleece. Sold for £5,000


Cristobal Balenciaga Couture Evening Jacket. 1960s. Black silk gauze woven
with a black spot motif, with sequinned ruffled fronts. Sold for £2,000


Gucci 'Snaffle' Bracelets. 1970s, white metal. Sold for £1,375


Paca Rabanne. Circa 1967-8. Assembled from linked aluminium
panels, the bodice panels centred with studs. Sold for £15,000


Hermes 'Motoring' coat. 1930s. Soft goatskin stitched with
knotted twine, zipped from hem to neck, hooded,
with checked wool plaid lining. Sold for £4,000


Norma Kamali. circa 1975. Rip-stop parachute nylon,
with rip-cord ruching. Sold for £813


Pierre Cardin, an 'Important' Neck-plate. 1966-1967. Chromed-metal
panels with acrylic hemispheres to neck and to pear-shaped
terminal at navel. Sold for £3,750

Is Haute Couture in Danger of Losing its Feathers?

(I'm on a roll with this subject, stay with me...) Haute couture begins with an extraordinary design, but it is nothing without the skilled artisans who employ their centuries-old techniques to create an object of spectacular beauty. And as the number of couture houses have shrunk over the decades, so has the number of these rarified talents on whom the designers rely so heavily to bring their grand ideas to life. In 1946 there were 277 plumassiers, or feather makers, in Paris. Today, there is only one in all of France.

If this sounds depressing to you, imagine how it sat with the people at Chanel. To suffer in a world with fewer and fewer superbly crafted and fantastically embellished and gloriously feather-trained dresses? NEV-AIR! So, several years ago they did what a good couture house would and they bought Lemarie, the last remaining Paris plumassier, and four other struggling couture ateliers in order to preserve and nurture these endangered arts. (The other four are Michel for millinery, Desrues for costume jewellery, Massaro for shoemaking, and Lesage for embroidery.) Keep in mind, Chanel needs them just as much to survive as a brand as they need the backing to continue. Chanel without haute couture is like Anna Wintour with a mullet: it's just not right.

However, Chanel does allow the ateliers to supply other fashion houses - the artisans are not chained to their work tables with only baguettes and wine to sustain them.

Lemarie, founded over a century ago, also makes Chanel's camellias - the beautiful silk or feather flowers that adorn their hats and clothing. The first were ordered by Coco Chanel in 1960, and since  then over 40,000 have been made for the fashion house. That's a lot of tired hands and sore eyes.

There's a great article at The Guardian if you want to get a glimpse inside the ateliers.

What Goes Into Making a Chanel Haute Couture Coat?

Haute couture is the crème de la crème of luxury fashion. Made to order by a mere handful of approved design houses that adhere to the rigid requirements as defined by the Syndical Chamber for Haute Couture in Paris, the garments can cost upwards of $100,000. There are about 2,000 haute couture clients in the world, and of them only 200 or so are considered to be regular buyers (the rest just wait for the sales. Ha.). Of course, Chanel is one of the makers of these coveted works of art that so few are fortunate enough to own.

So, what goes into making an haute couture garment? To start, it's the uniqueness of design, the expert workmanship and the materials are of the highest quality. They are sewn, embroidered and beaded by hand, and several hundred hours can be required to complete one piece (not including smoke breaks. I joke - I imagine there's a daily sniff-inspection to keep the garments smelling like a cloud in paradise).

Chanel offered a glimpse into how one of the coats from their Fall 2008 Haute Couture collection was created (the final runway look pictured above). This exquisite piece of art-as-outerware took specially-skilled artisans three hundred painstaking hours to make. Here's what happened after Karl Lagerfeld handed his sketch of the herringbone coat to the premier of the atelier:

                      Step 1: The herringbone patterns are drawn on muslin

Step 2: The herringbone patterns are reproduced on fabric


  Step 3: For the sleeves, the tweed herringbone designs

                     are placed on satin.                                       

Step 4: The sleeves are then transferred to a wooden form

                              

                    Step 5: The tweed herringbone is placed by hand on the
                    satin to ensure a perfect fit.

                     Step 6: Rigorous checking is carried out during the
                     mounting of the pieces, to ensure the proportions are
                     true to the design.

