The Present

The Present:

Screamin' Jay Hawkins' 1956 hit I Put a Spell on You is a song that Christopher Kane could use to soundtrack every show he has ever come out with but it was particularly pertinent during the spring summer 2013 collection.  Generally I write about Kane with such shameless bias because ever since his MA collection back in the wee early days of Style Bubble, when I'd construct on-the-cheap Kane looky-likey outfits, he has put me under a spell.  It's the kind of saporific hex, where even the critically less-acclaimed collections are nothing short of brilliant for me although to be fair, he's never really had a duff downer.  I feel as though I've "grown" into my style with the help of Kane's work tapping into that inexplicable quality, which I've been consistently drawn to when dressing myself or choosing the labels that I feature on the blog.  His clothes satisfies my appetite for something new, not-boring, fun and just a little bit weird, traits which have heavily defined my style in my twenties.  Crushed velvet, gorilla prints, giant palettes, neon lace, embroidered granny flowers on black leather, pastel gingham, plastic gels, kitsch flower stickers - all these memorable motifs punctuate my own conviction, that I'm never going to be the sort of girl that can stick to something "simple".
So now we come to 2013, the year that I turn 30 and the year that Christopher Kane takes a huge leap forward, having just struck an exciting deal with PPR group, who has bought a 51% stake in the brand.  I, along with every journalist, stylist or buyer that has championed his work from day one, will probably have felt a strange sense of pride.  It's a well deserved deal that shows his steely dedication towards building his brand and now we've got the enticing prospect of Christopher Kane expansion to look forward to.  Perfumes, bags, stores - bring it all on.  I'm ready for a spell that spirals far and above beyond what Kane himself could have imagined when he was studying for his MA at Central Saint Martins.
I thought the spring summer 2012 was a watershed Christopher Kane moment when people departed the show with tears in their eye because they were so moved by how beautiful everything was.  Then spring summer 2013 came and we continued to be entranced by the magical influence of Kane, as the audience were roused to a deafening applause.  I recall ecstatic chatter as we patiently waited for the lifts to bring us back down to ground from the dizzying heights of the then-newly built Park Tower.  "That's it for me.  I can die happy having seen that."  "Don't talk to me… I can't even process how good that was right now."  "We're so lucky to have seen that."  Just a sampling of some of the praise heaped in amongst editors and buyers, some of whom may have already known that a PPR tie-up was imminent.
It was another "Who'd have thunk it?" theme.  Frankenstein.  Nothing gory, macabre or literal except for Boris Karloff's face on a printed t-shirt.  Those rusty screws attaching head to neck were turned into jewel-like plastic screws, which pinched the shoulder seams, cinched the waist and adorned dress straps.  Kane revisited his pastel shades of previous spring summer seasons but turned up the sickly levels coating everything with a strangely artificial sheen - the white embossed leather on a sculpted biker jacket, smocked plastic edged with yellow and pink thread, basket weave organza paired with moulded rubber.  It was a pick n' mix bag of shrimp and banana sweets upgraded into screw-fixed dresses that can't be beat.  Everything was wrapped up into a fantastical present from Kane's imagination, as we were generously inundated with ribbon bow prints, neat rectangular bows on shoulders of boxy jackets and the best gift of all - pieces painstakingly constructed out of hundreds of suction-moulded translucent pink and grey rubber bows.  They quivered ominously down the runway.  These are bows that are meant to be left untied and untouched (although I'll be emitting rays of envy from my eyes on to any person who is lucky enough to wear these extremely expensive jelly bow pieces from the collection).  The final trick that ensured we'd never snap out from under this spell was the Kane Klassic - a spindle of sparkle.  This time though, those Swarovski gems set onto delicate white lace foundations were deliberately marred by the bold strokes of what appeared to be black gaffer tape.  It was as though Kane had built up these layers of beautiful embellishment and decided that it just a bit too much and so scrawled all over it with a thick black marker pen.  Those bold black tape marks are brilliantly symbolic for Kane's pervasive subversion, something that I very much hope will continue to underscore Kane's clothes.  Even when he has stores in Dubai, Las Vegas and Chengdu and a department store perfume spritzer is spraying Parfum de Spell by Christopher Kane into my face.

















































All backstage photography by Joseph Piper for Style Bubble

In The Beginning

In The Beginning:

Musuk Nolte for HAND/EYE

The beauty of Peru’s Pre-Columbian cultures
Peruvian textile production began more than 10,000 years ago as evidenced by artefacts recovered in the Guitarrero Cave of the Ancash region. The first inhabitants of the Andean region developed a vast and exquisite textile tradition to provide for personal warmth, as well as to pay tribute to their rulers and pay homage to their deities. Depending on its intended use, each piece was elaborated with a number of techniques, and the backstrap loom was exploited to its fullest, to create works of great aesthetic beauty. The refined tastes of both artisans and users can be discovered in these textiles.
The geography of Peru has effected the development of various cultures, each evolving its own level of organization, some of which were sufficiently complex to allow some of its members to specialize as craftsmen. To satisfy the needs of their respective societies, sophisticated textile techniques were developed in single-culture and pan-Andean contexts. The raw materials most utilized were native cotton (Gossypium barbadense L) produced in as many as eleven colors (cream, black, red, green, blue, grey, violet, beige, brown and their variants), fibers of Andean camelids with vicuña being the finest, and fibers extracted from various members of the agave family such as cabuya or maguey plants.
Peru’s first civilization was formed between 3000 and 2500 B.C. in the Supe Valle, with several communities established as urban centers which played a fundamental role in the distinct cultures that eventually emerged. Of some relevance is the recent discovery of a quipu, or group of knotted cords, used as a recording device by Peruvians some 5,000 years ago.
Many textile splendors were manifested in different eras and regions throughout history. The Chavin Culture (900 B.C. - 200 BCE) of the high Andean region produced cotton textiles illustrated with intricate personages which were also reproduced in stone sculptures. The colors of Chavin textiles bear some resemblance to sepia photos of the last century.

