Happy 100th anniversary, Charles Addams!

The american cartoonist known for his particularly dark humour and macabre characters would have been 100 years old today, being born the 7th of January, 1912.
Google commemorates his bday with a funny logo of his iconic "family".

I love the original newspaper cartoons and I loved the films (the ones with Angelica Houston and Christina Ricci, note!). Who was your favourite character? I loved Morticia (as a fashion icon) but my favourite was Wednesday. 

Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad!

Mirror, mirror on the wall.....It's Katy Perry!

I am sure that today being the 22nd of Dec, some of you might still be doing the Christmas shopping. I'll bet my money...hehe.
Anyway, I have a short but very precise! gift list to Santa or "Reyes Magos" (any Spaniards/latinos across the Atlantic, will recognize the latter ;)
I need a hair-dryer. My hair is curly so I like straightening it, and mine, being old, doesn't have as much power as it used to and it gets warm very quickly which means that the temperature will dropto keep the motor cool. Any tips?
I came across this gorgeous Dark, Art-Deco ad campaign from GHD and I was surprised to find who was in it. Although, I have to say, the snowhite look suits her very well.
Have you ever owned/used GHD products? Are they good?

Morticia Addams' dress

December is just round the corner so I am very busy making new pieces for the website. I am particularly interested in evening wear at the minute as it is what people are demanding right now for Christmas. I just finished several pieces including a stunning 30s/40s lace gown and a dramatic velvet pencil number with a breathtaking lace piece going across the chest. I will post them here as soon as they go on the website.
In the meantime.....

 I want to show you the real Morticia Addams dress! I came across it while checking my polyvore page (feel free to check out my sets, here)

It is for auction! The starting bid is from $2000 (not cheap) on liveauctioneers.com (this is the link, in case you want to have a quick nosey).

This is the description: 900. Angelica Huston "Morticia Addams" dress from Addams Family Values. (Paramount, 1993). A full-length form-fitting black gown with cobweb motif on the sleeves worn by Angelica Huston in the role of "Morticia Addams" in Addams Family Values.

This dress looks fantastic. Much simpler than I thought, despite all that beading work on sleeves and godets.

However, I have to say, being a cinematographic piece, I was expecting something more complex and extravagant, more haute-couture- inspired, like the other design shown in the pic below. Maybe, layers of lace, ripped/unfinished chiffon, jet black jewels sewn into the bodice?... I still love it, thought. 

I always wanted this dress, since I was little. I love the shape, so 30s. I am starting to wonder if I should make something like this for my label.
What do you think? Do you like it or like me, expected more? Would you wear it to outside of Halloween or Whitby/Treffen Gothic Festival?

Here is a link to a blog devoted to Morticia Addams. Very good pictures and graphics.
http://fymorticiaaddams.tumblr.com/

Winter Arts Market

I haven't been posting regularly as I should. (Sorry). But I have been so busy with both the website and the studio that I haven't had the chance to sit down and write my updates.
Next weekend there is going to be a crafts market in Liverpool, called Winter Arts Market. It will be in the same St George's Hall where the Liverpool Design Show takes place too.
I will be trading on the Sunday the 4th. I have never been in this market before so I am really looking forward to see what is like. Juding by the photo from last year, it seems to be a very popular market! I will be selling my jewellery, not the clothes.
Click here to see my facebook page for more details or become a fan of my BlackWardrobe!

 Fancy to watch a horror film? "Les Fleurs du Mal", a video by Agent Provocateur featuring their Soiree 2011 collection. It is very very sexual, not explicit but still a bit shocking (if you are light hearted). If you read this blog, then you are into Gothic so I think that you'll love this video. ;)

 

Agent Provocateur Soiree 2011 from Agent Provocateur on Vimeo.

New items on my website: Vintage inspired "Le Chat Noir" necklace.

This beautiful Art Nouveau poster has been immortalized in a polymer clay pendant (which I hand-shaped). Held on a floral filigree brass base, it is dangling beautifully from bronze filigrees and jet-black czech stones. Gorgeous necklace. What do you think?
I love black cats.

 Here is the link: http://www.theblackwardrobe.com/Shop/product.php/58/le_chat_noir_necklace

New items on my website: 1930s style scoop neck dress with trumpet skirt.

Remember my black 30s style dress with trumpet skirt? Here is the link, if you can't remember.
Well, I have modified the design slightly by making the neckline scoop neck (instead of square) and in purple!
Isn't it gorgeous? I think I am going to make it in red, too. I love red.

