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May 17th, 2012
04:23 pm - Kambriel NYC fashion show
I had a wonderfully top secret art project to complete as soon as we got back from doing our fashion show at the NYC 19th Century Extravaganza in NYC, but the project is **APPLAUSE* done (I can't wait to share it with you!), and today I finally had a chance to gather up some photos from the show.
The pictures are presented in order of appearance in the show itself, and the song we performed it to was the mesmerically dreamy "Salomé" by The Changelings.
Countess Cynthia von Buhler, in an Edward Gorey inspired "The Evil Garden" (note the plethora of tassels aka Les Passementeries Horribles...) gown ~ in monochrome shades of both shimmering and velvety black with accents of silvered grey:
A closer view of Cynthia with a ruffled collar made from antique Chantilly lace found in Paris, oversized black rose hat, and the gown's beribboned bodice:
Cat Valente, looking every bit the goddess she is, with a headdress made from a combination of velvet, glass beads, and silken flowers:
Cat wore an Isabella Coatdress made from lightweight teal wool, with art nouveau organza flounces in shimmering teal and black with golden highlights:
( ***many more photos behind the cut*** )
Thank you so very much to Zoh & the NYC 19th Century Extravaganza for inviting me to show in their charming event at the Old Stone House in Brooklyn, as well as our fantastic (both onstage & offstage as well) models for gracing these designs with their wonderful presence & warmth of spirit ~ Cynthia, Cat, Naeelah, Curse, Aurora, Joel, Judy, and Gala. In addition to our models, thank you so much to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1) icprncs & morthael for making the trek up to see the show, *and* for all of your (greatly appreciated!) help afterwards. *My love to you all*
I hope you enjoyed the show!,
~ Kambriel
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April 13th, 2012
12:04 pm - Eureka!
"It serves the purpose of a PERFECT BUSTLE,
a complete CUSHION for the back,
a PILLOW, unequalled for travelling purposes,
and in case of accidentally falling into the water,
may be relied upon as an admirable LIFE PRESERVER."
Once upon a time, on a not-so-dark and not-so-stormy evening, the ever-elegant Madame Kat & I were pouring over the pages of bound antique magazines, dramatically reading aloud unintentionally hilarious advertisements and articles within, only to find one that stopped us in our tracks... The Eureka Air Bustle.
The text went on espousing the merits of such a thing, but then we got to the point where it mentioned the possibility of being used as... AN INFLATABLE LIFE PRESERVER. Enter here, my friend and adorable artist blueiduna who brought the vision dancing in my head to life with her whimsical illustration. The incredible victorine, screen-printer extraordinaire will be printing these in black ink on cream coloured cotton shirts, echoing the original Victorian era newsprint. And thus, 100 years later, the EUREKA is reborn!
Yes, that's right... She has a blow-up, inflatable bustle bouying her up above the waves. Don't judge ;)
The first run of these is being done as a pre-order which will be ready to ship within the coming month. We're doing short-sleeved ladies t's similar to the below style (in ivory, like the photo of the above illustration, not the dark grey shown below), in "pre-shrunk, 100% cotton, super soft baby jersey knit, with contoured side seams":
Gents ~ If you would like to wear a bit of neo-Victorian whimsy ~ just specify your size when ordering (basic ordering info below) and we'll make sure you're covered as well :)
The pre-order price this weekend is only $25 each *including shipping* in the domestic US.
Available sizes are S, M, L, XL, or 2XL.
Feel free to get in touch if you want one shipped internationally & we'll figure out the cost.
To order: Just send $25 per shirt via http://www.PayPal.com to: info (at) kambriel (dot) com
Be sure to include a note mentioning whether you'd like men's/women's shirt/s & which size/s along with your name & shipping address. Thanks!
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April 5th, 2012
01:53 pm - Museum Exhibit & upcoming NYC Fashion Show
There is currently an exhibition at the Goodman Gallery of the Allentown Art Museum (including the Kambriel moiré Midnight Bustle ensemble shown in the photo below amongst other examples of both current as well as antique clothing, jewelry, needlework, art, etc...), entitled Gothic to Goth: Embracing the Dark Side which runs until April 29th in Allentown, PA.
"Gothic to Goth offers an overview of the nineteenth-century cult of mourning in American art and fashion and indicates how that trend translated into contemporary Goth fashion, a genre now embraced by mainstream couture as well as by the rock subculture of the twentieth century. Included in the exhibition are representative examples of mourning art such as needle pictures, paintings, and post-mortem daguerreotype portraits; mourning jewelry and other accessories; two late Victorian mourning outfits; and examples of contemporary Goth fashion inspired by the mourning excesses of the earlier century."
I'm looking forward to checking out the exhibit in person later this month, when we'll be in the area for...
A fashion show we're doing on the afternoon of April 29th as part of the finale for the first ever
NYC 19th Century Extravaganza!
"The Extravaganza is a three-day, all-ages expo featuring historically-focused classes, hands-on experiences, and performances highlighting nineteenth-century life in New York City. The festival culminates in a full-day of Victorian-style picnicking, performances, and celebration on the lawn of Brooklyn's Old Stone House Museum."
