My New Jewellery Box

Overall, I am very impressed with the outcome of the box as it could be used for something personal. In this case I have chosen to make it my new jewellery box! I tought it would be perfect to gold all ym numerous accessories. I think the colour is just right and my jewellery seems to all fit! yaaay
I think the box is very showy and garish which is a perfect thing to have for a jewellery box.

The Process of My Box Making

Well I firstly purchased the box from the chartitybox and sawed down the surface of the box inside and out.

I then painted the exterior of the box white to ensure that I had a good starting point.

I started to use the material to measure out the material to fit the box. This was a crucial process that I had to make sure was done properly.

After I had measured up the material accurately, I used a staple gun to keep the material in place.

I thought keeping the material the same way wouldn't be very ideal as it would still look boring and sombre. I decided to spraypaint the whole box gold.

With the buttons being placed on beforehand once spraypainted it created a very couture and luxurious effect. I thought gold often associated with wealth; it made the box appear as if it was a treasure box.

Buttons being my main theme I thought played a whimsical effect on the box and also managed to give the box an elegant touch.

Pearly Kings & Queens

The London tradition of the Pearly Kings and Queens began in 1875, by a man named Henry Croft.

He was very fond of the Costermongers who were a tough market traders.

He got to know more about their way of life, their generosity and their fashion of smoke pearl buttons sewn on the piped seams of their trousers, jackets, waistcoats and caps.

Costermongers were generous and they looked after people who were sick and less fortunate.

Croft wanted to follow these footsteps and decided he would like those who were less fortunate than himself. This included the orphanage where he had spent some of his life at.

He knew that in order to collect a lot of money he needed to draw attention to himself. So as Henry swept the market streets he started to collect all the pearl buttons he found that had fallen off of the clothes of people visiting the market, and when he had enough he started to sew them on his cap and then continued until his entire suit was filled, the very first smother suit.

Because Henry was an orphan he had no one to help him with his suit so he had to learn how to sew. It was this that started the tradition, which is still carried on by descendants of original Pearly Families, that the Kings do all the designs and sewing. Designs on suits tend to run in families but here are a few that you may see and recognise:

He knew that in order to collect a lot of money he needed to draw attention to himself. So as Henry swept the market streets he started to collect all the pearl buttons he found that had fallen off of the clothes of people visiting the market, and when he had enough he started to sew them on his cap and then continued until his entire suit was filled, the very first smother suit.

Because Henry was an orphan he had no one to help him with his suit so he had to learn how to sew. It was this that started the tradition, which is still carried on by descendants of original Pearly Families, that the Kings do all the designs and sewing. Designs on suits tend to run in families but here are a few that you may see and recognise:

Horseshoe = Luck
Doves = Peace
Heart = Charity
Anchor = Hope
Cross = Faith
Wheel = Circle of Life
Symbols of Playing Cards = Life is a gamble
Flower Pots = Costermongers
Donkey Carts = Costermongers

The Pearly tradition has survived for over 125 years and hopefully it will continue for many more to come. We still have a few families who can be traced back to the original generation of Pearlies. Henry Croft's family still carries on the tradition with his Great-Granddaughter wearing the title of 'Somers Town'.

I thought his work was very inspirational as he wasn't a very rich person in the beginning but because he dedicated himself to something he achieved I think more than he expected.

I thought his idea about buttons was very creative and eventually created a handprint on the fashion industry.

I thought his excessive use of buttons created a very garish effect on his clothes and it just showed how the simplest types of embellishment can create the most glamourous look.

Embellishment:Velvet & Lace

Looking at a small part of the dress I am very intrigued by the Designers use of different decorative details. The designer who is unknown has used a variety of materials: woollen face cloth, velvet and lace. This gown was most likely designed for springtime wear. Woollen face cloth was a very fashionable material during the 18^th century. The sleeves are exotic, created with lace and the colour scheme is very exquisite- a creamy white which makes a very harmonious composition and fits perfectly for the Spring Season.

Day gown,

Woollen face cloth, velvet and lace

English or French, 1903-5

Given by Lady Hoyer Miller

Circ. 175-1961

Embellishment:Buttons#6

The thoroughly detailed pocket flap on this tailor made day outfit in charcoal grey wool and mohair are completely decorative. There are no pockets on these garments. Each pocket has two pairs of bold fastening, large velvet buttons and decorative frogging made of velvet rouleaux.

I like the classy grey material used. It looks very rich and I really like the black velvet with grey stripes. I thought the idea of decorative frogging was very smart and makes an even better decorative detail.

Jacket, woven woollen cloth, denim

Culture Shock (Yuzun Koga and Jeannie Macarthur)

English, Summer 1986. Label: Culture Shock

T.149-1986

Embellishment:Sequins#3

Black sequins are highly attractive and elegant! Designed by Dior is this 1961 evening ensemble-short dress. The whole short dress is covered by a monochrome pattern created from thousands of overlapping sequins; they are thoroughly aligned in different directions to from a diamond trellis design. I like the glittery effect that the dress has and you can clearly see the rigid pattern through the sequins. The colour is fantastic because it reflects nicely; when hitting the light it would appear in many different shades of black, grey and silver.

Evening dress and jacket,

‘Maxim’s’ velvet, silk and sequins. Marc Bohan for

Christian Dior. French, Autumn-Winter 1961

Label: Christian Dior

Paris Automne-Hiver 1961 111396

T.130 & A-1974

Embellishment: Wedding Bells

 

 

This was worn for a wedding in 1909; created from silk chine seemed to have been remodelled from a late 19^th century evening dress.

This design just amazed me that I just had to have it on my Blog!

The colours are so captivating and very vivid! It has a mixture of many different little specks of pastel colours in the pattern of floral bouquet and garlands in pinks, blues, greens and yellows; all based on a very fine taffeta.

This is a wedding juxtaposition as this is a dress that has been unpicked and re-made.

I really like the furnished lace created for the end of the sleeves and the very nice pattern the cords and tassels in the middle of the dress create. This then is further embellished with silk bobbles. The base of the dress is a cream silk. It seems quite heavy but it seems that as to hold it together, it would contain a lot of thick material.

I think this magnificent design is very attractive; a lot of skill and effort has gone into it. Absolutely Beautiful Design; just shows how detail could actually be the best thing about a dress.

Wedding gown, chine

Silk taffeta, revival lace and tassels. English 1909

Worn by Mrs P Adams at her wedding in 1909

Given by the friends of the late Pearl Adams

T.52-1957