Well, this is a bit exciting and the pictures are stunning so i had to share! The world famous Pacha girls were styled by the lovely Alexandra Houston Carroll for whom the Pearls & Swine Giant Cherries were totally perfect for! Pacha’s immediately recognizable logo being the double cherries…. so here are the lovely ladies :)
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?!
http://www.jayneskitschen.co.uk/blog/2012/01/09/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/
My recipe for life is not being afraid of myself, afraid of what I think or of my opinions.
~ Eartha Kitt
Pearls & Swine is my accessory business proudly based in the UK, West Yorkshire, fueled by coffee, big dreams and an addiction to creating.
In mid 2005 i was a carer looking after disabled, elderly and terminally ill people. I guess the latter where the most inspiring, i looked after people with terminal cancer who were given a few days to live and somehow they had the most incredible effect on my life. They were such brave, kind, strong people with the biggest determination to live! They would fight to the very end and i realized that life is short and i wanted to do more with mine! I had turned 30 that year and i felt unfulfilled as i had always envisioned being self employed. Terminal care work was magical, rewarding but heartbreaking, i was the last person who would ever meet these people before they left this world and i keep them all in my heart wherever i go. I have the words “We Love and Die Because We Must” tattooed on my lower back in memory of them.
So Pearls & Swine evolved and developed over several years, it all began with a SCARF! As i knitted it the Gates of Reluctance which had kept my dreaded creativity at bay were opened and i was never able to shut them again. Each idea, each creation is a step on a journey…. each day has been a lesson which has resulted in what you see now!
This was the 1st mini beret i ever knitted, you will see others have since made knitted mini berets but i was the 1st that i know of to do so. And it came about quite by accident really. I wanted to knit a flower to decorate the scarf but it turned out as a circle, small and flat. That mistake was a seed that grew into the rest of my life! For some reason i ended up popping it on my head and the rest is history….
I began creating mini tops hats out of fine mesh wire and stretching velvet fabric over them. This was in the days before everyone was doing mini top hats to death. I didn’t really know much about the burlesque scene, i think i came across the movie “Moulin Rouge” and Dita Von Teese quite by accident. I am sort of inclined to soak up the influence and creative atmosphere around me. I was really into the goth look at that time and into clubbing on the goth scene. I used dressing up as a escape from the work i was doing, it was the polar opposite of my day to day life in which i was helping people who were very ill. I loved the glamour of it and tapping into the part of my personality and character that had to be kept alive in spite of working in very intense circumstances.
I made a million mistakes, set up a business then left, worked under a couple names as i was finding my identity as a creative. I sold my work on Brick Lane in London for a few months and the words “Pearls and swine” left my lips on many occasions. I like the ying yang of it plus i had been raised in a extreme religion so i guess it was a bit of a nod at that. It has to do with not being understood in a world which is very keen on conforming and accepting that that is ok, i don’t have to do things the way everyone else does. If i value what i do and who i am that is all that matters!
So i moved from London to West Yorkshire, to the house which i have shown and cloistered myself away to create nonstop for the past few years. I guess the love affair i have with art and creating wearable art grows a bit more every day! My range has developed at a faster pace than i can keep up with, my work is worn by people from all over the world and stocked in several exclusive boutiques in the UK and Europe.
Pearls & Swine is known for it’s quirky accessories which get a huge reaction when worn including Half Mask Fascinators, Giant Cherries Hairbands, glitter fascinators, bird cage veils, shoe clips, vintage inspired hair accessories, flower hair clips, burlesque fashion and 1950’s rockabilly hats, burlesque accessories, Rockabilly, bridal, vintage Inspired millinery, wedding, bride, kitsch hair accessories, shoe clips, bespoke headwear, glitter fascinators, masks and vintage style hats…. the list goes on!
The more wild and fabulous the better! However i am equally able to create more conservative accessories, i have created many fabulous fascinators for brides, mothers of the bride, ladies who go to Ladies Day at Ascot and the Races, Proms, burlesque performers etc. I have also created props for burlesque performers along with my partner Trafford Parsons who is an artist.
I have recently split my business in 2, i now have a burlesque range called Temptress of Waikiki.
This range includes nipple pasties, nipple tassels and customized c-strings! I also offer a bespoke service so whatever your hearts desire in terms of burlesque fashion and lingerie i am here to make it happen. Those who wear my work comment on how unique and well made it is as i am something of a perfectionist who needs to be the best at what i do!
2012 is going to be an interesting year…. i have many ideas i still need to explore so watch this space…. if you like what you see now it’s only going to get better! Happy New Year….
Bink x
