For someone that has Beauty and the Beast on her ipod, nestled in between the relentless might of Pantera and other heavy rockers, turns to the Lion King on an altogether too frequent basis, either for cheer ( my friends and I have been known to embody Timone and Pumba at various house parties) or to wallow and well up, during the heart-wrenching scene where cub Simba witnesses the death of of his doting father Mufasa, I was at a loss as to why I hadn’t been introduced to Disney Couture???

I got an exclusive look at Tom Binns designs for Disney Couture, celebrating the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland, whose world i have been itching to get lost in since a view of its hyper colour trailor. The necklaces and bracelets are riddled with adorable charms including the mad hatters iconic hat, pictures frames, Alice figurines, books, mirrors and many other trinkets drawn from the bizarre tale. 

Since 2005, the main designer of the collections, which are unleashed four times a year, is Kidada Jones        ( the daughter of Quincy). She has managed to take the cheese factor away from the disney element of the aesthetic, adding a edgier and high-end feel, allowing the pieces to fit perfectly amongst the designer pieces in Liberty for example. It should be noted that the is not called Couture for nothing, the price very much mirrors this sentiment…… unfortunately !!

Trekstock and the brilliant work of Sophie Epstone have featured within this blog before - a previous collaboration with some great artists to produce fab bags and t shirts (some of which can still be purchased on ASOS). Their usual fund raising endeavours incorporate music, comedy or art and I’m pleased to report  that on this occasion the charity have come up trumps with a very exciting fashion venture. 

If you missed the star studded launch party at Bungalow 8, have no fear as the real treat comes from a purchase from their collection named ‘Trekstock Loves’, which will be sold exclusively through one of our favourite stores Browns Focus, and online from late February onwards. They have collaborated with some top names from the fashion world including House of Holland, Ksubi, James Long, LPBG, MariaFrancescaPepe, PPQ and Richard Nicoll.  

To make all the items even more desirable they have used the creative eyes of British Vogues Jaime Perlman and one of our coolest photographers Matt irwin for the publicity shots. 

Feeling a little adventurous this evening? A hotel in Kensington is the venue for a one night show from the Rented By The Hour project group. Four artists - Olivia Hicks, Beatrice Haines, Anna Curtis and Laura Clarke - have produced work in a ‘psycho-social’ response to the surroundings.

http://rentedbythehour.blogspot.com

Apartment no. 21 of the Clearlake Hotel, 18/20 Prince of Wales Terrace, Kensington, London W8 5PQ.

If you’re around Redchurch Street anytime soon have a look in Kaleid Editions, an artist led bookshop which encorages artists to produce a one off printed book as part of their practice. It also exhibits  on site and has Owen Bullett’s incredible sculptures there at the moment, plus the re-imagined landscape paintings of Louise Bristow.

And while I’m writing just to let you know that there was a wicked set of openings last week down in Redchurch St. But with Art Sleuth’s camera broken there was little that could be done to cover it…try Artwars Project Space right next door to Kaleid Editions for the  group show Hot Boredom (not covered on their website) which still should be going. Thanks to Martin Sexton and co we have a mixed media show with a sense of humour - ingenious what a broom that magically stands upright by itself and a candle can create. An excellent find. Also includes spoof 1970’s film documenting the end of the world in 2020 with aliens landing on Mayan ruins.

It’s been red carpet overload in the last couple of weeks, my style hungry eyes have had barely enough time to pa-rouse all the delights …. and disasters. 

Unfortunately the garish and difficult to wear Turquoise keeps rearing its head as potential colour of the season, thankfully the more flattering and elegant purple has been a popular choice amongst our celebrity glamour pusses too- which is sure to influence the masses. The rain drenched Golden Globe and SAG carpets were awash with an array of jewel inspired creations as well as ethereal blush gowns and I’ve picked some of the stand out ensembles…..

Drew Barrymore is always one to do things a bit differently, and while the overall shape of the one shoulder nude dress is extremely elegant, the flow is ruined by the unusual placement of 3D sparkle on the hip - which confuses the silhouette somewhat.

