Emiliacouture Handspeak gloves for Fashion Royalty

On this Tuesday I realised how many extra hands and how few Handspeak system dolls I had. There was no way I needed as many pairs of hands, but then I remembered a BJD artist who turned boring sculpted high heel parts into fabulous shoes. Why now make gloves out of all those extra pairs of hands! So, here is HfG Agnes modelling her 4 new pairs of chic gloves custom made to match her favourite shoes and bags. 

I started by giving all the hands a quick acetone swipe to remove all grease and dirt left from touching them. This also makes the vinyl more receptive for the paint. Then I painted the hands with several layers of artist acrylics especially making the fingernails area thick with paint so that the talons won't seem through. The next step was to add detailing: seams and "hand-stitching" essential for luxurious leather gloves. Then some more detailing with glued on ribbons and tiny metal buckles, and a final finishing touch by spraying the whole thing with couple of layers of UV coating for a nice matte effect.

After several enquiries to sell these I have decided to I accept commissions, but I do recommend to try this at home. It's simple, easy and fun and you can let you inner fashion designer go free! Happy Christmas everyone!

Here is Agnes posing with her new gloves 

tailor made to suit her favourite shoes and bags!

See more photos at the flickr set.

 

"Tribute to Alexander McQueen" collection revealed!

The emiliacouture autumn 2010 collection for Sybarites is dedicated to the memory of my favourite fashion designer the late Alexander McQueen, who’s brave, provocative and avant garde fashions always inspired me. The collection setting is an editorial version of a Victorian asylum and all the pieces have been named after mental disorders: Narcolepsy, Autophagia, Kleptomania, Oneirophrenia and Delirium.

Narcolepsy

A multicoloured striped chiffon halterneck dress with the skirt part inspired by the shape of oleander hawk moth, a wool corset jacket with asymmetrical half sleeves, lilac net hose, leather ankle strap platform shoes and hat with a silver airplane ornament, bubblegum of pink mohair wig on a chignon.

Model: Sybarite Slipper

Autophagia

A brown wool and gold leaf jacket with asymmetrical sleeves, Alexander McQueen inspired white leather dress with a brown boa scale patterns and matching pair of McQueen armadillo shoes and a wild blond mohair wig.

Model: Sybarite Inque repaint

Oneirophrenia

A black and white silk chiffon skirt with a distorted checker pattern, silk blouse with golden buttons and a large rosette of black organza ribbon decorated with a golden skull, black lace corset, black and white lace hose, black leather driver’s gloves and strappy platform shoes, an avant garde black tulle wrap hat with a golden airplane ornament.

Model: Sybarite Inque repaint

Kleptomania

A green wool and gold leaf vest over layered burgundy tulle skirt, Alexander McQueen inspired golden sequin over knee armadillo boots with buckled garters, golden wing hair ornament and a blond mohair wig on a chignon.

Model: Sybarite Inque repaint

Delirium

An asymmetrical punk evening dress of grey, black and red chiffon with tartan and houndstooth prints with thick asymmetrical burgundy tulle petticoat and decorated with silver and gunmetal chains, skull and crosses, a matching hose and McQueen armadillo shoes of black leather, gunmetal sequins and red glass beads, McQueen inspired butterfly hat.

Model: Sybarite Slipper

emiliacouture on Haute Doll

I have some exiting news - the November issue of Doll Reader magazine is out and emiliacouture "Tribute to Alexander McQueen" collection is in the Haute Doll magazine and on the cover of Haute Doll as well! So all of you who have patiently waited for this since last May, the emiliacouture Autumn 2010 collection for Sybarites will be out tomorrow!

To read the 6 page article get the magazine or read the digital version (see pages HD10-15).

 

Decay - the third doll in the "Until Death Do Us Part” collection

A strange plague might haunt the world but nothing stops a wedding. Aunt Rosemary was feeling a bit downwind during the ceremony and collapsed only to bite the bride on an ankle. They wanted to take her to a hospital, but she wasn’t going to miss her own wedding reception. When it was time to cut the cake, she didn’t quite find it to her taste, but the caterer was good and the groom was great! Some brides gorge themselves on wedding cake but this one ate the whole wedding party.

Presenting “Decay”, the third doll in the "Until Death Do Us Part” collection. This doll addresses another "fun and trendy" topic of our age: zombies. We are so gorged with TV violence and gore that the real thing leaves us unfeeling. What zombies really symbolize is the fragility of our modern social order. We are only three meals away from a total chaos where our civilized pretence is trashed and the savage within in revealed.

