Wearable Art Blog

Colorful Neckpieces by 2 Lyn&Tony

2013-05-11T14:03:38-04:00

Here are the 2 Lyn&Tony neckpieces that I promised to show you in my last post.

I love vivid color. These pieces can't get any bigger or brighter. Perfect lift for your summer wardrobe! They're all made by hand in Australia.

"Africa" neckpiece made from glass beads, white coral, and yellow woven kangaroo leather.

Blue agate raw nugget stone neckpiece on woven turquoise kangaroo leather.

Orange coral slice beads & orange coral small beads on tangerine woven kangaroo leather.

Multicolored silk crochet on yellow kangaroo woven leather.

"Magic" agate purple stone on orange kangaroo woven leather.

Each piece is made with woven kangaroo leather, which can be cut into very thin strips but still keep its strength and durability. And because the leather is textured and so brilliant, it's a strong focal point -- in combination with the stones, the pieces really pop!

You can see more at 2 by Lyn&Tony.

Craig&Karl and Lyn&Tony

2013-04-28T21:43:11-04:00

Craig&Karl and Lyn&Tony is a collaborative project between artists Craig Redman & Karl Maier, and photographers Lyn Balzer & Tony Perkins.

The four artists got together to produce a small collection of mens and womens shirts, collars, ties, bowties and scarves, as well as hand enameled jewelry.

Craig (NY) & Karl (London) create the one-off artwork for the fabric prints. The pair are well-known for their pop-art-based, colorful work that has appeared in exhibits across the globe

Black "Curiosities" Skull Collar Jewelry with Hand Enameled Yellow Charm

Lyn & Tony, photographers from Sydney, Australia, design the pieces, which are handmade in Australia. They've also created a limited edition handmade jewelry label called, "2".

"Curiosities" Black Slimline Bowtie in Italian Cotton

In fact, I liked Lyn & Tony's bold, brightly colored "2" collection so much, I'm going to feature pieces from it next week.

"Curiosities" Black Large Scarf in Italian Voile Cotton

Isn't it wondrous that in this online world four artists can connect, collaborate and create a collection like this. The collars and bow ties, in particular, are simply fashion statements.

Please visit Craig&Karl and Lyn&Tony for more.

Na'ama Rietti

2013-04-22T22:08:24-04:00

Check out these unique neck pieces from the 'Elements Of Creation' collection by Na'ama Rietti, who was born in Jerusalem and now lives and works in the UK.

Each piece represents an element of creation: Mind, Heart, Soul, Womb, Feminine and Masculine. The materials are exotic: hand-carved purpleheart wood from South America and Namarietti's hand-spun silks from India.

These pieces look like they could have been worn by ancient African tribes.

Rietti explains the inspiration for her work: ''Colors, materials and textures often relate to memories of my surroundings traveling through Israel and Greece growing up with sandy deserts, softly colored skies, stone floors, white buildings, rocky mountains and Middle-eastern handicrafts and artifacts.''

Isn't it great that a young designer living in London is honoring her heritage by creating modern accessories that reflect ancient fashion customs?

Intrigued? Go to Namarietti or Not Just a Label to see more.

Jewelry by Gustavo Paradiso

2013-04-14T21:30:31-04:00

Gustavo Paradiso is an unusually creative jeweler who works in a wide variety of styles but typically uses "alternative" materials and recycled silver.

My favorite Paradiso pieces are what he calls his "Milflores" rings, which are interpretations of the distinctive Venetian Millefiori glassmaking technique, a painstaking process that produces delicate decorative patterns.

Here, Paradiso mimics Millefiori with a beautifully colorful and sculptural example. Try to guess what it's made from.

To make these colorful rings, Paradiso took recycled multicolored pieces of wire cables and placed them inside a deer horn "frame" -- amazing!

Here's another glass-like example made with wire -- notice the strands of copper.

Below is a Venetian glass necklace made using the Millefiori technique.

These silver rings are from Paradiso's 2013 collection -- much sleeker but still cool and interesting.

This Blue Sky Topaz ring is made of sterling silver.

The Aqualung Ring (below) is made from silver and copper.

Originally from Patagonia and now living and working in Spain, Paradiso "dedicated" himself to jewelry making 16 years ago. Today, he's doing some very innovative work. If you look at his website, you'll see that his work looks completely different every year -- he's a creative soul who loves to experiment.

You can see more at Gustavo Paradiso or Etsy.

Knits by Katie Jones

2013-04-07T11:16:56-04:00

Katie Jones is a London-based knitwear designer who wants to expand the boundaries of hand crafted knits into high fashion. What I like about her approach is the way she infuses her love of native and tribal textiles into her each of creations.

Jones's latest collection was inspired by the traditional crochet costumes documented in Phyllis Galembo’s: Masks and the Modern Tribes of Tanna (the South Pacific island paradise of Tanna has tribal communities who remain largely unaffected by the outside world.)

The A/W 2013 features variations of 10 handmade crochet and knitted pieces in the shade of gray.

Here are two photos from Galembo’s "Masks" photos. Check out the lively knit outfits in the middle that inspired Jones to make her own interpretations.

"Utset’s Procession" (below), Jones's A/W 11 collection, depicts the journey from the old world into the new. Utset is a North American mythological goddess who sired the Pueblo peoples.

I see some of Galembo’s "Masks" photos reflected in this collection, too.

Some of the techniques Jones used included seamless 3-D crochet, Fair Isle, cross stitch embroidery, beading, macramé, industrial knit and afghan crochet - all stunning, wouldn't you say?

Jones, who uses many of the traditional English craft techniques handed down to her through her family, won the UK Hand Knitting Association Knitted Textile Award in 2011.

Jones has a unique way of interpreting tribal dress. I've showed designers here who combine old and more modern techniques, but Jones has found one of the more creative ways of doing that.

I discovered Jones during one of my daily Style Bubble reads. You can see more at Katie Jones.