Step 7: The lining is affixed inside the coat.

         Step 8: Shoes are selected to go with the coat. The shoes are handmade
         in Massaro ateliers.

Step 9: The all-important fittings, during which final tiny but

                sometimes crucial alterations are made.

   Step 10: The look is ready and the model (lucky Kim Noorda) is prepped backstage at the Grand Palais in Paris before Chanel’s haute couture Fall 2008 show

Here are a few of my favourite pieces from the show:

Production photos via The Star Malaysia

Can You Handle It? Avante-Garde Mixes With Tradition

What do you get when you cross the boundary-breaking, forward-thinking design of Comme des Garcons with the steeped-in-tradition luxury of Louis Vuitton? Some kind of an octo-handbag, it would seem.

Rei Kawakubo, President of Comme des Garcons, was inspired by what she saw in Japan's first Louis Vuitton store and now, decades later, has designed a hybrid collection of six one-off bags to celebrate the 30 years of Louis Vuitton in Japan. She says she "kept Louis Vuitton's traditional concept as it is, but sometimes two handles become one, sometimes two handles become eight..." and there you go.

It seemed odd when I first saw it, which is kind of the point of Kawakubo's avant-garde, artistic designs, but then I got it. To alter the bag compartment with her signature methods would mock what Japan so loves about LV, so going with the usual straps but multiplying them at different lengths is actually quite a brilliant solution - so simple yet impactful.

I'm not a fan of the LV logo bags, but I do like how this little showpiece carries the model into interesting territory - if only to serve as a tribute. Too bad it won't be on the street - can you imagine what the knock-offs would look like??

Here's Rei Kawakubo, she turns 66 this year. Respect.

Source: Nitrolicious

Leanimal Untamed on Project Runway

   

(Sorry, Leanne - sometimes headlines are a bit of a challenge.)

Leanne Marshall is one of my favourite designers and I'm thrilled to have found out that she's on Project Runway 5! Actually, she's my #1 favourite of the accessible designers, meaning those who make amazing clothes that we can afford without starving or selling off the family jewels (I'm speaking literally, not figurately, but you can earn your money however you like). For her Leanimal line she mainly designs dresses and coats (do we really need anything else?) that upon first glance have you mentally calculating your savings and clearing space in your wardrobe, thanks to her unique brand of structural and femine detail. 'Cute' doesn't cut it; Leanne's expert ways with tucks and pleats and an instinctive non-traditional approach to mixing fabrics and textures result in a truly original garment. Which is why those who know her covet her extraordinary and beautiful designs.

However, time may be ticking on the bargain prices now that she's been chosen to be one of the 16 (now 13, well done!)talented designers to battle it out before the delightfully snotty Michael Kors, the intensely alert Heidi Klum (those eyes scream 'caffeine!'), and that woman Nina Garcia. And how much do you love 'make it work' Tim Gunn? ProjectRunway.com is auctioning the dress Leanne made in episode 3 (see right) and as of today it's leading the bids of the others by miles. This dress looks so 'Leanimal' yet I haven't seen it before. I really look forward to what brilliant pieces will come from her in future episodes.

I am lucky enough to say that Leanne is designing a custom dress for me once the show is finished and I can't wait to show it here. And she still designs and makes every piece herself. How insanely busy must she be? What a woman. And, she has one dress left in her Etsy shop, a truly special, one-of-a-kind piece that is so artfully crafted that it was displayed in the Contemporary Museum of Craft in Portland. Oregan, where she is currently based.

Project Runway 5 is running on Bravo in the US but I have no idea when Canada is getting it and who is running it (no info on Bravo.ca or google. Hmph!) You can see the first two episodes on YouTube right now, hopefully #3 will be posted soon.

Here are some gorgeous pieces from Leanne's Spring 08 and upcoming Fall collections:

 

 

Taking Tea as They Did in the 20s

 

I wanted my wedding gift to my lovely, good friend to be special, to reflect a bit of the Old World style she and her husband-to-be sought to bring to their matrimonial festivities. They didn't go full-on with the 1930s details (as to do so would drive an otherwise cool bride up the wall and over); instead they thoughtfully chose their opportunities, specifically the Art Deco invitation design (created by a multi-talented fiance), the square, black lacquered flowerpot table centerpieces, and an elegant vintage-inspired birdcage veil worn by the bride, pinned at the back of her perfectly styled 'do so as not to obscure her radiant face. Considering this, a set of towels wrapped up in pretty paper just didn't seem right (no offence to those who may have given towels - they were on the registry after all, as they were on my own).

