Melanie Kyles

A few days ago I discovered Melanie Kyles’ blog “urban-peacock” where she talks about the pieces she created for her graduate fashion show in June this year. Her collection is entitled “Cleo and Kurt” and her concept of creating pieces that mix the spirit of 90s grunge with the glamour of Ancient Egypt is ingenious and I was seriously impressed by the way this young designer executed her ideas creating pieces that capture the essence of grunge rebelliousness with the ornate detailing of Ancient Egyptian costume. My favourite pieces are the mens’ bib accessory and the arm cuff accessory. I love the blend of using rugged leather and golden highlights on the bib piece, the grunge styling of having parts of the honeycomb structure missing is a great touch and just goes to underline how the piece can be interpreted in different ways – on the one hand it gives the whole thing a kind of louche quality but on the other the piece is like a hidden treasure rescued from an archaeological dig in an alternative universe where the Ancient Egyptians had really good nightclubs. The extensions on the arm cuff give wonderful movement to the piece and I love the colour combinations of blue and gold. Check out the images to see highlights of the “Cleo and Kurt” collection (images of the collar with chains and arm piece edited by Rebecca Young). Have a look at her blog to see more moodboards of the collection, the process of creating the collection and her thoughts on fashion and style in general. If this is the future of fashion then I’m excited.