The Paracas Culture (700 B.C. - 200 BCE) demonstrated a command of dyeing techniques resulting in at least 79 different tonalities attained using by-products of various Andean plants and animals as dyestuffs. Robes have been discovered in grave goods which have maintained their original color, demonstrating (particularly in the embroideries of ancient Paracas) a still-unmatched chromatic richness. The symbolic language of these goods is rich with strange mythical creatures.
The Moche Culture (100 BCE - 700 CE) evolved on the northern coast, and its abundance of ceramic, metal and textile production is astounding. Feathers and small metal objects were incorporated into their clothing, resulting in original textures as well as a certain musical aspect.
The Tiahuanaco (200 ACE - 1000 CE) and Wari (500 CE -1000 CE), cultures of the high Andean plains and Ayacucho, respectively, are distinguished by the designs obtained through techniques similar to woven kilims. According to the research of Alan Sawyer, the Wari began with a traditional and conventional style inspired by Tiahuanaco textiles, but then moved on to incorporate geometric icons. Wari designs allowed a distortion of the icons to adapt them for use on fabric bands, eventually leading to increasing abstraction and colorplay. Wari textile design might be considered the most modern, with considerable bravura in spinning and weaving. The extraordinary quality of Wari fabrics is evidenced by a fragment with an unmatched density of 398 hand-spun threads per inch.
Textile production in the Chancay Culture (1100 CE - 1450 CE) surprises us with its diversity of backstrap loom techniques. Chancay weavers created a catalog of methods and designs to allow their customers to order goods to suit their personal tastes. Chancay weavers developed techniques which were applied to the production of various pieces: gauze, nettings, and flat-woven cotton cloths tie-dyed and assembled as patchwork. Some of the work is strikingly modern: the simplicity of repeated geometric patterns on a single piece coupled with bold color combinations have resulted in Chancay textiles being recognized as a source of inspiration for contemporary designers.

Incan textiles eventually dominated many of Peru’s regions. The elite enjoyed the service of female weavers kept in seclusion – said to be beautiful virgins. Woolen blankets, rugs and hangings were made across the Incan Empire for the palaces and temples. Woolen tunics were adorned with gold, precious stones and feathers. It is said that an Incan never wore the same outfit twice, which further demonstrates the importance that textiles held in the lives of Andean men and women.
Today, textiles continue to carry great importance in Andean life. From an early age, men and women learn to spin cotton, sheep’s wool and the lustrous fibers of Andean camelids. Though they’ve incorporated the use of the European pedal loom and have altered their designs in accordance with the diverse influences of colonialism and globalization, their distinct character has been maintained. One of the major additions to Andean textile customs has been the introduction of tailoring; previously, all the pieces were assembled from square or rectangle swatches taken directly from the loom.
It’s no coincidence that contemporary artisan clusters are found in the same areas where Pre-Columbian cultures developed. Regions with high rates of artisan production include Cajamarca, Ancash, Junín, Ayacucho, Puno and Cusco as well as in the northern coastal area now known as the Moche Route, which includes the provinces of La Libertad and Lambayeque. For present day Peruvians of these regions, globalization has presented an opportunity to contribute their talent and abilities to an ever-demanding and expanding economy. Deep and ancient cultural heritage is now an asset to be traded in the global marketplace.
Josefa Nolte is a Peruvian anthropologist who has worked in the craft development sector for 40 years. She is currently National Coordinator for the UN Joint Program for Inclusive Creative Industries in Peru.

DAY 5 THE FRENCH ONE #MATCHBOXADAY

DAY 5 THE FRENCH ONE #MATCHBOXADAY:
e French one, pale pink paper on the outside with a glittered postmark and the word ‘Paris’, tied with a pretty chiffon bow, open the doily gates and inside the tiny drawer tied with a gold tassel, lies a vintage Eiffel Tower brooch, surrounded by a piece of antique map showing the palace of Versailles. Vintage pearls line the edges and a length of delicate french trim with a dusting of glitter sparkles in the light.Sunday evening and no roast for us, being mid detox, so this little match box really cheered my day. Although it will break my heart a little bit to part with the vintage brooch which I have had for years, that is why it is the first to sell at £20 ($32). But all the proceeds go to charity so I know it is for a good cause ! x

DAY 4 THE LACE ONE #MATCHBOXADAY

DAY 4 THE LACE ONE #MATCHBOXADAY:
Day 4. The lace one, eleven small samples from my collection of vintage lace adorn the tea dyed pages of a tiny concertina style book, each sample is numbered and stitched to the paper. The outside and drawer of the box are painted to look slightly aged, topped with brown card, a gilt edged vintage label from an old NYC lace sellers sample book, a small scrap of lace and a shabby pink ribbon..It’s listed over at Etsy now x

From Lost in Lace, just opened today in Birmingham, there are a...

From Lost in Lace, just opened today in Birmingham, there are a...:













From Lost in Lace, just opened today in Birmingham, there are a whole selection of some very talented artists exhibited here. I couldn’t stop snapping pictures the whole time I was in there, some of the lace works are incredible. The exhibit is running until February so I think you should try to get and see it if you can! Go to the exhibit website for a full list of all exhibiting artists.

P.S. it’s free to get in which is even better.