I felt it was my duty to find something truly wonderful from the era so I began my search. One of the first places I visited was the local antique shop on the Tynemouth high street, which houses an incredible collection of 19th century china, the most dainty and intricately detailed cups and saucers that you wouldn't dare drink from. Alas, they were too old, and then there's the risk of it being deemed too stuffy or worse - fuddy duddy. It turns out I went in there on the right day. I asked the owner/dealer for anything 1930s, preferably Art Deco, and he told me he doesn't usually get Art Deco in the shop but a tea set had come in and he'd just finished cleaning it. "Shall I show it to you?" he asked, and next thing I knew there was a stunning, orange-red and black, handpainted ceramic tea set laid out in front of me - complete with pot, sugar bowl, cream jug and four small cups and saucers (the cups from that era seem to be quite tiny). It was near-perfect and appeared to have never been used.

The next thing to do was look up the potters mark on the bottom, which hadn't yet been done as this set of treasures had only just arrived. The dealer showed me the page with the corresponding mark which stated these pieces were made between 1913 - 1930. SOLD! Now only to get it back on the plane without so much as a chip.

And I did get it back with nary a scratch. It was meant to be. I've actually just given the set to my friend tonight and I am pleased to report she loved it and greatly appreciated its character. I knew she would, and that's why I sought it out.

But I didn't stop there. Out of curiosity I did a Google search for the mark and found the saucer - the exact design and colours corresponding with the mark introduced in 1930. There was also the same set in a blue colourway, which they identified as a coffee set (it's up to you, really), 1930s - again, bearing the subsequent mark to the one I'd found. So, it appears they continued with the design into the 30s. A popular one, I reckon.

And a bit about the history: Soho Pottery Ltd. was located in Stoke-on-Trent, England - considered to be the home of the pottery industry in England and commonly known as The Potteries. Excellent - it's from good stock, then. And it's found the same and better in its new home.

Happy Accessorising

I have this pair of earrings that I bought about seven years ago which became known as 'My Happy Earrings'. They're a vertical style consisting of pairs of transparent and opaque cellophane circles tinted in orange and hot and pale pink. They prompted spontaneous reactions whenever I wore them. All kinds of people - restaurant servers, salespeople, friends, and once even a stranger on the street - would light up when they saw them, and say with a great big smile what 'wonderful' earrings they were. That's how they became known as My Happy Earrings. I mentioned this to one of the gushing servers and she exclaimed 'They make ME happy, too!!'

Okay, so you're probably thinking that the place I'm from (I was living in Toronto at the time) had a unique, localised, atmospheric composition of nitrogen, oxygen and THC fumes. There are pockets of the city where this may be the case but it would not be the explanation for my inadvertent spreading of joy through earlobe ornaments. Rather, it's just the simple fact that certain colours and shapes, and more significantly the combination of the two, can affect happy feelings in people.

Which brings us to the work of Fred Butler, a London prop stylist and bespoke accessories designer of enormous talent (her website is utterly joyful, you would have to have a heart of stone or lost childhood memories not to smile upon loading the entry page). Style Bubble featured her new accessories collection, a striking spectrum of bright and bold colour mixed with black and white (a favourite treatment of hers), and at first glance the photos of the pieces created an overload of the Happy Earrings effect. There is even a shoulder/arm adornment that uses the same cellophane circles:

 

Maybe you're unable to envision yourself walking down the street in such a contraption but upon seeing it coming your way, wouldn't you at least grin? Surely you would. (I'm not speaking generally, there are enough sourpusses out there who would stare through their beady little eyes until they walked into a telephone pole. It's you, the fabulously amenable, that count here).

These wonderfully crafted pieces of joy are in brilliant harmony with my desire to see more colour in the world. Thank you, Fred Butler. You are one marvellous tomato.

