Ghosts of yesteryear...

[kambriel]

I had a rather nice person recently ask if I still had any of the original printed Atrocities catalogues, and while unearthing the layers to see what assorted printed ephemera I could gather, I found that I actually have 2 extra (above and beyond the thirteen I've held on to for posterity) of the incredibly rare "Atrocities ~ The Premiere Collection" catalogues from 1994(!!), and 9 of the lavish 1997 edition, so I wanted to make these collectibles available to those who might wish to have them. I even still have the original black linen envelopes that were custom ordered at the time to send these in... so it really is like stepping back in time. I'll even throw in some of the original bat confetti while I'm at it though the iridescent stars are long gone ;)

In addition to the catalogues, I'm including assorted Atrocities/Kambriel ephemera chronicling the past 15 (nearly 16) years. This goes all the way back to the first Atrocities business cards (printed on greystone cardstock with black raised ink).



The 13 piece 1997 catalogue & printed ephemera set will be $13 including shipping in US (all other countries please add $3). Only nine of these sets are available. The collection spans more than a decade and is comprised of the:

Extremely limited edition 1997 Atrocities catalogue
Atrocities "bat" business card
Atrocities "gothic arch" business card
Atrocities "Gothic Nightdress/Mourning Veil" postcard
Atrocities "Dracula's Bride" full-colour sticker
Kambriel "Medusa" full-colour sticker
Kambriel "Theda" business card
Kambriel "filmstrip" postcard
Kambriel "Lygeia" b&w vinyl sticker
Kambriel "Sepia" postcard
Kambriel "La Plume" business card
Kambriel "Midnight Bustle" business card
Kambriel "Lace Filigree" postcard

Then, the Premiere Atrocities catalogue from 1994 ~ printed on heavyweight paper in full black reverse bleed, with half tone images and matte silver ink for the title on the cover, hand tied with strands of vintage black Chantilly lace. A definite piece of Gothic fashion history! Only two of these are available, for $15 each (including shipping anywhere and can be sent with the above collection if you'd like to have the *complete* set).



You can order these through the website here or via PayPal to info at kambriel dot com

As I signed off in the very first catalogue...

"With wishes to darken the days and prolong the nights,"

~ Kambriel

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

Comments

[cupcake-goth.livejournal.com]

Oooh, those take me back. I think I still have a copy of the original Atrocities catalog tucked away in a box somewhere. (I also still have the red velvet cloak I purchased from you almost 13 years ago!)

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Keep good care of it ~ I seem to remember that only 500 of "The Premiere Collection" were ever printed! I'm glad one winged its way to you.

That's so very wonderful to hear about the cape! I actually still have some of the original sample pieces from the photo shoots for the first catalogue ~ including our first photo shoot ever, with the Gothic Nightdress and Mourning Veil!

Ah, the days of shooting all black clothing outdoors at night ;)

[mystress.livejournal.com]

I believe I still have mine from 1994 in a box with a bunch of other zines from the early to mid-90s. I remember hearing your story about printers not wanting to do it because "it was too dark..." I had the same problem with the first issue of Morbid Outlook!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Oh yes ~ we had to go to something like four different printers before finding one that was willing to take on the "subject matter". Because you know... velvet skirts are a sign of the endtimes! ;) When we did find one that was not only willing, but excited to print them, we stayed happily loyal to them for years.

I bet you and I have a few of the same zines tucked away... Not Asleep, But Dreaming, 3rd Nail, Malevola, there were so many ~ I truly love how much effort people would put into things ~ I was marvelling at how many people had ordered our catalogues back then, when everything had to go by mail, and wondering just how many people could be bothered to take the time to do that sort of thing now? It was a period of time filled with a lot of magic.

[weedstoophelia.livejournal.com]

I still have one of your catalogues (that came with the long lace vest, the very first thing I ordered from you) in my little treasure chest :)

[panzerkunst.livejournal.com]

I think I still have that original business card!

[cupcake-goth.livejournal.com]

Oh, did you ever have a copy of Nyx Obscura? I ran across my copy (still in its hand-sewn velvet bag!) the other day. One of these days I must sit down and organize my gothy ephemera collection. Or at least make sure all of it is in the same box!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

I meant "Not Dead, but Dreaming"...

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

I think I might have had a copy of pretty much ~all~ the different zines and gothic chapbooks being put out back then, yes, including Nyx Obscura! Remember "Beyond the Ruins", "The Gate", "Dead and Buried", etc...?

Of course now I'm having a vague recollection of sewing velvet bags for someone's project... it wasn't Nyx, I wonder...

