Piercing Fashion

Here’s another instance to how fashion can be breathtakingly beautiful or blisteringly bizarre. Sunday Mid Day, weekend edition of India’s leading tabloid Mid Day, published a story on a new craze called Corset Piercing in UK. 

Yes, it’s as painful as it sounds. Laura Hunt offers corset piercing at her Tattoo and Piercing Studio based in Southampton called Dragstrip. She charges £5 per hoop. 

But the 25 year-old insists, “It isn't dangerous”. She points out that corset piercing is becoming more popular since everyone wants to be different. It involves sticking hoops into the skin by hand and threading them with ribbon to give it a corset effect. No points for guessing which popstar first embraced this verging-on-masochistic trend – Lady Gaga sported flesh-coloured horns on her face during a television interview in February this year.

Laura Hunt at her studio in Britain with an example of her work, 
a corset piercing on a client's back. 

Corset piercing craze sees 
a ribbon 'sewn' onto backs, ribs and throats. Pic courtesy/ Sunday Mid Day

Shweta Shiware

Denim Day @ Room 406

A class about denim required a dress code. Our homework for 5 pm lecture on Wednesday: “Think about: what’s your favourite denim brand - and why? Why are denim jeans so successful? And don’t forget the STRICT dress code.” Here’s a look at what the 2010 batch of MA Fashion Journalism students and tutor Roger Tredre wore, while discussing a garment synonymous with youth and rebellion.

Charlie Byrne

 Primark’s finest cowboy shirt teamed 

with a chic velvet skirt Topshop

Coline Bach

 Acid-washed, 90-inspired dress from H&M that could 

have walked straight out of Madonna’s music video

Katharine Zarrella

 Aimee G asymmetrical skirt teamed with Helmut Lang tank top, Prada leather jacket and Hermes scarf. 

The Paul Harnden hat adds an element of fun

Lindsey Botts
 Confession time: He only shops at women’s section for his jeans. Ksubi slim-fit, weathered jeans with a polo shirt

Mariel Reed
Stretch, black jeans from Urban Outfitters

Shweta Shiware

 A deconstructed Kallol Datta star dress 

and jeggings from Mango

Sue-Wen Quek

 Frayed dress by Mart Marques and Paulo Almeida 

teamed with sturdy biker’s jacket

Yoanna Liu

 A string of pearls and Topshop white shirt 

partnered with boyfriend’s shirt and jeans from Zara 

Roger Tredre
 Regular fit Uniqlo jeans

Shweta Shiware

Postcard from Florence

Indian jewellery designer Eina Ahluwalia

One week has passed by in a wink. I’ve gone from getting lost to discovering shortcuts, from knowing exactly two people in the city to having a hectic social diary, from shock to a meditative state at my jewellery bench at school.

I decided to take a much-needed break and moved to Florence for an intensive two-month training at Alchimia Contemporary Jewellery School. After eight years of designing contemporary jewellery in India, I was beginning to feel limited in my design vocabulary as I was confined to playing with the traditional skills of the craftspeople I worked with. I needed a new language because I had so much more to say. I also needed to hone my bench skills for a smooth flow between my thoughts and my hands, without the loss in translation with the craftsman in the middle.

The other reason I’m here is to build a better context to my work. I work with conceptual art jewellery, something that is a niche in the world market, and non-existent in India. It is jewellery where the concept or the message is primary to the material and technique, and usually viewed and valued as art. It is personal and strongly individualistic, and worn more as a statement rather than ornamentation. At Alchimia, artistic direction is parallel to the technical training, and it is great to be in an environment where I am implicitly understood, and spend time with people who speak my language.

The great part about Alchimia is that the students, whether they are here for short-term courses or three-year graduate programme – all belong to one big seamless space. Watching the process, material, experimentation and evolution of other students is a lesson in itself. Ideas are sparked off, questions asked, notes exchanged, and growth happens.

Just after first few days into the course, I realised that working on each piece with my own hands is a painstaking, creative process; it requires patience, precision, a calm spirit and a quiet soul. And mistakes, in fact, open up new possibilities. The process is exciting, and I can’t wait to play with new and unexpected materials. Even though I am just a week into my two-month training, I am already thinking of exciting ways to integrate new techniques, materials and lessons with the traditional skills to create unexpected, surprising pieces. I also can’t wait to get back to India and set up my own bench, playing with my hands, thoughts, feelings, and turning them into jewellery.

Jewellery designer Eina Ahluwalia’s work in silver is evocative and provocative, and initiates a dialogue between the jewellery, the wearer and the viewer. Through her brand, Breathing Space she conceptualises, researches and executes her jewellery pieces outside the limits of conventions, tradition or techniques. Her last collection showcased at Lakme Fashion Week was titled, Love, Respect, Protect, and took a stand against domestic violence.

