Giles SS13
Shattered glass was the key reference for Giles SS13: "a good smashed window can be quite beautiful in the right part of town." Laser cut leather created the illusion of fractured panes, successfully turning something ugly into something quite beautiful.
Images via vogue.com
Marchesa SS11
As with previous collections, Marchesa SS11 was all about bringing the drama. Dresses were wrought with orientalist-inspired details. The soft pink laser-cut gown (seen below) encircled model Esme Wissel's body "like layers of delicate Mille-feuille".
Images via vogue.com
Alexander McQueen AW12
For AW12 Sarah Burton once again brought couture fabrics to the ready-to-wear catwalk, mounting laser-cut ponyskin on leather. Probably the most functional clothing in this blog post, you could wear one of these coats without flashing your underwear, and they look quite warm too! Mind you, I'm not sure how well ponyskin fairs in the rain...
Images via style.com
Carven AW12
Guillaume Henry's Carven AW12 collection was "the fantasy of a girl walking through a museum filled with sixteenth
and seventeenth century art, stealing things off the walls for her wardrobe..." I absolutely love this idea, so original and so fun! Henry's girl is feminine, a little bookish, and not afraid to flash a bit of flesh.
Images via vogue.com
Sportmax SS13
I saved the best till
last... For SS13 the Sportmax
collection was inspired by the future, with contemporary lasercut
coats punctuated by dogtooth... The models walked the catwalk in beautiful paper
lanterns! These coats would cast mesmerising shadows, I need to dig
through some magazine editorial archives. Modern, original
designs. Very inspiring.
Images via vogue.com
Would you wear any of these cut out designs? Which is your favourite?
Until next week...
Karen
Below are 5 of my favourite paper cut artists who inspired me to pick up a scalpel:
Rob Ryan
The original paper cutter, Oh Cut It Out wouldn't exist without Rob Ryan and the uni tutor who introduced me to his work. I often look to lyrics/quotes as a starting point for art, and so was drawn to the use of text in Ryan's paper cuts. He creates sentimental, honest stories within a single image, much like a song.
Beatrice Coron
I discovered Coron's work at Manchester Art Gallery's 'The First Cut' exhibition in 2013. From a single piece of paper Coron creates multiple stories/worlds, and so every time I return to her work I see something new that I missed before. In her TED talk she says: "as my image is already inside the paper, I just have to remove what's not from that story."
Emily Hogarth
Emily Hogarth is a designer and illustrator capturing the Scottish landscape and wildlife. Hogarth has a distinctive style with recognisable flora and fauna. I find Hogarth particularly inspiring as she isn't much older than myself and is already a very successful artist, having worked with companies including: Nivea, Cadbury's, and Jasper Conran. The motto she lives by is "making the everyday magical".
Su Blackwell
Su Blackwell is known for bringing fairy tales to life, including Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland', by constructing three-dimensional characters on the pages of the book. As a big reader I love how Blackwell's scalpel effortlessly brings the stories from our imaginations to life.
Elsa Mora
Elsa Mora is fascinated by the endless possibilities of paper, and how a simple piece of paper can become something meaningful. I particularly like Mora's papercuts featuring flora and fauna inside of people, almost as though you are looking at the very roots of the people.
Who are the artists who inspire you?
Until next week...
Karen
Image credits:
Rob Ryan & Beatrice Coron - personal photos
Emily Hogarth - emilyhogarth.com
Su Blackwell - sublackwell.co.uk
Elsa Mora - elsita.typepad.com