I've got all my back issues of that nature stored in a box appropriately called "The Morgue"!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

That is so cool ~ and you'll be interested to know that Edward Gorey even had one too!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

How heartwarming! Do you remember if the catalogue you have is "The Premiere Collection" or the second one with all of the ornate framing around the pictures?

[weedstoophelia.livejournal.com]

It's the second one.

[icprncs.livejournal.com]

Oh my. Such a lovely walk down a forgotten moonlit path. :) I know I had a mid-'90s catalog at some point, but I think it got cleared out in a general fit of purging when my last relationship ended. Ah well.

BTW, the package arrived. :) THANK YOU so much, especially for the cards from Spain--I'm actually kind of surprised at how happy those made me. You are a dear.

[meiow.livejournal.com]

Yes, but can you still order from the old catalogues? :D

You've got such a great talent for design, sweetie!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

can you still order from the old catalogues?

You're probably not expecting this, but.... YES! O.K., some of the prices have had to change a bit due to it being a decade and a half later(!) and fabric costs and such change, but almost all of the original designs are still being offered today. I'm a lot different from most of the fashion world in that I prefer to simply add more designs over the years, and allow them to evolve rather than just flat out discontinuing them. Besides, they're all quite timeless at the core, and work equally well today as they did then... Like this: http://www.kambriel.com/lacevest.html was offered in the original 1994 edition, but the photo at the top of the page is me wearing it in France just a few months ago :)

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Such a lovely walk down a forgotten moonlit path.

You remind me of how I would sometimes sign letters "moonlit wishes"... Ah, gothic.

I think when relationships end it's the perfect time to purge, so that's completely understandable! If I had *all* of the magazines/zines/chapbooks from that era, I'd need the better part of an entire room to dedicate to them. Online being what it is nowadays has certainly decreased the amount of such mail correspondence building up though ~ I still have a decent sized batch of letters dating back to that era from different customers around the world (who were so kind and would even send postcards from their holidays and such!), but I can only imagine what it would be now if people still did most of their writing via the post.

I'm so glad you enjoyed everything! I was thinking of you in Spain, and couldn't help picking a few cards and such up for you when I saw them... had you been there, we'd have had to get tickets to the flamenco show and gone together :)

[missmina]

Oh the bat confetti! I remember my first order (a Victorian Skirt -- still one of the go-to garments in my wardrobe, although it's getting quite worn) and being so charmed at all the little goodies tucked in my package.

[blueiduna.livejournal.com]

Oh goodness! I have the full color Bride sticker on my trunk, it's one of the stickers I'll be sad to see go when I clean and repaint it to be our coffee table. There's a bunch of "unstuck" stickers I've been hanging onto... just don't know what to stick them on now, but the memories.

It's so neat to see them all side by side, through all the years!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

The Victoriana Skirt ~ I think that's one of the few designs from the very first catalogue that we don't offer anymore... really it just needed a better photo, but it's a terrific skirt. I still have my original one as well :)

I'm glad to hear all the little extras were enjoyed... I put a lot of thought into that sort of thing, like even in the catalogues, the bat confetti would be sprinkled on the page with the Batwing Overdress! (http://www.kambriel.com/sbatwing.html)

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'd never really looked at them all side by side like that before ~ so many memories in there! I still have a *few* of our very first fliers too ~ we really went for it by professionally printing them (though still all in vampiric black and white) since during that moment in time, practically everything in the scene was xeroxed. I wanted to bring out the shadowy tones though... subtle, but it mattered!

I'll keep an extra of that sticker for you if you'd like, that way at least you know you'll have a replacement for the one on the trunk :)

[blueiduna.livejournal.com]

Ditto, I even spent many hours myself at Kinko's helping an ex with band fliers. We thought getting the different color papers was fancy! You're probably largely responsible for raising the bar on the quality of the aesthetic.

May have to take you up on that offer, though I fear it may just convalesce among the rest of the unstuck stickers, to resurface now and then and remind me of, okay, I guess not that long ago. ;)

[poisonedteacup.livejournal.com]

Wow this brings back memories. Bat confetti, hoarded stickers and 'zines, the expenses of glossy black printing. I can't believe you still have a copy of Malevola. That is so sweet. I only could afford to run maybe 200 of those and sold them all. I just have my loose set of proofs from the copy center which is in the same box as your catalog (with the ornate picture borders), my Not Dead but Dreamings, friendship books and various vampire club newsletters.

I really miss the days of glue sticks and endless photocopying at Kinko's. Less eye strain!

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Lillian? :) How wonderful it is to hear from you again!

[meiow.livejournal.com]

Very nifty! :)

[poisonedteacup.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's me:) Although I had to quit using my name since no one could pronounce it. Had the pastor blubber over it at my own mother's funeral! Take care and thanks for the gloomy stroll down memory lane!