The Old Stone House Museum will be the locale for the fashion show & should make for a really lovely day filled with a 19th-Century Base Ball Game, Open Air Figure Drawing, Bartitsu: The Lost Martial Art of Sherlock Holmes, an Old Time Photo Booth, the Steampunk and Neo-Victorian Fashion Show, & Outdoor Hearth Cooking Demonstration, so do come if you can :)
Allentown Art Museum Exhibit:
http://www.allentownartmuseum.org/exhibition/gothic-goth-embracing-dark-side
NYC 19th Century Extravaganza:
http://nyncs.wordpress.com/
Hope to see some of you soon!,
~ Kambriel
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February 19th, 2012
06:17 pm - la neige
Beautiful... for the first time this year, in the Winter that never really was, we're getting a delicate, frosty snowfall.
Ironically, this morning we made the same lemon-filled crepes that I was inspired to make after a snowfall we got last January (the last snow we had here), and low and behold, now it's back :) Worked better than a raindance!
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February 7th, 2012
08:08 pm - Because at some point everyone needs an angel in the woods, a saviour with an unlocked door...
In honour of Charles Dickens' 200th birthday today, I wanted to share my own homage to one of his iconic characters.
I made this gown inspired by Miss Havisham from “Great Expectations”, utilizing more than a century’s worth of handmade lace, wrought by the hands of my ancestors.
Also, somehow befitting the mood, Amanda Palmer premiered a chilling video today for her & the Grand Theft Orchestra's haunting cover of Nirvana's "Polly". (She's also wearing her Kambriel coat within it, for which I am both honoured and humbled...)
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January 13th, 2012
12:22 am - Friday the 13th, filled with Desert Phantoms
When a gathering of souls make magic in a land of eternal, clear-skied enchantment
Since intrepid visionaries kylecassidy and Kate McKinnon are currently out in the desert surrounding Tucson, Arizona doing another of their fantabulous collaborative jewelry/photo workshops, it inspired me to finally share a few of the moments in time from the one we all did together a while back.
Ironically, just yesterday I heard from Jeroen Medema who'd taken this photo (with nothing more than his iPhone!) of me wearing the red velvet Suspiria Gown layered atop the Femininja Cowl.
It was November and 90 degrees in the shade, with snakes slithering by, hornets flying about, and all of us being endearingly regarded at one point by a baby roadrunner who looked as if he'd never seen humans before:
( venture forth... )
Find magic where it is & create it where it lacks.
~ Kambriel
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January 1st, 2012
03:29 pm - Something New for the New Year!
I wanted to share with you one of a new range of Haute Environmentalist fashion accessories I've designed for 2012 ~ the Medya Neckpiece:
(photo by Porcelain Poet ~ Seattle, WA)
This original Medya accessory design by Kambriel utilizes highly reflective, featherweight black audio/video tape from decades past, and by using an old-world combination of hand crochet and knotwork, is brought into the modern era with avant garde style.
As a longtime vegetarian, I don't work with leather or fur, but other than that I have a very open mind towards working with different materials, and love to see things through a creative filter where I put to use something that other people might not consider as something which could be made into a wearable design. For instance, I've been creating a new line of accessories including chokers and shawls made entirely from old audio cassettes (featuring music by Bauhaus, the Cure, The Creatures, etc...) and videotapes (with film of Venice, fashion shows, underground music videos, etc...). I'm inspired by the tape's very dark, highly reflective shine, and the forever long, yet light as air lengths that can be woven into such elaborate pieces. By using a material we already have on hand in abundance which otherwise goes to waste in our increasingly digitally-driven society, I transform something that could otherwise end up in a landfill into something worthy of being worn down a catwalk in Paris tomorrow. There is something incredibly enchanting about the fact that there are literally songs and visions lurking within in these creations...
I hope you'll enjoy this & the other new designs yet to come...
May your year be filled with enchantment, friendship, love, laughter, an abundance of inspiration, and taking steps that bring you ever-closer to your dreams & ideals,
~ Kambriel
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December 25th, 2011
12:54 am - Not even a mouse... and life's full circle moments
I once found a workbook dating back to when I was around 4 years old. In it, there was a page filled with questions and my handwritten answers. I remember two of them in particular ~ one asking me something I could make, and another asking something I could not make. My answers?
What can you make? "To be president." (Forgive my four year old self's grammar & enjoy the moxy.)
What can you not make? "A mouse."
Well, now I've made a whole batch of mice!
Before they were ready to go in the oven:
~ mouse cookies recipe here ~
Believe beyond your self-limitations ~ it could take a while, but ultimately you may just surprise yourself.
~ Kambriel
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December 18th, 2011
07:19 pm - Tweet-Tweet!
I've been wanting to do some more involved posts here, but haven't had a chance to pull together some of the lengthier ones I've got in a queue at the back of my mind just yet. In the meantime, I've been updating on Twitter (which requires mere seconds in between the rest of our great world of this & that), so if any of you would like to keep up with my aesthetic oddities, random pictures, unabashed opinions, musings & meanderings there, I'm @KambrielDesign:
http://twitter.com/Kambrieldesign
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December 14th, 2011
02:08 pm - Savannah Ghost ~ Haunted Romance
I've been wanting to share this ethereal gown I recently added to the Etsy shop, but a dear client immediately mentioned that she was dreaming of having it for her wedding in Australia, so I purposely kept quiet about it until she knew for certain in order to give her the best chance possible at making it her own.
Happily, it's now reserved for her, but I still wanted to share it just because I really love how the pieces ~ some of which are from vintage materials I've collected through the years, all came together...
Sitting upon the stairs in the haunted town for which the gown is named:
If you'd like to see the other photos of the gown, you can see them in the original listing here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/86692875/reserved-for-lei-iissa-haunted-romance
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