   

Photos from Style Bubble

The Lovely Strokes Part 2: Price Tags Explained

Okay, I found a bit more about what goes into these Dolce & Gabbana hand painted dresses I posted on earlier. I'd quoted a price tag of a few thousand pounds. Well, that was for the lower end of the range. The flouncy tulle-under-skirted gowns are just a wee bit more pricey. Try £19,260 for the likes of the one to the left (and double that for dollars).

How can that be? As reported by Grazia (my favourite UK fashion and news glossy), as a foundation we have Dolce & Gabbana's highly sought after top-notch curve-cutting skills coupled with an artful mastery of corsetry so impressive they've monopolised the genre.  These show-stopping dresses are created like works of art. Fabrics are stretched and hand painted then draped around that famous corset base and made into dresses.

Finally, the gowns are limited edition (the two words that will send a price skyrocketing) and every piece is labelled, like a collectable print. The style shown here is from an edition of 10. So again I ask, well worth the price then, ya?

Somehow a few thousand quid for the simpler versions seem like a bargain now. So there's your justification for you to go out and get one.

The Lovely Strokes

One of the hottest runway trends this season is hand painting - dresses, tops, T shirts, jackets, scarves - anything that can be embellished with a few strokes of the brush.

Many fashion houses have shown versions of the freehand technique for 2008 (Miu Miu, Prada, Balenciaga, Badgley Mischka, Moschino) yet surprisingly, my favourite look is from Dolce & Gabbana (I just don't relate to the D&G woman, but I may have to reconsider, at least for this season). The duo presented the most beautiful execution of the hand painting trend, combining it with floral motifs and transparent fabrics, two other big elements this season, to create their dresses for their Spring 08 RTW collection. Naturally you pay for such a dreamy piece of wearable art, I've seen price tags well over £2,000 (double that for Can/U.S. dollars) and that's if you can find one for sale, they're selling out fast.

At least the dresses can be considered one-offs, painted freehand by young artists let loose on bolts of silk organza. And this is a trend that transcends trends, you'd never look back and ask 'What was I thinking?'. There's a reason if you review past collections you'll find a handful of labels each season quietly adding painted touches to their designs. Well worth the couple thousand quid, then, ya?

 

 

 

Anax Imperator Machina - How to Create a Buzz

Whether insects are your thing or not, the Anax Imperator Machina, latin for 'The Emperor Dragonfly Machine', is undeniably a very striking specimen that demands closer inspection.

Painstakingly hand made by artist Jesse Danger (don't you love his name? He can make you cool stuff AND save you from a burning house), this intricate invention is a several hundred-hours-long labour of love and a truly original creation.

The best of both worlds, the Anax Imperator Machina is beautiful as well as functional (if only we had such options with men). Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's fantasized gadgets, Mr. Danger takes classical engineering one fabulous step further by using the finest precious metals and gems to produce a stylish and coveted work of art. Turn down the tip of the tail (actually the abdomen) to make the finely detailed argentium silver wings flutter (argentium is superior to sterling and fine silver). The internal mechanisms, gears and moving parts were industriously hand-milled and hand-calibrated with absolute precision from 14k gold. The body, mechanical frame and wings, also handcrafted from argentium silver. Those pretty baby blues are large 10 carat Swiss Blue Topaz cabochons and the 14k gold bezel on the tail contains a 4mm Amethyst bullet shaped cabochon.

Breathe. After taking in all of that, how can you not be impressed? (and a little tired...imagine?).

This extraordinary one-of-a-kind dragonfly is for sale in Jesse Danger's Etsy shop which also features his eco-jewelry line of Asian-inspired rings, pendants and earrings. I have his textured brass earrings, they are awesome. Look for his incredible Eco-Silver and 22k Gold Ring, which brazenly re-defines 'ring'.

Coming in May is his dragonfly wing line of jewelry and a limited-edition booklet. I anticipate a quick sell-out so watch closely if you're interested!

Read the interview with Jesse Danger to find out what makes him buzz.

Note: Just a word of warning if you haven't looked at the shop yet, the price on the dragonfly is not for the faint-hearted, thick-templed or curly-haired. Okay, maybe strike the last two. It's a heck of a lot of money, but well reflects what's gone into it so no overblown gasping, okay? If you could, you would, right? I would!