smoking/ no smoking

by Anthony Lycett 

Created around  Loulou Reloulou's movie around her mural painting at Bethenal Green working men club in the smoking area. 

The accessories represents days of collection of cigarette butts at bus stops and public spaces. If you are a smoker it is a good technique to get offered cigarette as people think you are too poor to buy your own! 

As often, I resorted to an aesthetic of accumulation of objects, using disgraceful junks to turn it into poetic artefacts.  from waste to to beauty.  

Stitched one by one, the cigarette butts that ruffles the bra give a dimension to the performer of an Amazon warrior.  

by Anthony Lycett 

The headpiece is like a trashy Madonna aureole made with cigarettes packets filled with cigarettes butts. Diverting the desacralised iconography, between Jean Paul Gauthier baroque headpieces and neon holy virgin.

I am seriously considering to create a quit smoking programme based on sewing cigarette butts on garments as the smell is at the limit of what is tolerable. Just imagine the disgusting smell cold ash tray multiplied by 100. 

Working at the BGWMC assisted by Corinne Icart 

Obviously I couldn't work from my studio because of the terrible smell so I was happy to set up my small residency at the legendary BGWMC stimulated by a very creative atmosphere.  

The leather jacket is not a "smoking" but a cigarettes jacket where the spikes have been replaced by butts. Or a cowboy jackets with cigarettes fringe, diverting the subliminal image of the Marlborough Cow boy smoking advert , you can't go more punk!

by Anthony Lycett 

Lady Gaga smoking glasses inspiration in "Telephone" video clip 

by Anthony Lycett 

screen shoot from the movie directed by Marc Blackie 

screen shoot from the movie directed by Marc Blackie 

screen shoot from the movie directed by Marc Blackie 

With the beautiful artist Ewa Wilczynski and performer Gavino Di Vino by Richard Kaby 

 June was marked by various flamboyant event like Advanced style's Ari Cohen book launch.  A great occasion for a gathering of wonderful characters creating an unusual attraction in Selfridges where normal customers came to buy their perfume of luxury handbag were wondering what was going on!

by Anthony Lycett 

My look for the launch: when the pearly queen Maharadjah meet the vintage moulin rouge aesthetic, I found this traditional Indian turban at Bricklane market that I adorned with a peacock that I found at Emmaus. I also stitched big pearls to accentuate the exaggerate luxury side of the piece as pearls necklace coming out of a pirate treasure chest.  

With the fabulous perfomer Gaffy Gaffiero by Richard Kaby 

With the talented photographer Anthony Lycett by Richard Kaby 

With the fashion designer Florent Bidois by Richard Kaby 

detail of my peacock turban, it look quite heavy but it is actually quite well balanced as acting like an helmet! by Richard Kaby 

Beautiful sketch by Sue Harding capturing perfectly the sparkling atmosphere of the launch, looking a bit like a revisited last supper painting iconography with Sue Kreitzman as the holy central character 

Mild summer time  in London allow nice gathering at Siptafields market around the charismatic figure of Sue Kreitzman for coffee, antiques, style and good chats. 

I made Sue a barbie torso hearts necklace inspired but Indian carved wood elephants that got a tiny baby elephant in their belly.  On a fabric base I designed a pattern  for the light empty barbie torso. 

Then it is like an open heart surgery when I carved the shape of the heart with a scalpel.  

The difficulty was to match the colourful heart beads stitched on the fabric plastron with the whole of the torso.   

heart torso necklace worn by the great Aidan Azurei by Anthony Lycett 

I also made a very detailed embroidered handbag with poly pocket dressed in sequins  and my bling-up my little pony!  

when your handbag as more outside than inside! 

assisted by Korinna Icart. 

With the fashion designer Florent Bidois at Spitafields market with a 80s dress I found in the street and a watermelon golden turban 

With the classy vintage  Jessica Bonarius blue and yellow complement each other! 

wearing my summery mermaid necklace! 

portrait by Constance Doyle in Old street after my weekly journey to Spitafields market wearing my blond Frida Kahlo necklace. 

Amazing event at Southbank centre for Fashion undressed at "Embrace your inner weird"  where Rachel Snider presented my lobster dress and Amy Redmond my egg dress she wore for Miss Sink the Pink! To amazing artistic world and aesthetic that means and that I am lucky to contribute!