Villa Maria Cult Couture 2009

Yay! We are so excited to announce that all four of our outfits have been accepted and will be featuring in the 2009 Villa Maria Cult Couture Awards in November.

We worked really hard on these outfits and are totally syked that once again we will get to see our work up on the big stage.

The outfits and corresponding categories are:

The Toy Collector – Recycled Revolution

Jezebel – On the Streets

The Widow Maker – Flight of Fantasy

The Wild Rose – Flight of Fantasy

The shows are going to be held on:

Show Night
Friday 6th Nov.
7.30pm

Awards Night
Saturday 7th Nov.
7.30pm

Genesis Energy Theatre, TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre, Manukau.
 

Artwork By DMONIC INTENT

 Here is some of our artwork we have done in the past.

Some are paintings on canvas and others are sketches.

The Widow Maker

The Widow Maker was inspired by 3 things all relating to it’s title; the spider, the killer and traditional mourning dress.

We were inspired by the shapes and textures of the Black Widow spider and the negative connotations connected to it’s existence. The females sometimes kill and eat their counterparts after mating, hence the name and a bite from this venomous arachnid can sometimes cause death.

We tried to effectively display the shapes and textures of a spider by using smooth leather and different fabric manipulation techniques such as tucks and pleats and design features such as weaving, top stitching and panelling to give the outfit the angles and shapes needed.

We were also inspired by the idea of a Black Widow spider being a killer. We tried to show this idea through the use of metal detailing and the armour like angles and shapes used.

The final inspiration for The Widow Maker was traditional mourning dress. In a time where mourning dress was compulsory for those related to the deceased, those most affected by the loss of a loved one were withdrawn from social events and would practice quiet, respectful behaviour, sometimes for years later.

We used the general look of the dresses often worn by widows, which were to be black, conservative and respectful. We used the high collar and cuffs of these dresses but added our own twist by pleating/tucking the sleeves to give the shirt an armour, scale effect.

One more thing we were highly inspired by was the fact that widows often wore jewellery made from hair of the deceased love one, or kept the hair in a locket. We made our own version by braiding a long tail that hangs around the neck like a scarf.

The Wild Rose

‘The Wild Rose’ was inspired by Elizabeth Bathory (1560–1614), a Hungarian Countess who is possibly the most prolific serial killer in history. Elizabeth Bathory or “The Blood Countess” is famed for torturing and murdering over 600 virgin girls and young women.

According to some stories Elizabeth was very vain and afraid of old age. It was during her 40s, with the fading of her youth and beauty that a servant girl accidentally pulled her hair while combing it. Elizabeth slapped the girl's hand so hard she drew blood, which fell onto her own hand. She immediately thought her skin on her hand had taken on the youthfulness of that of her young maid. She was convinced she had found the secret to eternal youth. She then had the maid stripped, cut and her blood drained into a huge vat. Elizabeth bathed in it to beautify her entire body.

The descriptions of torture Bathory inflicted upon her victims included severe beatings over extended periods of time, burning or mutilation of the hands, sometimes also of faces and genitalia, biting the flesh off the face, arms and other body parts, freezing her victims to death, starving them and sexually abusing them

Elizabeth became obsessed with her looks, sometimes spending hours studying herself in the mirror. It is unknown why Elizabeth started murdering so many women, but it is believed that this obsession with eternal youth and beauty was to blame.

Bathory was convicted on 80 counts in 1610 which led to her imprisonment in Cachtice Castle, where she remained under house arrest in a set of rooms until her death four years later.

The Toy Collector

The concept for this outfit was purely based on the recycling of old favourites. One thing people find really hard to part with is old soft toys.

Soft toys are a part of almost everybody’s life. Everyone can recall a favourite toy from childhood and may have that toy for life. They provide comfort to the uncomfortable, joy to the sad, company to the lonely and the familiar to the unfamiliar.

But what happens when you no longer need material things to invoke these feelings? What happens to your favourite toy when you no longer have need for him or her?

If all truly loved toys were alive, given life by the love you put into them, it is sad to think how many of them, around the world have been abandoned.

We first came up with this concept when we walked past a second-hand store selling old soft toys. There was a huge box of them. What came to mind was that every single one of them once belonged to someone. What was it that helped them decide to throw them away? What if their last owner was that, their last? What happens to those who never find another home? Where do they go and what becomes of them?

For this outfit we tried to imagine that each truly loved toy carries the essence of their true owner or the one who loved them most. ‘The Toy Collector’ is a character we invented that is almost like a warrior for all the abandoned toys out there. A collector of lost souls, who takes the bodies of those she rescues and frees their minds of heartache and loss. Sets them free in a world where they can all be happy.