Alchimia Contemporary Jewellery School in Florence

Alchimia Contemporary Jewellery School in Florence

One of student's work at Alchimia Contemporary 

Jewellery School in Florence

Eina Ahluwalia at Alchimia workshop

 Bracelet inspired by the fretwork on the walls of Turkish architecture during the Byzantine period

Love, Respect, Protect earrings from Eina Ahluwalia's Fall/Winter 2011 collection. She took a stand against domestic violence through her bold jewellery pieces

Neckpiece from Containment Collection, based on the perfect relationship where one feels accepted, understood and loved, i.e. contained in the other person with all one’s complexities

Showstudio unearths Plato's Atlantis

Following last week's unveiling of Savage Beauty, the exhibition which is celebrating the life and work of Lee Alexander McQueen at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Room 406 have reflected heavily on McQueen and his influence on fashion. Whether it be stroking the sexy book crafted by curator Andrew Bolton to accompany the exhibition, or simply leafing through well loved biographies and online images, much awe struck sighing has gone on. A particular favourite of ours is the film which accompanied McQueen's last collection, directed by the designer himself, Nick Knight and Ruth Hogben. SHOWstudio.com have now kindly released the film, Plato's Atlantis, for the first time since its original presentation in Paris. We're sure you will be as enchanted as we were.

Charlie Byrne

Chloé welcomes Clare

Clare Waight Keller, new creative director at Chloe

 

French brand Chloé, which has enjoyed prolific success under the leadership of creative director Hannah MacGibbon in recent years, has now passed the torch to former Pringle designer Clare Waight Keller.

Waight Keller became creative director at Pringle of Scotland in 2005 after being a senior women's wear designer for Gucci under Tom Ford, and working alongside Francisco Costa and Christopher Bailey. She has also designed for Ralph Lauren's Purple Label menswear and Calvin Klein. 


"I am thrilled to be joining one of the most prestigious design houses in Paris," Waight Keller told Vogue.com. "Chloé is a brand that conveys a beautiful sense of effortless femininity and vivacious sophistication that I look forward to continuing into the next era," she added. The designer had taken a sabbatical to focus on family and friends, but will start her new role on June 1st.


Charlie Byrne

Thieves spot an investment

Following the unfortunate raid on handbag designer Anya Hindmarch’s Bond Street boutique last week, much attention has been drawn to the all British brand. It is believed that Hindmarch was targeted because many guests at the royal wedding were seen carrying her designs, including the Duchess of Kent, Serena Armstrong-Jones, Lady Helen Taylor and Julia Ogilvy. This is the ninth time that Anya Hindmarch has been targeted in smash and grab raids, and it seems that thieves and customers alike just can’t get enough of her bags- but what makes an Anya Hindmarch design the investment piece you can’t live without? 

            Hindmarch’s bespoke Ebury bag is the brand’s star attraction, which was launched in 2003 to mark their tenth anniversary of retail, but remains a strong contender in every list of ‘investment pieces’ today. The style now exists beyond trends, and yet with the option of personal inscription in the handwriting of a loved one, each bag is a new creation in itself. “They are not of a season, they are of a moment of your life that will last and be part of a story for generations,” says Hindmarch.

            Available in various colours and skins, but without the heavy hardware seen on trend driven styles of late, the bag epitomises paired down, classic elegance. The Ebury manages to tread the right side of smart but not too stuffy for the office, while containing a secret gilt message from a friend or lover- the only glint of flashy detail to be found. As many women see their handbag as an extension of themselves, a sort of familiar friend that is carted around as a companion to their daily life, this personal touch seems to set the Ebury apart from the heartless ‘It bag’ styles it competes with. Hindmarch seems to have realised the lucrative potential of this bespoke service, and now boasts a range of clutch bags, purses and travel accessories that can be personalised. The service comes at a considerable price tag, but most buyers are far more concerned with the pressure involved in such a purchase- handwriting practice has never seemed so crucial.     

Charlie Byrne

  

Trend of the week: wild orchid accessories

Avid readers of Harper's Bazaar UK are enjoying a heady, sun kissed shoot that features this summer's sultry bordello inspired style in their June issue. Following a 'Wild Orchid' theme, the story showcases the most exotic looks from the Spring/Summer 11 runways, and proves all the difference a well placed accessory can make. But if, like most of us, you don't have the pennies to shop straight from the shoot, then have a look at the treasure trove of exotic little extras that we have found on the highstreet.

 

Hologram scale clutch bag, £30, Topshop. Purple agate ring, £10, Dorothy Perkins. Tassel earrings, £15, Asos. Red stone drop earrings, £12.50, Topshop. Hibiscus hairclip, £10, Dorothy Perkins. Metal cuff, £15, Miss Selfridge. Coral stone ring, £12.50, Topshop. Orchid pair hairclips, £6, Accessorize. Stacked bangles, £25, Asos. Coral hibiscus hairclip, £10, Dorothy Perkins. Lucious rope sandals, £80, Topshop. Obi belt, £15, Asos. Agate Cuff, £25, Collection at John Lewis.

Charlie Byrne

Lagerfeld's lady loving

Fans of french fashion house Chanel were warned this morning that they may be shocked by the content of the brand's Cruise collection feature film.  

The Tale of a Fairy is a 30 minute spectacle which features model Freja Beha Erichsen not only topless, but seducing Anna Mouglalis, an ambassador of Chanel. The film will not be shown until the presentation of the Cruise collection on May 10th, but Lagerfeld has given us a sneek peek on Chanel's news channel. "It is a movie about an ill-advised use of money which begins with violence and ends with feeling," the Creative Director told Vogue.com. 

Erichsen plays a beguiling fairy, and stars alongside model Kristen McMenamy, Chanel muse Lady Amanda Harlech and Baptiste Giabiconi, Buying Director for The Shop at Bluebird. The trailer doesn't give too much away about what we can expect from the Cruise collection but places an emphasis on accessories, showing signature strings of pearls and oversized sunglasses. The full film will be released on Chanel.com at 9pm on May 10th.

Charlie Byrne