A resculpted and painted Tonner's Alabaster Antoinette has been given a body blushing with a gory bite mark on her ankle and blood spatter all over her face body and clothes. She wears and Marie Antoinette style mohair wig embellished with golden bows and a matching OOAK gown of beige lace and chiffon over a bustle. The hem of the gown has been torn and stain dyed.  The gown is accessorised with a pair of Atelier sculpted and hand-painted white leatherette buckle shoes.

I am accepting offers by email (emiliacouture(at)gmail.com) until the 1st of November.

Behind the Until Death Do Us Part collection

The idea for collection of four dolls was born right after I won the Couture Doll Design Challenge (CDDC) competition on January 2010. I had enjoyed my time with CDDC, to be honest it consumed my life so utterly I actually postponed my graduation because of it. However, being given a theme and creating commercial fashion week after another for a half a year did take it's toll. I wanted to rebel, do something very non-commercial and unorthodox. Then Tonner's Alabaster Antoinette was launched and I knew exactly what to do with it. I bought four on preorder and wrote down all the ideas that had swarmed in my head.

The dolls took months to arrive, during which I finally finished my final thesis and, shaken by the suicide of my favourite designer Alexander McQueen, I created the "Tribute to Alexander McQueen" five piece collection of OOAK avant garde fashions for Sybarites. The collection should be published in the November issue of the now integrated Doll Reader / Haute Doll magazine.

The designs I had made for the "horror dolls", as I called them then, were not drawings or fashion sketches, but short fragments of stories. Originally the underlining theme was suppose to be just plain horror, but as I realised I wanted each to have an elaborate gown it occurred to me to make it a wedding collection instead. The holy matrimony was just the thing to push these everyday horrors to another level and I was enchanted by the idea of making a beautiful gown and then destroying it with wear and tear. At this point the collection got it's name: "Until Death Do Us Part", which has always held a sinister ring to my ear. 

Perhaps it was the suicide of  Alexander McQueen and the loss I felt that made me address the issue of suicide in particular with these dolls. The first doll "Honour" was just about to take her life in the storyline and the last doll "Shame" has already done so. These two are the different sides the same coin. Honour escapes her prison and saves her honour by her choice; Shame falls into a despair that consumes her body and soul. The difference lies in the people they left behind: Japanese culture has historically embraced suicide as an honourable deed and the remnants of this paradigm are still visible in their modern culture; the Western culture and religion condemn it and leave the close ones of the deceased feeling responsible - a stigma they may carry around the rest of their lives.

 The second doll "Hunger" also has suicidal tendencies. She is a young girl who falls in love, and marries, a vampire as is "fashionable" in the TV nowadays. However, the story doesn't get a romantic happily ever after ending, but far more real one. It is also a potential ending to any girl who in real life falls for a guy with the "I don't know whether to kiss you or kill you" pick up line. I think the trend of romanticising danger is not a healthy one, though admittedly it is not the first time murderous rebels are idealised in the media. 

The third doll addresses another "fun and trendy" topic of our age: zombies. We are so gorged with TV violence and gore that the real violence and horror we witness in our everyday lives leaves us callous and unfeeling. What zombies really symbolize is the fragility of our modern social order. We are only three meals away from a total chaos where our civilized pretence is trashed and the savage within in revealed. It doesn't have to be zombies; it can be war, hunger or pestilence -or even global warming. The bottom line is when there won't be enough resources to go around it will be the survival of the fittest.

 

These gruesome creatures were never meant to be commercial and I did want them to shock, but I must say I was still surprised by the intensity of some reactions they raised. It was only natural people found them sad and disturbing, but I never believed they would get banned from internet forums and such. The important message is that domestic violence, suicide and other taboos do not seize just by keeping them wrapped away. We need to be able to talk about these issues openly, or the victims of the crimes will only feel more alone.

Hunger - the second doll in the "Until Death Do Us Part" collection

"I don’t know whether to kiss you or kill you..."

It’s the love story of our age: girl meets boy, nice and polite with an old world charm - a vampire. He vouches never to bite her and no sex before marriage. Come wedding night and the bride disappears. She wanders the empty halls of a huge house her wedding gown sweeping the floors in blinding sunlight – bitten and week with blood loss. 

