(FAKE) Diamonds are a girl's best friend

Happy New year, I don't know what you are doing tonight, hope everyone is going to wear his met shiny/sparkly/glittery outfit for the New Eve! 

By Constace Doyle 

As a child I was really fascinated by fake big acrylic stones, with my brother and my sister we went to the Louvres museum and had fake ring to each finger and tried to make the comparison  with Royal jewel collection in the exhibition. 

sew-on acrylic stones 

I like when the dress become a jewel itself, there is a transfer,  it's not accessorised anymore,  but jewels become part and parcel of the dress. 

With this maximalist trend initiated by Lanvin Prada and Dolce Gabanna, we can see a way to  fight against the moroseness of economic  crisis 

Castelbajac choose/Christian Lacroix jumper/ Dolce Gabanna accessories

What I like in theatre and costume design is that you can pretend that you make a really wealthy outfit, you resort to a lot of acrylic gems or imitation jewellers. On stage, it's the other way round, fake jewels have a better effect than real ones, because they are bigger and more shiny, scale of values is turned upside down. 

tim walker

The French wider Victor Hugo said: "

"Le théâtre n'est pas le pays du réel : il y a des arbres en carton, des palais de toile, un ciel de haillons, des diamants de verre, de l'or de clinquant, du fard sur la pêche, du rouge sur la joue, un soleil qui sort de dessous la terre. C'est le pays du vrai : il y a des coeurs humains dans les coulisses, des coeurs humains dans la salle, des coeurs humains sur la scène"

 Theatre is a face world, trees are in cardboard, palaces are in canvas, diamonds are in glass, gold is made with  of razzle-dazzle(…) But it's the country of the "true", there is human hearts in the audience, on the stage and in backstage." 

Before/After

I made this dress for Ioanna concert  for a Tribute to the poet Loizos Manosin Limasol in Cyprius, we  got inspired by Tim walker exhibition and Dolce Gabanna Baroque winter 2013 collection.

Basically, I took a black lace top shop dress and stitched some acrylic stones on it. At the beginning I wanted to use the glue gun (my best weapon!) but because it stretch it would have fall apart so I had to stitch them one by one. 

Ioanna :"They are going to make fun of me, you know Sophie, Cyprius is not London, I look like a disco ball, it's a bit to shiny.

Me: "it's good that people talk about you anyway". 

backstage

Then I got really exited about gems and acrylic stone (when you start you can't stop) so I decided to make some shoes for me, inspired by Castelbajac "Pirate's treasure". So I glue acrylic stones on black velvet shoes. 

Before/after (black is boring!)

People always ask me: "how can you cycle with those shoes?" and my answer is: It's always more easy to cycle then to walk with it"

Then, Ioanna dress gave some inspiration for my christmas dress. In order to save time, I glue the gems separately on a black lace fabric then stitch the fabric  it to the dress. added some feathers to make it more theatrical. I like the mixt of gems and feathers. 

I love feathers it's really aerial and  photogenic, it give you a good look because it's fly everywhere around your face and accompany all movements of your body. 

By Constance Doyle

The disadvantage with feather dresses is you are loosing your feather everywhere, my roommate know when i'm going to a party because there is feathers everywhere in the base room (is always better than living hair in the shower!) "Hey chicken, you are losing your feathers!" 

With Constance Doyle, we already took some pictures place de la Concorde (in the fountain!) But is was funny to come back in winter this time with a totally different atmosphere, really chrismassy with merry go round and  carousel, and giant red christmas tree and light. 

By Constance Doyle

By Constance Doyle 

I already experimented with feather, taking feather boas and stitch them on a black dress for those picture on the  Pont Alexandre III,  and Place de la concorde, using of also sparkly dress. 

The red feathers are the same used for the skirt of the other dress 

By Constance Doyle 

Bonne année 2013!