Anna Kendrick’s has been red carpet hit as of late. The “Up in the Air” starlet wore a striking purple strapless ensemble by Alberta Ferretti that she kept simple with a bare neck showing off  her flawless porcelain skin.

Emily Blunt, who at times dresses slightly older than her years chose relaxed curls and pretty make up to accompany her dusty pink Dolce & Gabanna creation.

Fergie’s lilac, full-length Elie Saab goddess gown softens the star who sometimes looks overly blinged or sexy. The soft hair (although slightly flattened by the rain) also enhances the dreamy aesthetic.

One of my personal style icons, Diane Krugers Lacroix arty creation,with its ruffles and graduated colour received mixed reviews from the fashion press, but whatever you think of the dress she was till undoubtedly one of the most breathtaking on the red carpet.

Maggie Gyllenhaal was most definitely a yummy mummy in a peachy Roland Mouret “Sirens” mermaid gown, which predictably showed off her womanly curves perfectly. 

The 45-year-old (can you believe that’s how old she is!) Sandra Bullock wore a violet Bottega Venetta gown and Casadei’s signature 3504 triple platform pump. Although the colour is striking I’m not so sure about the material, the shine makes it slightly cheap looking, 

Chloe Sevigny is known for her unique dress sense, as well as her killer figure, unfortunately the muted lavnder Valentino ,with its mass of cascading fabrics swamped her aforementioned glorious figure. This was not the end of her style stroy for the night .While accepting the award for best supporting actress in a TV drama, a stage escort stepped on her lavender Valentino extravaganza of a dress,  Sevigny didn’t intend for her acceptance speech to begin with “I can’t believe you just ripped my dress!”Thankfully she had a back-up plan for the after party. 

Damages star Rose Byrne wore soft waves in her hair( sporting this seasons dying trend too) and a gorgeous gown by Lanvin and added beautiful diamond broaches to the hip. 

www.lalique.com

N.Chamberlain, Danny Rolph, Mixed media on triplewall, 105 x 100 cm, 2009

Ramsay MacDonald, Danny Rolph, Mixed media on triplewall, 150 x 210 cm, 2009

PMQ 12, Danny Rolph, 2009, Pencil on paper. 28 x 38 cm

Images courtesy the artist, Danny Rolph, and Poppy Sebire Gallery.

Danny Rolph creates striking multi layered collage paintings using a top layer of triplewall - an industrial plastic roofing material made of clear perspex strips - stuck over a base canvas. He paints over and under and on both sides of each layer, often using cuttings from newspapers or consumer items and varying types of paint. Four of his large peices are exhibited at Poppy Sebire’s latest exhibition and some smaller canvas paintings and drawings.

His main works are less about a meaning and more about the act of ‘doing’. He said in an interview (see link) he performs a ‘non deliberate act of painting’ using materials for the sake of themselves, an aesthetic experiment rather than to convey a purposeful message. Although it is an abstract way of ‘doing’ the finished product is almost a contradiction to this in its’ sharp composition and graphic design style outcome. There are consistencies with his work and other contemporary painters such as Fiona Rae and Jamie Gili not least in form and the use of luminous bright colours.

An interesting side effect is that a photo of the work looks very different to the real thing, the reduction of detail giving a polished feel. The rawness of the actual works reference that time warn Modern Art underpinning, the use of the banal object, going back to artists like Kurt Schwitters. Here a building material is being used, in part, to create what is essentially a fine art painting. The lines of the triplewall prevent total clarity of the layers and patterns underneath. Although the viewer is being exposed to each layer, they are also being held back from seeing ‘the whole picture’. Printed material from an everyday existence, some or perhaps all personal, are stuck between the layers, partially visible. Flyers from old exhibitions, an old photo of himself, pages from The Power Rangers colouring-in books, newspaper cuttings of transport, bits of vinyl records are combined to create a scrap book effect, an embalmed time capsule. Without a clear message or purpose he has created what is a jumbled woven fabric of art and information, the random paper items and paint forms giving an individual make up, a sort of DNA, for each painting.

Exhibition on till the 20th of February
www.poppysebire.com

www.bjorgjewellery.com

www.beaucoops.com