Toys toys toys

By Anthony Lycett 

I love to integrate toys to my designs as miniature representation of our world or connexion with our inner childhood.  

Starting with legos and barbie I branched out into building games in accordance with my finds in charity shops and car boots sales.  

By Anthony Lycett 

Kids of the 90s, last non-native technology, I loved games that allowed you to use your imagination and creativity, between construction and deconstruction, train circuits, marble runs etc… 

For this neckpiece, It look that I just put some  colourful tube around,  my neck but actually this is a very complex structure as the plastic tubes as rigid and you need to bring some flexibility and roundness to the structure by the softness of the foam. So I had to drill hole in the plastic and create sequins fabrics joints filled with stuffing.  

Photography by the Artist Ignacio Lozano called "Connected”

The picture shows configurations of the outer human shell created with costumes, masks, photo-technical and artistic manipulations, coming from aesthetics such as Dada, surrealism, high tech, cutting-edge fashion design, and the folklore of other cultures. I like that the kind of Mecanos structure is used as an extension of the human body.  

By Anthony Lycett 

I am actually diverting the function of the construction game because, making it by unusable by sewing this fabrics joints to the structure, you can't get a marble running through anymore making it a piece of wearable art.  

By Anthony Lycett 

By Anthony Lycett 

 This outfit is inspired by my trip in China last september  (read the article here) and red decoration, lanterns, couplets and lucky charms in China town.

By Anthony Lycett 

The headpiece that I embellished with beads refers to the dragon dances performed during the festival. It is actually a puppet dragon I found in a charity shop and that I turned into a hat. 

The neckpiece is called "the four ages of the womanhood".  It is composed of barbie and dolls of different stage of life ( baby, little girl, middle age woman and the skeleton symbolising the death).  The head of the woman have been replaced by the lotus flower as a sign of femininity and as a reference to Dali's woman with a flower head, but also to Ronsard poem "Mignonne allons voir si la rose" reminding that like for flowers woman's beauty fade as time is passing, linking classicism tradition of "memento mori" to surrealistic cliche of sensuality.  

By Anthony Lycett 

By Anthony Lycett 

 My lovely Mum bring me this this great jewellery organiser hanging dress from New Orlean in order to classify my beads and jewellery supplies.

By Anthony Lycett 

 But because  I am so messy  and I don't organise anything  (I work in quite a chaotic way) I just decide to turn it into an actual wearable dress!

Luckily, my Mum brought two (one for me and one for my sisters) but she didn't wanted it so I could create a front and a back.  

Using pastel colours, The design is partly inspired by Doll eyes label which create very kawaii and kitsch dresses in between cuteness & innocence of childhood and sensuality with  PVC & see-through  material. (that already inspired my transparent My Little pony dress) 

ethnic inspired bags with tassels & beaded embellished dolls now belonging to the glorious Sue Kreitzman 

By Anthony Lycett 

 I feel like a walking toys shop or a cute girly museum of curiosity where all the miniature toys have been sourced in charity shops over few months and carefully classified and curated.

After positioning the difference toys, I closed up all the plastic pocket by sewing them on adding pink lace for a more baby doll look.

I had the bad idea (yes sometimes it happens) to had a pinch of gold glitter in all the plastic pockets. But the problem is the sewing on doesn't make the dress impermeable so I keep spreading glitters wherever I go as a pinkish tinkerbell! 

Honoured to pause with Mr Selfstyled himself! Normally he prefers to stay behind the camera in order to celebrate better the unique style of his subjects.  He usually  prefers to surround himself with colourful people and keep his minimalistic look.  But for the picture he (reluctantly) accepted to wear the amazing creations of Magdalene Celeste.  

Of course I am not wearing this outfit only for photoshoot but also in the real life, like for the opening of Loudest Whispers 2016 where Estelle Rivière  Monsterlune blow our mind away with an amazing psychedelic fashion show! 

The two French girls who don't have a French style at all.
(By Michelle Martinioli) 

In this design the back is as important as the front! 

By Zac Zenza 

With the designer Florent Bidois wearing a J.Freestone spectacular headpiece.  

February is also aquarius time an a lot of my creative friends are celebrating their birthday like Meihui who invited us at her Pop up restaurant  Dumpling Heart for a tea party! 

It is open till the end of February and if you are a dumpling addict this is the place for you! 

At the same table than Victim Fashion Street , Self Styled, Sue Kreitzman, Tatty Devine & Rosita Bonita! what a creative crowd! 

Tea time & great conversation with Sue Kreitzman

I am wearing a vampire dolls neckpiece embellished with beads, buttons & laces competed during my time of waiting around at my extra work! 

The must: my  glittery eyes shadow is matching the eye shadow of my dolls! 

We also attended the 84th birthday of a legend and a "grande dame" the fabulous Molly Parkin!  

Amazing picture  of Sue Kreitzman in The Guardian in her "natural environment" wearing my alphabet necklace.  You can see in the background the portrait  that Ella Guru painted of us. Read the article here.  

and to finish....the press corner, I am very honoured to be featured on the blog of the amazing Diane Pernet, a visionary artist and stylist I have been admired for a long time and inspired me a couple of year ago my costume of the woman with the wooden limbs for one of my show (see the article here)

read the article here