Kambriel Tribute to Miss Havisham

[kambriel]

Lately, I found myself compelled to sequester myself away for a while and create a gown inspired by Miss Havisham ~ my favourite character from Charles Dickens' novel "Great Expectations", written in 1861. Many of the lace motifs I've used date back to the same era. Not that I would particularly recommend languishing around in a "Havisham" state of mind, but when life presents melancholia, one of the best things to do is find a way to create beauty from it!

I ~may~ be done with the dress, then again I might go crazy and put another several days of handwork into it... It's all completely organic at this point, and will let me know what's right. I decided it was at a good point to take a break now though as my fingertips are practically worked to the bone and need a well-earned rest.

The best part is getting to feel like I'm honouring the artistry and work of my female ancestors ~ all of whom created the various works of needle lace, embroidery, and crochet I am incorporating into this. Even the pearls that I'm using for the sleeves (and possibly collar) came from one of my great-grandmother's broken necklaces.

Here is a preview peek for now:







~ Kambriel

[Kambriel.com ~ Etsy ~ Twitter ~ Tumblr ~ Facebook]

Comments

[pmhrh.livejournal.com]

Wow! I'm speechless.

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It's been like creating a "collage in lace" :)

[aesthete.livejournal.com]

Oh, Kambriel! It is beautiful! What a gorgeous and delicate ensemble. Your love for the project shines through and through!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

It's something I've wanted to create for years, finally all the stars aligned and it just felt like the right time to do it :)

The scary thing is after all this, I still have many more lace pieces like ~ all handmade ~ (naively, I thought this project would use most of them up) so you'll see them make appearances in new creations in the coming months... I just want to make sure they aren't just packed away and forgotten... so much work has gone into them, they deserve that breath of life!

[lapetitemort73.livejournal.com]

Holy cannoli!
That is so intricate and stunning!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Oooh, you just brought this wonderful little bakery in Massachusetts to mind ~ you wouldn't believe all the different types of cannoli they have there!:

http://www.whollycannoli.com/

[victorianrose23.livejournal.com]

OMG that is amazing!!!! Wow - just - wow.

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you like it!

*standing ovation*

[donnaricci.livejournal.com]

Wow! Just... wow!

edit: I just noticed the person above me posted the same response. It MUST be true!

[valerian.livejournal.com]

This incredible - an heirloom unto itself!

Just...wow!!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

You're going to be so happy with the fabrics I've found for you! I think there's going to be some kind of magic in your gown... I was draping some of the more opulent pieces of fabric to show C how it was all coming together, and right at that moment, this huge, magnificent thunder sounded above us out of nowhere... it was the perfect old horror movie scenario ~ we just needed a pipe organ to complete the drama of the moment!

[donnaricci.livejournal.com]

I think you need to do a commercial in the vein of the Shamwow guy for this dress. The "Just Wow"

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Ha! I remember some friends of mine in the Pacific Northwest who got snowed in a bit *too* much this past winter ~ snowed in to the point of watching that and thinking maybe they ~should~ buy a Shamwow ;)

[blueiduna.livejournal.com]

Love the layers of different laces, which appears to have been lovingly tea-stained I'm guessing? I see the goofiest little mirrored face in the middle of the lace-collage of the skirt, he's cracking me up! Miss Havisham would have done well with a silly little fellow to peer up from her knees when she was busy feeling sorry for herself and plotting misery for others.

I sincerely hope you never run out of broken antique bits to transform into new works of art. :)

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Actually, I had to delicately clean all of them to make them more comfortable to work with (and for my breathing!), but the colourations are all-natural. I picked the variations in tone for the layered collar on purpose since I thought the shading was so lovely... but yes, all the different tones you see are from the effects of age ~ it's the genuine thing!

I was looking at a different applique at first, but then suddenly I caught sight of the one you're mentioning, and have to admit I may never be able to ~not~ see it this way again! I'd love to administer you a Rorschach test to see what else you envisioned... ;)

[victorine.livejournal.com]

Beautiful, wistful, glorious!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Merci Madame!

[icprncs.livejournal.com]

And another comment expressing admiration at your work and creativity and how beautiful it is. :)

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your all of your kindness!

[volksjager.livejournal.com]

Please tell me it's fire proof.

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Alas, not really. I'll be certain to keep an eye on it's proximity to fireplaces whilst rambling around in decaying mansions though ;)

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

Oh, that is incredible!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much!

[ashbet]

Wow. That is . . . *exquisite*.

-- A <3

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you could see the beauty in it ~ there was a certain feeling of broken-heartedness in it, but also a sense of honouring the past, and breathing life into the present and future which I think are all things you can understand perfectly.

[ms-tate.livejournal.com]

This is so amazingly beautiful. You passion for the project shows in the details. Looking forward to seeing more photos of this fabulous creation.

Oh, and I agree, Miss Havisham is a great character and my favorite from "Great Expectations" as well.

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

It means so much to me that those feelings come through in the design for you ~ thank you!

[http://users.livejournal.com/raven_/]

Wow - that's stunning.

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

I appreciate your kind words ~ thank you!

[darkdawn.livejournal.com]

Beautiful lace....gets me every time.

Cheers!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Absolutely :)

[cupcake-goth.livejournal.com]

Kambriel, that is gorgeous.

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Thank you ~ I've been putting a lot of time and heart into it. Your book was beside me all the while as well!

[keeperoflegends.livejournal.com]

I agree with Cupcake_goth, it's awesome. You are an artist.

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Sigh... ~thank you~. I truly believe work such as creating these kinds of "paintings with thread" is every bit as much a form of art as a classic painting style, sculpture, etc... and it warms my heart to hear when other people feel this way as well.

[dark-phoenix54.livejournal.com]

'Awesome' doesn't even begin to cover how splendid I think this dress is. I think that possibly there are no words that would cover it!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

The expression that even your non-words convey, comes through beautifully ~ thank you!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_boxinghelena/]

It's really breathtaking!!! The detail, wow!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Detail is right! That's really what this dress has been all about ~ if you could only see how many miniscule stitches of mine are covering the back... it really tells the story of all the work that's been going into this!

[anricat.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm always more and more impressed with the beauty you create. Amazing!! I'm in awe!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Sometimes when you create a piece that you're really pleased with, you have to wonder what could possibly be next to stand up to it, but somehow something new does tend to reside around the corner that will bring forth it's own new inspirations. That said, sometimes there ~are~ pieces that stand the test of time as being truly special, and I hope this will become one of them.

[alonewiththemoon]

No other word but stunning!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Stunning works just fine! Thank you :)

[miss-adventure.livejournal.com]

Mamie Martini would definitely approve. [grin]

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Ha! Imagine had I been able to wear this up there for Valentine's Day ~ you know just a basic dress for a typical weekend romp for Dim Sum ;)

[curegrrlie.livejournal.com]

That is going to come out totally awesome! I can't wait to see it when it's done! I'll be posting this semesters work early too by the way...

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

It might be done now, but I'm giving it some time to breathe for a while before I decide for certain. Then again, it might become a project that I will find myself adding layers to as time goes by... we shall see!

I'll look forward to seeing what you've been up to :)