Pearls & Swine

Pearls & Swine News! 30th April 2012

2012 has already proved to be the best year of my life! I am being presented with incredible opportunities some i can talk about and some i can’t as i want them to happen 1st! :)

I am seeing real results for all my efforts. Finally all the seeds i have planted over many years are turning into the most wonderful flowers! I have been collaborating with some very very talented people on shoots, i have had press, been contacted by serious high fashion magazines and TV in different countries (!?), got incredible feed back from customers, created new work i am very very proud of and i am in a state of inspiration that i can’t contain! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world….

I have met an incredible Manchester photographer called Layla Sailor: www.laylasailor.com i have just done my 1st collaboration with her. Her style tends to be very arty which i really like as i am interested in creating art with other people using my work:

See this accessory here: http://pearlsandswine.bigcartel.com/product/regency-queens-jubilee-british-union-jack-half-mask-fascinator-gold-crown-hat-ascot-pearls-glitter

Find this accessory here: http://pearlsandswine.bigcartel.com/product/redoute-s-obsession-pop-surreal-giant-red-rose-hat-fascinator-titfer-ascot-ladies-day-races

I have also been working with a VERY talented young photographer called Kate Elizabeth in Notthingham who is destined for greatness, i am just lucky to get to work with her as she begins to blossom! You can find her here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatelizabethPhotographyPage?ref=ts

Find this creation here: http://pearlsandswine.bigcartel.com/product/miss-whippy-dropped-ice-cream-fascinator-cherry-glitter-pop-surrealism-quirky-hat-unique-headpiece-m

Find this item here: http://pearlsandswine.bigcartel.com/product/jungle-fever-leave-flower-fascinator-hat-headpiece-millinery-avant-garde-couture-royal-ascot-rockabi

I am going to be looking at setting up a studio as i have been working from home for the past few years and my spare room is no longer enough space for my business. This is a huge leap forward personally and in business…. you need quite a bit of faith when moving your business up to the next level.

I am in the process of redoing my website which is somewhat frustrating as i have so much more interesting stuff happening right now but i am hoping that this is the last website i will be doing for a few years!

I am very good at keeping my Facebook page updated with my latest news: https://www.facebook.com/PearlsandSwine

I won’t write more though i have so much more to say and show but i don’t want to overwhelm you with too much jibber jabber!

Bink x

Amazing image by Scott Cole Photography featuring Pearls & Swine Collar! www.pearlsandswine.co.uk

Modeled by Aiyla Beau

MUA: Amy Jade Hill

Clothing: Puckoo Couture

Photo by Fashion Loves Photos

www.pearlsandswine.co.uk

Pearls & Swine: The Half Mask Fascinator

So this blog is about Pearls & Swine’s Half Mask Fascinator, a sort of introduction to a rather quirky accessory which i create. About 5 years ago i created this on a whim and this was the beginning of the idea from which the half mask fascinator grew. I still love this particular creation but is was a bit difficult to wear.

(photo by Diana Thompson of Fashion Loves Photos)

Then came this one:

So i played a bit more and this was the next one i made: The Lavish Pearl Half Mask Fascinator is still one of my best selling creations after several years. I have made it or versions of it for brides, mother of the brides, burlesque performers, those who attend masked balls, fetish nights, goth clubs and more….

(photo by Trafford Parsons, modeled by Lexi Sex)

I keep coming back to the idea of a half mask as this creation continues to inspire me. I love the sensual decadence of it, it is an accessory which creates mystery and allure and it demands the attention of the room when you enter! Something not everyone feel comfortable doing as a thought HOWEVER whenever i get feed back i am always told how much fun people have while wearing theirs! They comment on how many compliments they get and how fabulous they felt wearing it which is what Pearls & Swine is all about, wanting to make people feel fabulous and appreciated for being individual!

I called it a “Half Mask Fascinator” because is both a mask and a fascinator so it attaches to your hair with a comb and it secured more firmly with the use of bobby pins however it is worn over half your face. It is lined with satin to make it more comfortable to wear and can be moved back to be worn more like a fascinator.

You can wear your half mask fascinator with an evening dress, wedding dress, steampunk outfit, fetish or goth club, a burlesque night or on stage as a performer. You can wear it with a simple dress and let it do all the talking as your accessory or you can wear it as part of an elaborate outfit! Or in the boudoir for your lover… it’s a statement piece and it’s fierce (to quote Tyra Banks, heheee).