The dress is made out of another favourite people don’t like parting with, their favourite leather jacket. We deconstructed old jackets and reconstructed them to fit the theme of our outfit, a warrior for the weak in strength, but strong at heart.

Little Akazukin

One of the main sources of inspiration for the outfit titled Little Akazukin was the Japanese fashion sub-culture Lolita or Loli, a term used by the Japanese to describe a specific dress code or dress cult, most common among teenagers and young adults living in and around Harajuku, Japan. This style of dress draws inspiration from Rococo, Victorian and Edwardian costuming with the aim of imitating the look of Victorian children or porcelain dolls.

Although there are many sub-sets or inter-mixing of styles that fall under the Lolita umbrella such as Gothic-Lolita, EGL (Elegant Gothic Lolita) and Gory or Grotesque Lolita, Lolita-Punk or the weaving of both punk and Lolita styling was of particular interest to us as designers of the DMONIC INTENT label because of our natural interest with the clothing and culture surrounding the late 1970s fashion movement.

During the initial stage of design and development we decided to create an interpretation of the Japanese styled Punk-Loli with greater emphasis on elements that hold high interest and value with us to serve as the conceptual basis behind the work. This includes the juxtaposing of two or more contrasting elements that were brought together to create an integrated whole.

Our attraction to typical Punk fashion found us incorporating tartan fabric into a garment that would not have been part of the signature garments and imagery worn during this anti-fashion movement. Initially intended to attract attention and to frighten, punk fashion was definitely not meant to be pretty, but rather controversial. In contrast to punk, the more faithful of the Lolita community believe that a true Lolita is meant to be respectful, polite and demure at all times. Edwardian elements evident in Lolita fashion include ruffles, ribbons, bows and frills as all-over decoration on dresses, lace trims and the application of crinolines or petticoats to add volume under skirts. By combining the aesthetics of punk fashion and Lolita styling we created a look that can be recognised as incorporating both of these looks, both pretty and sinister.

To further drown Little Akazukin in the category of street wear, we decided to add some signature street elements. The hood is a popular and common garment today that has great historical connotations, probably the most famous of which comes from the tale of Little Red Riding Hood. Although there are many different theories behind the tale (many of them involving sexual references) we decided to use the image of Little Red Riding Hood as portrayed by these darker descriptions as inspiration for a certain look or feel we thought could easily be street related. The waistcoat which can also be traced back through history has been added to reflect how any garment can be developed to be made contemporary in style.

Little Akazukin has been created with popular youth culture in mind. From New Zealands streets, to Japan and London, Little Akazukin has the ability to appeal to a range of people, young and old, regardless whether it would be worn or just admired. As sisters and designers we always design clothing that reflects our interests such as street culture, music and art and hope that like minded people and people who may have no common interests also love what we feel natural doing.

The Iron Maiden by Maxine Wooldridge and Kristin Leitch for DMONIC INTENT.

The initial inspiration for The Iron Maiden was our new found technique utilizing zips in an unconventional manner. This was our starting point which developed into ideas about the emancipation of women when freed from the social and physical restraints of the corset. It was at the turn of the century when women, caged in an ironclad corset, challenged the norms by establishing their roles in society. One of the major overhauls in fashion history was the abolishment of the corset and everything it represented. Women went wild, shortening the modest hem lines of skirts and dresses, lowering waistlines and wearing silhouettes that were more linear and boyish.

The second source of inspiration came from the revival of comic/super heroes and the way that they are portrayed in films and video games. The women in these supernatural themed films and video games are usually scantily clad, more often than not, wearing ridiculously sexualized outfits that would in no way benefit them in terms of comfortability and movement. One positive that is appealing is the lines and shapes used in these ‘costumes’. High, powerful shoulders with a tight, slim, elongated silhouette, clever use of colour and texture. With our design we wanted to create an outfit that was both aesthetically pleasing while modest. We also wanted the look to emphasis the power and dominance of a confident woman.

With this in mind, our design developed into an outfit that not only covered the body respectfully but is also sexy and powerful. The cut of the jacket/cape creates a strong shoulder line while the stiffness of the zip corset tightens the core of the body, also encouraging a tall, straight posture. The lycra suit is comfortable and easy to move in, contrasting the stiff, restrictions caused by the corset and jacket. The armbands also add to the accessorization often evident in fantasy based movies and gaming.

The Iron Maiden looks great on a model and definitely fits into it’s assigned fantasy category as it is not made for everyday wear but rather special costume events. It would appeal mostly to those with an eye for detail, who are interested in the detailing and construction of the zip corset and other components.