denim flower brooch

Denim themed weddings

denim wedding accessories
Themed weddings are becoming more and more popular every year as couples do their best to create a special and unique day, memorable for themselves, their families and friends.
A denim themed wedding creates a relaxed atmosphere as the guests are expected to wear either denim skirts or jeans for the celebration. With the bride and groom wearing traditional outfits makes them stand out but at the same time calls for the appropriate  denim accessories to complete the theme.
One can be very original and inventive when it comes to denim accessories. Thanks to its nature, denim fabric can be used for making flowers employing the same techniques as those used for the silk ones. The denim fabric is denser than silk but once treated it holds the shape well. I find it ideal for simple flowers with clean lines like these camellias of geometric dahlias
Dark denim camellia brooch
denim flower brooch
Denim dahlia in 3 shades of denim

Thinner, lighter denim fabrics can be used for flowers with a lot of petals like roses

denim flower

Denim rose brooch with lace leaves

Brooches and pins can be used to decorate a groom’s lapel or a bridal dress. For the hairdo floral hair clips and pieces can be created using denim. And with a little bit of effort and lots of imagination some stunning denim fascinators can be crafted for the bridal party ☺

Have you tried making flowers with denim? If not, give it a go and you’ll be pleased how great they look. Wear one and get all the compliments!

For more denim wedding ideas please click here 

 

Denim flower brooch

Mademoiselle and camellias

fabric camellia tutorial
New tutorial on a FABRIC CAMELLIA BROOCH is out now. For more information please visit the tutorial page
I am currently enjoying reading Chanel,  a book by Danielle Bott devoted to this famous fashion house, its founder, Mademoiselle Chanel and those revolutionary changes she brought into the world of fashion. The book covers five central themes  – the signature suit, the camellia, jewellery, fragrances and make-up.
As you may have guessed I was naturally drawn to the chapter which talks about the camellia, the favourite flower of Coco Chanel. Very much inspired by masculine clothes, she borrowed the flower from a new generation of dandies, who casually pinned a camellia on their jackets. She was enchanted by its perfect, almost geometric roundness. Besides, the camellia possessed the added advantage of not competing with her favourite perfume, as camellias are scentless.
Coco Chanel believed that beauty is nearly always born from radical simplicity. The camellia with its minimalist lines, well-defined curves and almost Art Nouveau  design was destined to appeal to her. The camellia became Coco’s symbol, her icon, one of the recurring elements of her style, using it as an accessory in its natural form as well as interpreting it in unexpected ways in her designs.
An essential element in Mademoiselle’s collections, the camellia is now reworked and reinterpreted by Karl Lagerfeld. The camellia stars in every catwalk show, always present, always surprising. Lagerfeld remodels the camellia in every imaginable way for every season in all sizes and fabrics in every one of his collections. In couture, accessories and fine jewellery, in every material – satin, velvet, leather, canvas, tulle, chiffon and tweed – the camellia is a spirit of fashion. Suffice it to say that every year more than twenty thousand camellias are handcrafted in Lemarie’s flower and feather atellier, one of rue Cambon’s satellite ateliers.
Camellia was one of the first flowers I created in silk. Since then I have experimented with other fabrics  (denim), genuine leather  as well as patterns, sizes, types of accessories and ways of shaping its petals.

leather camellia brooch
Genuine leather camellias
Its almost perfect form is best shown when dense material like genuine leather or denim are used.
denim camellia brooches
Distressed camellia hair clip
However, silk satin with its noble sheen and smooth surface remains a good choice. How about an oversized camellia made into a bridal fascinator?
silk camellia
Oversized camellia fascinator in powder colour
For the above shown camellias I used a pattern which is very similar to the one of Chanel – geometrically round and very regular in shape. The other pattern I use is closer to the camellia flower in its natural form like these bridal camellias:
Golden Metallic camellia

As I am planning my next collection, I have some new fabrics to experiment with, and camellia will be high on my list of flowers to experiment with, as its simple symmetrical from and clean lines appeal to me a lot. Do they to you?