Press Centre
Coffee Table Book Unbridaled – The Marriage Of Tradition And Avant Garde
A BREATHTAKING, INSPIRATIONAL BOOK FOR THE BRIDE WHO DESIRES TO SHINE
CRYSTALLIZED™ is delighted to announce the exclusive launch of its aesthetically ground-breaking coffee table book UNBRIDALED – The Marriage of Tradition and Avant Garde. A luxurious record of collaboration with world-class talents across the entire wedding spectrum, the 194-page publication is a unique tribute to modern romance. Shining new light on age-old wedding traditions, it captures all the frenzy, fun and fashion-forwardness of this once in a lifetime event.
Like CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements themselves, this opulent book, collating glittering one-off design pieces that evoke a fairy-tale dream come true for the modern bride, is destined to fire the imagination and delight the heart and soul of every woman contemplating that special day. Open-ended, multi-cultural and unlimited in scope, UNBRIDALED – The Marriage of Tradition and Avant Garde combines the talents of more than 100 renowned creatives from 22 countries and every design discipline, to create a truly original vision of this most magnificent ceremony. The result – a gorgeously irreverent blend of ethnic and Western, and a global backdrop that stretches from Las Vegas to Stockholm, to Dubai, to Tokyo – firmly positions CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements as a major catalyst in contemporary culture worldwide.
An inspirational tool for building beautiful dreams, this exclusive collection of international collaborations was creative directed by Stephen Todd, working with stylist Sophia Neophitou and journalist Marion Hume. These leading lights in the world of luxury fashion were joined by an acclaimed cast, including photographers Karen Collins, Sofia Sanchez & Mauro Mongiello, Robert Wyatt and Martina Hoogland-Ivanow; stylists Lucy Ewing, Jamie Surman, Kanako Koga; and writers Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni and John Armstrong.
Designs of the times collated in a dazzling compendium The appeal of CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements goes way beyond fashion: the shimmering allure of seasonal innovations never fails to elicit a glint in the eye of designers of couture, jewellery, lingerie, footwear and furniture, not to mention tableware, stationery, bed linen, eyewear and lighting.
“Crystals are perfect to frost the shoulders, add gloss and shimmer to the décolleté and bring an extra finesse to the most magical dress a girl will wear,” says John Galliano. It is a perfect description of his floor-length, ivory velvet column dress and matching Paul Poiret-inspired kimono coat, especially created for UNBRIDALED. Each crystal has been hand-embroidered with a translucent layer of white lace: the effect is that of a delicate layer of freshly fallen snow.
For Vivienne Westwood, “The most important thing for a woman is to have wonderful comportment – carrying herself properly and paying attention to every detail.” Her strict, hourglass-shaped bridal gown made from a riot of open-weave flowers in raw linen certainly ensures maximum composure. The crystals, chunky and square-cut at the shoulders and bust, gradually become finer as they head to the hem, adding to the impression of sturdy, upright posture.
For prodigal newcomer Philip Lim, on a wedding dress “crystals help create a fantasy, to realize what every woman dreams of as a child,” and his deceptively simple, strapless sheath dress scattered with white cubic CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements is the epitome of modern chic. Viktor & Rolf’s cascading strings of pale champagne coloured crystals turn the bride into a shimmering column, a miraculous apparition, a bubbling celebration in and of herself. For Vera Wang, one of the world’s most renowned purveyor of bridal gowns, the matter is simple: “The bride should choose a gown that reflects who she is before all else.” Her flowing jersey Grecian-style gown, embellished with a crystal garland at the neck, speaks of timeless elegance and beauty.
Young gun Christopher Kane’s white leather mini dress with oversized crystal elements at the collar is for the bride who dares to wear that truly special something on her even more special day.
Russian couturier Igor Chapurin is no less radical in his vision, but his oversized sculptural veil, embroidered with a fine filigrane of glimmering crystals, is about both the history of his country, its folklore and rituals, and a new, hope-filled image of its future. The perfect marriage, then, of tradition and avant garde.
This concern with ritual and ceremony also underscores much of the aesthetic behind the interior design pieces created for UNBRIDALED. London-based product designers Patrik Fredrikson and Ian Stallard spent much time reflecting on the accoutrements of grand ceremony, eventually deciding to revive a piece of tableware that had fallen into disuse: the epergne, or decorative centrepiece. At the time of Louis XIV these were made of silver or gold, but in the radical design duo’s hands it is conjured up from poured liquid plaster that is abruptly ‘frozen’ into a seductively undulating shape. Embedded with stalactite-like crystal legs, it appears to float above the wedding banquet.
Oversized decorative crystal garlands by Joris Laarman. Strangely animate crystal-legged silver tableware – coupes, cutlery and bowls – by Bodo Sperlein. An elaborate white linen tablecloth reinterpreting an 18th century pattern in deconstructed floral overlays by New York linen maestro Paul Renwick. As creatives in various fields from around the world considered marriage today, they almost inevitably delved into its past, all the better to push it into the future.
For cult Upper East Side label, Leiber, that meant surrealist cala lily-motif crystal shoes, straight from Sunset Boulevard to you. For glam jewellery designers Erickson Beamon the idea of tradition evoked an elaborate oriental headdress made from a mass of intertwined crystals flowers and vines.
When tradition and avant garde unite, the effect is unfettered creativity. Unbridled, individual interpretations of an ancient ritual, constantly updated, reinterpreted and reinvented, come together to make this very special publication – UNBRIDALED, brought to you by CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements. After an exclusive launch in Paris in January 2008, a limited edition of the book will be available in select international book stores, in Swarovski stores, online on www.amazon.com and through selected design partners.
The scintillating marriage of crystal and designer product – be that a dress, a centrepiece, a bouquet, luxury luggage or even a mink-lined sleeping mask – has proven to be a joyous one. In the pages of UNBRIDALED – The Marriage of Tradition and Avant Garde, it is also clearly a match made of excitement, inventiveness, energy, passion and a will to shine.