What do you think?
Here is the link for more info: http://www.theblackwardrobe.com/Shop/product.php/57/1930s_style_scoop_neck_dress_with_trumpet_skirt

New items on my website: Crystal rainbow leaf necklace.

Hello, I have been quite busy working on the offline aspects of my little fashion label. (I will be opening a studio very soon, so keep tuned, specially if you leave in Northern England, you will be more than welcome to come for a visit) ;)
I have been updating my Facebook page with the new designs I have been adding on my website and I forgot to include them here. So, if you are not on Facebook, you can see what I have been making and you can tell me what you think.
So this post is going to be about the Crystal rainbow leaf necklace. This necklace features a stunning leaf-shaped crystal pendant that I have adorned with a beautiful floral filigree. Very delicate and so so sparkly! Pictures don't do any justice. I took the pictures without flash so the colours would be shown better. It is quite difficult to photograph such a massive array of colours.

Bermuda blue: a rainbow of tropical colours that range from shades of blues and greens to purples, with slight hints of pink.

Autumn Green: warm autumnal shades of green, pink and reds with hints of blue.

Which one do you think is more beautiful? I am still undecided.
Here is the link: http://www.theblackwardrobe.com/Shop/product.php/51/crystal_rainbow_leaf_necklace

Gareth Pugh for MAC

If you are into Goth and never heard of Gareth Pugh you should really check him out. He is a Goth, no doubt about it. His fashion is always dark and very alternative. I would put him in the same group as Ann Demeleumeester, the old McQueen and Riccardo Tisci. They are all dark romantics and their clothes (often black) reflect that.
If you are, like me, a fan of mr. Pugh then you would recognize his style in the make up line he has created for MAC.  It is very dark, metallic, cold colours and the packaging is very minimal, dark (again) and geometrical. Quite ambiguous actually (not feminine at all but yet not masculine).

“With a collection that goes from strong, deep and mysterious to light, fragile, and ethereal, I think we’ve created a truly versatile collection that hopefully you’ll be inspired by and want to wear.” (words of Gareth Pugh).

The designer was inspired by everything from a hematite rock to butterfly wings. And those angular lashes are the result of him snipping away at a bunch of fake lashes that MAC sent him with the goal of making them non-lash-shaped. (text from here)

 What do you think?

Me, on the press

As I have already mentioned in the previous post, I attended the Liverpool Design Show to showcase and sell my creations (both clothing and jewellery). I was lucky enough that the local paper in Liverpool (The Liverpool Echo) was interested in doing a feature about a couple of designers, including me, BUT with a story in common. I think the story was "designers who fell in love with Liverpool or with Liverpudlians". The other two designers who were featured were foreign as well. One was from the States and the other one was Czech.
I am proud to say that I looked very nice on the picture and I got the biggest one on the article! Yay!

This is me, with my 40s style polka dot dress. Click here to see more pictures of this beauty.
I was a bit dissapointed that the article was more about our personal lives than our work. (I DO NOT like "flaunting" about my personal life). They did not include a link to our website/blogs and only a picture of work was printed. In my case, was a tiny photograph of my animal skin panelled dress, cut out and pasted next to my big picture. I felt more like being on a tacky gossip magazine than on an interesting special design/fashion feature of a paper.
Never mind....Next time I-ll try on the Independent...LOL.
I am still grateful for the people from The Design Show who did help to organize this.

Here is the link to the online article: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/in-the-mix/2011/10/03/ahead-of-this-week-s-design-festival-meet-three-women-inspired-by-love-and-liverpool-100252-29526662/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Liverpool Design Show 2011

It has been such a hectic two months that I realized I haven't had the chance to post anything during the whole of September!!! Ouchh!
I have been busy both for personal reasons as well as professional ones.
Firstly, I need to talk about the Liverpool Design Show because is just round the corner, happening this weekend coming!
The Liverpool Design Show is a show taking part in a series of design related events happening in Liverpool city. This show is specifically a trading show, where you can go and buy from designers of all sorts of disciplines: fashion, furniture, decor, jewellery...etc.
I will have my stand as I did last year. It is open to the public (not just trade) and the entry is £5 to get in.

These are some pictures from last year. I had a massive stand and didn't think of purchasing additional lights so it looks VERY gloomy, and before you start thinking: hmmm, can't be that bad?... NO, it is not gloomy-charming as you might be imagining.You can see my massive poster.

This picture below is a panoramic of the room, called St George's Hall. You can see my stand again, big and gloomy. The pic was taken by photographer Matt Ford.

And this is me, holding the glass of white wine as requested....I think it was taken by Matt Ford again.