The fusion of fashion and art is a beautiful thing. Just ask London-based milliner Victoria Grant, whose irreverent Spring ‘13 collection, a collaboration with British painter Antony Micallef, will feature in an exhibition at London’s HIX Soho next month (the eatery is known for championing artists and has, in the past, displayed works by Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, and more). Grant, who’s worked with fashion heavyweights like Karl Lagerfeld, Dolce & Gabbana, and Jean Paul Gaultier since launching her line six years ago, explains that her aesthetic is a blend of polished elegance, wicked wit and rock ‘n’ roll taste. This shines through in her Spring collection which, titled Sweet Paris, is, as Grant puts it, a wonderfully twisted play on “childhood, candy-colored fantasy.” An apt description, considering her toppers are printed with Micallef’s images of pastel cigarette boxes, pouty fuchsia lips and open lipstick tubes. She’s even included a bright red lip beret, as well as a pillbox stacked with a pyramid of smokes. “The hats we’ve made are commenting on our own vices,” says Micallef. “They all have a dark sense of humor about them but at the same time, are able to laugh at themselves.” In addition to serving as Grant’s inspiration, the artist worked on five one-off pieces, drizzling them with pink, white, orange, red and green paint that resembles frosting or sugar (a melting ice cream cone beret looks especially scrumptious).
Grant declared that her collaborative creative experience was “electric” and she hopes to keep the sparks flying for Fall ‘13. For her new collection, which she’ll show during Paris Fashion Week, Grant has teamed up with stained glass artist John Reyntiens (the same stained glass artist who created a window in Westminster Hall in honor of the Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee). “The new hats may not be particularly functional,” laughs Grant. “But they’ll be wearable. And they’ll be works of art.”
Sweet Paris will be on view at London’s HIX Soho from February 14 through 19. Victoria Grant’s hats are available at Dagny & Barstow in New York, ACT Nightclub in Las Vegas, and at other select international retailers.
—Katharine K. Zarrella
No comments:
Post a Comment