Tuesday 29 July 2014

Serena Partridge- Small But Perfect


As always, I am on the look-out for bespoke items and gifted artisans.  Serena Partridge makes miniature fashion accessories and garments inspired by a passion for European costume, dating back some six hundred years. Her particular interest is for the flamboyant fashions paraded by the wealthy élite. Such as platforms rising to heights of twenty inches or the superfluous coiffures supported by Marie Antoinette. Although her works contain strong references to the past, Serena is not concerned with producing historically accurate replicas. In her work, scale and proportion are distorted to create curios that send up the frivolity and futility of life à la mode.

Though the work involves endless hours of hand stitching, it is not really embroidery; Serena is more of a mixed media artist who leans towards textiles. She mixes antique fabrics and trimmings with materials that will achieve desired effect. Kid gloves are reborn as elongated shoes and a fragmented wedding veil becomes the filling of a six-tier gateau; while heels are carved in wood and coiffures are fashioned from strands of fine silk.

These miniature accessories are crafted from fine papers, with tiny hand-stitching up the back of the stockings and 25 carefully cut pieces of card, stacked and sanded to create the shaped heels of the mules. The embellishments are hand-made with silk ribbons, antique lace and cut-steel beads.

 If you are looking for something a little different, the shoes and stockings are perfect unique gifts for special occasions and followers of fashion. They can be personalised with a message printed inside a tiny card or on a miniature label.
 

For more information view www.serenapartridge.co.uk