Wearable Art Blog

Katherine Sturgis Bracelets

New York City based designer Katherine Sturgis braids together various materials to create 'jewelry collages for the wrist'. These wonderful chunky chain bracelets are made with silver chains, vintage rhinestones, silk thread, and strings of hand-painted leather. At first, making the occasional pieces of jewelry was a pastime, but as demand grew for her trademark bracelets, Sturgis decided to turn her hobby into a business. Sturgis says of her works: "I wanted the mix of all the different materials to make these pieces very adaptable to just about any occasion." I love the relaxed, yet sophisticated look of these made-to-order creations. You can see more at Katherine Sturgis.  

 

The Sculptural Scarves of Thea Bjerg

Thea Bjerg, textile designer and artist from Denmark, has developed sophisticated hand-pleating fabric techniques to make sculptural scarves and wraps. This lovely scarf, from one of Bjerg's "Pleating Collections," is cross pleated and made with polyster organza. Bjerg says this about her folding and pleating methods: "Layers have always fascinated me. They have tales to tell. Both my own tales and those which the beholders themselves place in the works." Berg will customize scarves to meet your color and design preferences from her studio in Copenhagen. Go to Thea Bjerg for more.

Jewelry by Gian Luca Bartellone

Italian designer Gian Luca Bartellone creates incredibly pretty jewelry out of paper mache that he gilds with 22 carat gold, enamels or silk. Embellishments include pearls, turquoise, diamonds or other stones. Bartellone says of his work, "Bodies are spaces waiting to be furnished with the charming playfulness of single elements disguised by different colors, precious stones and gold in a rush of freedom and exuberance." Sounds good to me! Aren't these wonderful pieces? You can see more at Bartellone's website, Body Furnitures. I discovered Bartellone at the Daily Art Muse.     

Leather Jewelry by Dawn Mckelvie

Jewelry and accessories designer Dawn Mckelvie of the United Kingdom specializes in custom made leather handbags, belts and jewelry. She has a fascination with strong, vibrant colors, which you can see in most all of her jewelry. Mckelvie's vision is to design a range of accessories that transform an outfit. "I love the idea of accessories being interactive, with the ability to dramatically recreate....I guess you could say my inspiration is quite a cocktail of transformation." I appreciate how Mckelvie marries the luxury of leather with unlikely materials, such as Marino wool, in the necklace (left) to create a slightly edgy piece. 

I adore Mckelvie's simple but elegant soft leather cuffs where she uses Alexa metal clasps as design elements. Order your own custom creation online at Dawn Mckelvie. I discovered Mckelvie on Style Bubble.

                   

               

   

Enviro Couture by Elena Gregusova

This amazing outfit, made out of recycled newspaper, is from Elena Gregusova's WEAR THE NEWS^TM project. Elena, who is a textile artist and fashion designer living in Vancouver, British Columbia (she is originally from Slovakia), won international awards for this wonderfully inventive project in 2007. As you can see, this stylish, dynamic outfit is wearable newspaper art, which is why I like it so much. The style is whimsical and just eye-popping. What a great way to make a statement about giving old newspaper new life through wearable art. Read my interview with Elena Gregusova and visit Elena Gregusova to find out more about the WEAR THE NEWS^TM project and her other inspirations.

Photo: Silk Road II. Model, Vicky Huang. Make up Jennifer Magajes. Photographs copyrighted by Martin Gregus. Photographs may not be printed, copied or re-sent without written permission of Martin Gegus (martingregus@shaw.ca).