Abbey Lee Kershaw's bling mania

We know Abbey Lee Kershaw loves her bling. When not being glamoured by some of the biggest names in the fashion business on front covers and in campaigns, editorials and runway shows, the boho mufti uniform of modelling's gypsy-esque world number five usually embraces a nose ring and an eclectic variety of oversized rings on almost every finger. No surprise then that Kershaw has found a kindred spirit in cult Sydney-based jewellery brand ManiaMania, the brainchild of Tamila Purvis and Melanie Kamsler. As frockwriter can reveal, having starred in ManiaMania's Spring/Summer 2011 campaign 'Rêve', Kershaw will also be the muse of ManiaMania's upcoming  Spring/Summer 2012 collection, 'The Third Mind'. Here is an exclusive behind-the-scenes image from the recent campaign shoot with photographer Elle Muliarchyk.  

The collection is inspired by the 1978 book of the same name by American counterculture icon William S. Burroughs and multidisciplinary artist Brion Gysin, in addition to the work of American avant-garde filmmakers Kenneth Anger and Maya Deren, French/Cuban author Anaïs Nin (who appeared in Deren’s Ritual In Transfigured Time in 1946 and Anger’s Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome in 1954) and the surrealism which underpinned their collective work. 

French writer/poet André Breton, one of Surrealism’s co-founders, also gets a lookin. In a press release, ManiaMania promises “cult artefacts”; a ‘Manifesto’ ring and cuff (after Breton’s Surrealist Manifesto); a pierced ‘Anais’ cuff, ring and pendant; ‘The Pleasure Dome’ ear cuff and a 'kaleidoscope' necklace called ‘The Third Mind’ - all rendered in metal alloy, brass, sterling silver, pyrite crystal stone, amethyst and tourmalinated quartz. Trippy in other words. And right up Kershaw's alley.

The ManiaMania campaign is of course over and above whichever yet-to-be-revealed big bucks northern hemisphere campaigns come Kershaw's way for the Fall/Winter 2011/2012 season. So far the latter reportedly include Gucci (since confirmed by sources close to Kershaw).

behind the scenes image: supplied exclusively to frockwriter by maniamania

Abbey Lee Kershaw channels Vali Myers for ManiaMania

maniamania SS11 via the new york times

It’s been quite a year for Sydney jewellery brand ManiaMania. First, it gets picked up by high profile European bloggers Garance Doré and Susie Bubble, catching the eye of Madonna and daughter Lourdes Leon and subsequently getting a nod on their Material Girl website. Now comes word that ManiaMania designers Tamila Purvis and Melanie Kamsler have scored Abbey Lee Kershaw as their new season face. Just gone up on The New York Times: The Moment blog: a first look at Kershaw shot by Barnaby Roper for ManiaMania's Spring/Summer 2011 campaign. Entitled Rêve, the collection was inspired by Australian artist, dancer, wildlife warrior and white witch, Vali Myers, who died in 2003 at the age of 72 after an extraordinary life, during which she befriended, was mentored by and/or played muse to some of the biggest art, literary and music figures of the 20th century, from Salvador Dali to Andy Warhol, Tennessee Williams, photographer Ed van der Eisken, Patti Smith and Marianne Faithfull. As documented in four films. The perfect muse for ManiaMania which, in just three seasons, has forged a reputation for its bold bohemian jewellery. 

The NYT reports that the SS11 collection includes a “vagabond” cuff with the texture of whittled wood, quartz jewel necklaces and a bronze “immortal” ring inlaid with amazonite. All of which suits Kershaw, who is usually laden with bold jewellery, particularly over-sized rings. 

Kershaw is a quite extraordinary get for ManiaMania. Their last collection starred another Australian, the upwardly mobile Bambi Northwood-Blyth. 

This is an interesting turn of events for Kershaw, whose Australian work for the past couple of years as she has been building up an impressive international body of work, has almost exclusively consisted of magazine covers. And it's the second local campaign that she has recently booked.

On Monday and Tuesday this week, Kershaw shot the Autumn/Winter 2011 campaign for Australian fast fashion chain Portmans for an estimated A$120,000. Presumably this kind of fee would be out of the reach of Purvis and Kamsler, so we’re assuming ALK may have done it at mates rates and because she really digs the product. 

In the ManiaMania shots, Kershaw is sporting the same platinum blonde version of her infamous “Kob” bob, that was died on the eve of New York Fashion Week in September. And which some have speculated may have cost her some work in the interim. 

What does Kershaw's hair look like now just out of interest? Still the same platinum bob, according to sources who were on the Portmans shoot.

Check The New York Times story for more images. 

mania mania SS11 via the new york times

 

Tamila Purvis blessed by Madonna and child

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AP via daylife

And you thought Kim Kardashian’s Twitter shoutout to Sylvie Markovina was a PR legup? Overnight, another Australian jewellery brand mentioned in last week's jewellery post, ManiaMania, just got a backpat from Lourdes Leon. Well, kind of. Madonna’s 13 year old daughter is the creative director of Madonna’s new Material Girl junior fashion line for Macy’s which launched a few days ago. Leon is also supposedly blogging for the Material Girl website. But even if she isn’t, the Madonna star factor alone is enough of a spotlight for anyone featured therein. According to bloggers who attempted to log on on the first day, the site crashed due to popularity, with Leon’s first blog post attracting 800 comments and the Material Girl Facebook fan page clocking up 4,900 fans. In a post entitled Rings! Rings! Rings!, accompanying two images - both unsourced - of rings from the year-old Sydney jewellery line, Leon noted:

"How amazing are these rings!?! They are almost like hand armor. They are all by Tamila Purvis form the Rosemount Fashion Week in Australia. The way she mixes up different rings is to die for.

We are seeing great rings everywhere! They are taking over the necklace trend".

It's a safe bet to assume that Leon and/or the Material Girl office spotted ManiaMania's work via British blogger Susie Bubble - who happens to be included on the Material Girl blogroll, was recently in Sydney for RAFW and blogged about ManiaMania on June 21st.

That Style Bubble post does not, however, mention the ManiaMania designers’ names. The brand is designed by Purvis, a well-known Sydney stylist (who works with Zimmermann, among many others) and art director Melanie Kamsler. Nor does the Style Bubble post use the same images that have been featured on Material Girl.

Kamsler does not get a lookin on Material Girl, and nor does the ManiaMania brand name or website, with Material Girl linking specifically to the separate Tamila Purvis website - which has no links to the jewellery site.

Consumers can (eventually) find ManiaMania if they look for it, however, with Google searches on "Tamila Purvis jewellery" quickly bring up references to ManiaMania.

Further down in the post, Material Girl tells you where you can buy some great rings immediately. You guessed it, Material Girl:

"We love these from Material Girl. Three totally different styles. The silver stackable rings have a romantic feel ($18.00), the gold tiger is just right for the daring girl ($16.00), and the large crystal ring is perfect for the vintage type ($16.00)!"

Update 04/07: Mystery solved. The shots are from a May 2 post on Purvis by French superblogger/photographer Garance Doré (who does not feature on the Material Girl blogroll). That post does not mention Kamsler either and nor does it mention the ManiaMania brand, however it does link through to the ManiaMania website, so it's curious that Madonna's outfit did not. Late yesterday, frockwriter managed to track Purvis down - the Material Girl cameo was news to her. But many thanks to Sacha Strebe and Leeyong Soo for the additional headsups this morning.

Purvis isn’t the only Australasian to be blessed by Material Girl Junior. New York-based, NZ-born Gala Darling also features on her blogroll.