Fleurs Du Mal

autumn / winter 2011

This collection walks the fine line between the fun and frivolous and the undoubtedly fragile. Inspired once more by Charles Baudelaire and his most famous volume of poems 'Les Fleurs Du Mal'. 'Les Fleurs Du Mal' caused outrage when first published in Paris in 1857 with six of the poems being forcibly removed due to moral grounds. Deception, decadence and debauchery are just three of the themes running throughout of which this collection has capitalised on by 'poeticizing their erotic melancholy from feeling to form'

Upon first glance the collection appears bright and light with an eye-popping colour palette and a magical air. Rainbow coloured corsages sit side by side exaggerated Swarovski crowns embedded in light reflecting Perspex creating a visual explosion to the eye.

Whilst multihued hearts and stars nestle snugly in every crevice from the floral headdresses right through to the vibrant epaulets that complete the collection. Its only on closer inspection when you notice the subtle touches such as the fading colours of the petals, indicating a slow loss of life that the inspiration of Les Fleurs Du Mal' really becomes clear. Preoccupied by Death, once again, yet through Charles Baudelaire the work continues to find new ways to explore this darkness.