I don't know what it is about the holiday season that makes me want to wear fancier dresses than normal, meaning sparkles, trains, and sumptuous fabrics. Also, I don't know what it is about Irish designers that makes me want to just hand all my money over. For this morning, whilst eating french toast and waiting for my hair appointment, I stumbled upon the most beautiful designs by Dublin-based Clara Traynor, the brilliant mind behind Clara-Bella, a clothing and accessories label that focuses on 'unique and one-off pieces, original printed textiles, luxurious fabrications and hand embroidery.' And now, I want to spend all my hard earned dollars on this dress/look above, with the intention of wearing it to some sort of Christmas gala...or perhaps to a special private screening of Strings, on the very couch I'm sitting on...
Clara's S/S 10 collection shown here, entitled 'Opus of we who are not as others', was inspired by the first freak shows of the 1800s and "The Elephant Man", thus exploring the concepts of (inner) beauty and ugliness. I would love to make some eloquent comments on how the required layers underneath the transparent chiffon overdresses showcase this idea of inner/outer beauty and how the boned accessories symbolize the cages and stages of the resident 'freaks' at circuses, but, a) that is not what my classical training was in, and b) my man is playing very distressing Inuit throat singing that is driving me to leave this couch as soon as possible. So all you need to take home from this post is: Clara Traynor, Irish designer, and gorgeous creations. Also, Clara will be launching her first capsule collection in January at Showcase Ireland, so we should be seeing some more Clara-Bella soon. In the meantime, look at these detail shots of my favorite look from the S/S 10 collection (taken from Clara's Facebook). I think it's officially going in My Top 3 Want List now. Indeed, I haven't wanted to spend so much money on a dress since that Stacey Grant piece. Which, oddly enough, was also a gorgeous Irish creation that had to do with the brain. Interesting.