I did a little Youtube clip on how to attach your half mask…. i am NO movie star and i horribly uncomfortable in front of the camera however hopefully it helps show how to pop it on as i realize some people need a bit of guidance as this is quite a unique accessory: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AxgobsofJM

You can see more of my range of Half Mask Fascinators here: http://pearlsandswine.bigcartel.com/category/half-mask-fascinators

I have several new ideas which i am working on at the moment and i have had many bespoke commissions for all sorts of colour and themes so these creations are here to stay because i love them! As i always say: Why be ordinary if you can be extraordinary?!

Pearls & Swine interview by Jayne’s Kitschen

http://www.jayneskitschen.co.uk/blog/2012/01/09/interview-bink-from-pearls-swine/

Interview: Bink from Pearls & Swine

I’m pleased to be able to bring you another interview from an inspirational lady. Pearls & Swine produce dramatic, vintage inspired accessories such as fascinators, eye patches and hats. Popular amongst the cabaret and burlesque scene, Bink has created a brand that is fun, original and beautiful. I’ve asked Bink to reveal more about her fabulous work.

How did Pearls & Swine begin? Why?

Pearls & Swine evolved through my love of going clubbing and dressing up. I spent every spare moment planning my outfits and creating things to wear. And then over a few years I decided to try selling what i made, people seemed to like it. I didn’t just jump in, I had a couple business names that I worked under until I found the right name for my business, the name which summed me up. I have learnt my craft by just doing it, I get a bee in my bonnet (so to speak) and then i set about bringing the vague idea into reality….

You have a distinct look, but where do you get your inspiration from?

I was exposed to lots of old Hollywood movies as a child, i loved the glamour, the pretty ladies and what they wore! I wanted to be a fabulous salon girl when I grew up…. I think this seed grew into what you see now. My inspiration comes from so many sources that it would be hard to pin point any one thing, it’s a huge mixing pot of bright colours that clash, glitter, film, music, pretty things, creepy things, passion, allowing myself the freedom to create and from each creation comes the next idea. I am slowly but surely changing in my tastes and am surprised to find myself drawn to more subtle colours, lace and increasingly detailed work.

Who are your style icons & why?

My style icons aren’t celebrities, they are my friends, or people who walk down the street wearing something that draws attention to them, drag queens, plus sized ladies who don’t hide in the shadows, people with total confidence! These are the people who make me think and feel, they inspire me to believe in a world beyond the normal, ordinary and the dull! I believe that everybody can be a style icon.

What are your current favourite Pearls & Swine pieces?

My favourite Pearls & Swine creation is generally the item i am creating, once it is made (or expressed as a reality) i am smitten with the next idea that is wanting to be created. I get lots of strange requests and commissions which I adore! The stranger and more elaborate the better! I have made many accessories for brides who want something different, I suspect it’s hard to be outdone at your own wedding if you turn up in a Pearls & Swine accessory! The Giant Cherries Alice Band Fascinator has captured the imagination of many people and my half masks are still something I love to make as they are different from what everyone else is making. I do take pride in creating high quality work which is original, quirky and unique.

What are does the future hold for your brand? Hopes & Dreams?

I think my dreams are quite simple and small, i just want to keep growing slowly. I think i am on a quest, like all creatives i am looking for the Holy Grail of Perfection! As humans we strive for more and better, i think the journey is the exciting bit. I do LOVE creating one off pieces best so in an ideal world i would love to just do bespoke, i have a vast range of accessories which i have made over the past few years, my catalogue is far bigger than i know what do with, my range starts from the head and ends at the foot so that has given me lots of different areas to cover! I hope to collaborate more with high fashion photographers, quirky clothing designers and stylists who want to decorate their shoots with Pearls & Swine.

Thank you to Bink for giving me the chance to interview her. You can find out more about Pearls & Swine on their Facebook Page and Official Website.

Comment below via Disqus or Tweet me @JayneJRead

http://www.jayneskitschen.co.uk/blog/2012/01/09/interview-bink-from-pearls-swine/

Photo by Diana Thompson of Fashion Loves Photos

BESPOKE headdress i made for Venice Pearl who is an burlesque starlet with big unique ideas in terms of her costume!

Not modeled by Venice Pearl, i just wanted to shoot it so i had it recorded and it is my favorite commission of 2011. She has matching pasties and shell fans so i can’t wait to show her off in all her finery! Find Venice Pearl here: https://www.facebook.com/ pages/Venice-Pearl/ 178603752212204

Photo by Diana Thompson of Fashion Loves Photos

BESPOKE headdress i made for Venice Pearl who is an burlesque starlet with big unique ideas in terms of her costume!

Not modeled by Venice Pearl, i just wanted to shoot it so i had it recorded and it is my favorite commission of 2011. She has matching pasties and shell fans so i can’t wait to show her off in all her finery! Find Venice Pearl here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Venice-Pearl/178603752212204