Day of the Dead

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>> Timing is never my strong point and whilst I *SHOULD* be bleating on about Kenzo's S/S 12 debut avec Humberto Leon and Carol Lim (which I happen to think is a stroke of genius pairing…), instead, I pull out this old codger from the backwaters of Kenzo's A/W 11-12 show where the set was made up of these Mexican festival lights. 

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I promise there's a point though as LN-CC have just gone live with these brand new set of designs by Our Exquisite Corpse beaded skulls which reminded me of the vaguely Day of the Dead themed lights of said Kenzo show.  I gather that Our Exquisite Corpse are a sort of interiors company who cater to the lucky ones that can fritter money away on expensive objects that need regular feather-dusting.  In all seriousness though, I find these skulls absolutely mesmerising.  Just to give some provenance spiel, OEC have been working with the Huichol artisans of Mexico, who have been working with beads for centuries.  The Huichol people apparently believe in the power of the Sun God, ancestor spirits and the four principal deities Deer, Corn, Peyote and the Eagle – it's all getting a bit Pocahontas for me and as I'm out of my depth, I'll simply let the beautiful beading work do the talking.  Were these colours and bead formations transform their way to clothing and accessories, then we'd SERIOUSLY be talking.  Whoever is up for that prospect, don't bypass the original craftsmen – make that wolf cry to Huichoi and see what happens…

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On this very day, some Day of the Dead-themed limited edition necklace and ring by jewellery designer Pamela Love also land on my desk which fits in nicely to my ill-timed Kenzo relapse.  These nicely chunky specimen feature traditional papel picado style of Mexican papercutting, inspired by Love's trips to Mexico.  All of this virtual travelling to Mexico through skulls and jewellery only instills a desire to see it all for myself… seeing D√≠a de los Muertos this year might be a stretch (it's on 1st and 2nd Nov) but maybe next time…

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22 comments

  7. not to sound snobby or superior, but i’m pretty certain that you are refering to the Huichol indians and not Huichoi…i only say so because i’m from Mexico 🙂

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  13. That’s pretty cool! Im tempted to DIY this even though Im sure i’ll end up with thousands of seed beads in my carpets!

  17. Decorating a large styrofoam skull (that’s sold in stores around Halloween) with small colorful beads would be a fun but tedious project. I’m with Natalie on that one. But I guess one can always decorate with large or medium beads, pearls, rhinestones, pretty buttons, glitter etc.
    Very inspiring post.
    xx
    Maya of Soccer Mom Style

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