Wearable Art and Your Wardrobe

Accessorize your wardrobe with wearable art and create drama with your everyday look. I have always admired the wit and imagination of designers who transform everyday items into wearable art. Wearable art according to Wikipedia refers to individually designed pieces of (usually) hand-made clothing or jewelry created as fine or expressive art. There is a lot of interest today in recycling and so we see lots of wearable art coming from this eco drive to recycle. I have seen stunning jewellery by Mana Bernandes made from:

-recycled PET bottles
-phone cards
-hair pins (see "Clasp" necklace above by Mana Bernandes)
-elevator buttons
-tooth picks (see "Fan" necklacebelow)
-acetate
-old wire
-and the list goes on.


Wearing jewellery pieces that are artistic masterpieces will certainly get you noticed as most pieces are individually designed and handcrafted. I like to call them conversational pieces as people will strike up a conversation with you which starts "where did you get that". Many persons are usually intrigued by the use of everyday material to create fashion. The last time I wore my hairpin necklace; a perfect stranger approached me and asked "are those hairpins?" She has since become a friend for life. So it turns out to be a good way of meeting people as well.

Wearable art comes in all shapes and sizes and takes its inspiration from many aspects of nature. Some designers use non-fiber materials such as leather, plastic sheeting, metals, etc. to create truly unimaginable, breathtaking and lifelike works of art.


As always, it is a matter of choice when selecting jewellery accessories for your wardrobe. You can go for jewellery that is fashioned after a flora and fauna theme where designers for example produce lifelike interpretations of nature.



Look for ethnic and exotic jewellery pieces including brooches in:

-Copper and Brass
-Stone
-Clay
-Glass
-Silver

A banana leaf in copper and brass in the form of an earring or pendant or orchid brooches made from leather are just a few examples. The more lifelike they look the more they will create intrigue and interest.


Most recently I came across a leather necklace in the shape of a hibiscus flower widely grown in the Caribbean shown below.


This necklace draped delicately around the neck and created a soft dramatic impact. Alternatively you can opt for the more abstract or eclectic pieces that are simple and eye-catching like this orchid brooch below.

Accessorizing your wardrobe with wearable art does not only mean jewellery accessories but also includes belts, handbags, scarves, hats etc. Again look for accessories where designers have imaginatively transformed an everyday item into a work of art. Texture also becomes important. Look for bags for example which:

-combines leather with other materials such as goatskin, crochet, studs
-has an unusual shape
-uses leather with an embossed background or coloured leather
-has an unusual handle
-has a bold pattern

Look for elegant and timeless handcrafted accessories that you can use time and time again.

Even if they are a bit more expensive than traditional jewellery just think that if you paid £50 for a piece of wearable art and was able to use it 25 times then the cost per wear is £2. More importantly you will have it for years to come providing it is a well made quality piece.

Then again can you put a price on the pride of wearing it and the compliments and attention you receive...priceless.