Presenting "Hunger" the second doll in the "Until Death Do Us Part" collection by emiliacouture.This doll is a commentary of the "I don't know whether to kiss you or kill you" romantics of the current vampire trend and the example it gives to young girls looking for love.

 A resculpted and painted Tonner's Alabaster Antoinette has been given a body bushing with three bite marks, and a mohair wig embellished with vintage jewellery pieces. She wears a OOAK ensemble of a floor length gown of white silk chiffon. The hem of the gown has been gently stain dyed and the top is a weave of silk ribbons. The gown is accessorised with a pair of Atelier sculpted and hand-painted blue shoes tied around her ankles with silk ribbons. 

Honour - The first doll in the "Until Death Do Us Part" series

 “Honour”, the first doll in the “Until Death Do Us Part” collection, addresses the delicate issues of arrange marriage, domestic violence and the old samurai code of honour. These are not the safe horrors of Halloween, but something much more serious. Domestic violence is a tragedy that touches many lives, but it is a taboo – just like suicide. However, things will not change through silence and secrecy, so I want to use this art form to bring the matter forth.

 
An arranged marriage to an older man with wealth and power. From a poor family, all she could offer was her youth, beauty and virginity - which was exactly what he was after. On the wedding night she resisted, revolted by his touch, and he forced himself upon her. Imprisoned to a lifetime of misery she makes the choice to save her family honour.

 
Tonner’s Alabaster Antoinette (17” vinyl doll), her face resculpted and painted, her body blushed and fitted with double jointed knees. She has bruises left by violent hands on inner thighs and a black mohair hair in a Japanese updo embellished with beads and vintage jewellery pieces. She wears a modern kimono inspired OOAK ensemble made of pale green vintage kimono silk, beige chiffon rouching and luxuriously thick black lace. The outfit has been partially hand-stitched and is fully lined. She holds a Japanese tanto dagger and wears a pair of hand painted red lacquer shoes with golden detailing and red cords around the ankles. 

“Honour” will be sold by silent auction. The auction period is 12th-19th of September and the bidding starts from 300usd. Layaway option is available. If you wish to use layaway include your payment plan to your bid. Send you bid to emiliacouture@gmail.com before midnight on 19th. Thank you for your interest!

More photos at the flickr set

www.emiliacouture.com

My new website's beta version is up and running at http://www.emiliacouture.com now. This will be one of the first steps in building my own line of doll fashions. In the website you can join the first-to-know list to keep posted with the new designs. There will be an opportunity to commission  a very limited number of  those Alexander McQueen armadillo shoes for Sybarites in the near future and I'll be testing to make them in Fashion Royalty as well. So join the list and be the first to know!

Irezumi - Yakuza Tattoo

I did a yakuza tattooed FR Homme doll a couple of years ago and found the world of these notorious Japanese tattoos fascinating. Today, I got an inspiration for a new yakuza tattoo and had an extra FR Homme body around to use as canvas. I bought a Hot Toys Goemon Saizo head to complete the doll. I think this tattoo came out better than the first one as I researched lots of ukiyo-e and yakuza symbolics in order to create it. 

My first yakuza tattoo doll

The new yakuza body tattoo from front and rear

 Shoulder details, an octopus and a snake

 Carp details on his thighs and side

On the left is the first yakuza tattoo I made. A dragon as the character is a leader of his clan and dragon symbolises power. On the right is the new yakuza tattoo. A tiger for fearlessness as the character is an assassin for his clan. I think the new one is technically better too. I'm pondering whether or not to repaint the old one as the dragon looks rather silly really.

What do you think?

Sneak peeks of the Tribute to Alexander Mcqueen collection Vol.5

Sorry to torture you some more, but there is still no word when the Doll Reader article will be out so I still cannot release the full designs. But I just had to share something with so many people emailing me about the collection. So, here are the shoes. *All made for Sybarite dolls.

Until Death Do Us Part

This is what I'm currently working on 

- a horror doll series Until Death Do Us Part. 

The collection consists of four dressed Alabaster Antoinettes 

who have been heavily resculpted, then painted and 

mohair wigged. These are not the final pieces yet as 

their hair still requires some styling and 

I haven't even started working on the fashions. 

The four fashions will be a bridal collection, 

but I can't reveal more at the moment 

as I haven't really designed it yet 

as the concept is mainly based on the dolls 

and this time fashion will have to come second!