Dysfunctional Progress

Veruca and Me - Picture: Iris of Blackiris Design

 I have been very sick for the past few weeks. It was a combination of medical issues and the flu which to be honest has been one of the LONGEST colds I have ever experienced in my life. I couldn’t walk for a few days because I felt so weak and I couldn’t go to classes or work. Even when I felt slightly better because constant nosebleeds kept me home. Imagine having 4 nosebleeds a day triggered by a mere sneeze. Not pretty.

However, the recent days have proven to be fruitful in playing creative catch-up. I had the opportunity to meet up with friends after being so sick. I actually have a funny story. Iris of Blackiris Design and Veruca Cyn were shopping on Queen Street this pass Saturday for supplies and new materials. We bumped into Veruca’s old friends and one of them is the manager of a store in Yorkdale Mall and she bought my mermaid half-circlet headpiece right off my head while shopping. This is something that has NEVER happened to me. Hahaha.

But, it looked amazing on her hijab and also opened my eyes to an under-appreciated market here in the West. One catering to Muslim girls who wear hijabs. Normally, they use plain pins or safety pins to fasten their hijabs to their heads but what if they had the option to use a more elaborate contraption that included clips and chains in the back? Crazy - right? But, there’s an idea that I might be working with that has a lot of potential because I have had Muslim girl friends who have complained before the lack of ornament to the pins they used - but it never occurred to me until a Muslim girl bought my headpiece right off my head that there was a potential.

Quaintrella Mermaid Half-Circlet Headpiece (SOLD)

I will definitely be making COVEN by Sonia Kang pieces of the half-circlet which will include more intricate and a slightly morbid aesthetic. Lately, I have been drawn to the potential shaping of leather for the half-circlets. We shall see - it is my first time working with leather. People have a tendency never to believe me when I say this. I’m very intuitive with what I do and I can generally make what I do look like I’ve been doing this for years. :)

My upcoming FW2012 Collection is very edgy. There will be a lot of leather, chains, detailing, and of course use of taxidermy castings.



Some the chain I will be using will be quite rare finds. For example, bits and pieces of that fishbone chain and handmade chainmail. There will be studs but I will refrain from using too many pyramid shaped ones because I feel like they have been much too trendy for the past couple of years.

These are some swatches I got from a recent new leather supplier I discovered. The more decorative pieces on top are my friend, Iris’s picks and the more neutral pieces are the base colors of what I will be making most of the bird skull clutches from. I prefer more expensive and higher quality leathers that have a good thickness. I also prefer more evident texture in the leather. One of those pieces is a brown nuback leather (which is sanded and buffed on the outer side of the leather and sometimes even oiled) - it feels like suede but has better durability, wear-and-tear, more expensive, and in my opinion is a lot more luxurious. I have wedges in nuback leather and I love the texture. 

I also found this strange nuback leather (less polished and more textured then traditional nuback) that has a almost abstract haphazardly applied metallic purple paint. This piece was found at a ridiculously wonderful price and was also a perfect shape for Veruca’s critique of my first bird skull clutch. She had said it would look more stunning at a longer length so that the skull stood out more. My take on it is seen to the left with a black bird skull. I’d have to make the flap a more complimentary triangle shape for the skull to stand out more - but I think this combination would look stunning especially with a thick accent chain.


Another thing I found a few days after was this AMAZINGLY similar nuback leather with the same metallic paint finish but in the colors of a GALAXY. To the left is a picture of how amazing it looks! The colors are so iridescent in the right light and though it broke my budget and cost an arm I bought it. I will definitely have fun making a couple clutches out of this piece.

I am hoping that once I have made at least two clutches our of this piece I will have enough for a couple small complimentary matching pouches that use smaller bird skulls and finer chain as accents. Oh, the possibilities!

Here’s also a sneak peek at my upcoming FW2012 collection of elastic harnesses. I know elastic harnesses have been a underground trend for the past two years but I found the most amazing spinal cord chain and thought that it would make an amazing elastic harness statement piece. I was right. It looks edgy but wearable. LOVE IT.

What do you think of the upcoming FW2012 Collection so far? I would love to hear your opinions.