When I started seeing Man Ray, Salvador Dali and Elsa Schiaparelli inspired accessories popping up in the fashion mags recently, I was tickled ten shades of SHOCKING pink! The Impossible Conversations exhibit at the Met featuring the work of Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada obviously hit a surreal note for the fashion crowd. Schiap and Dali created some amazing, iconic pieces together.
To put this in a context, let's take a moment to review the threads of inspiration...shall we? Man Ray’s famous gold lip pin was inspired by his lover Lee Miller. Dali, inspired by Mae West, fashioned a stunning red lipped couch and dimensional red lip buttons for Schiaparelli (or Schiap as she was known to friends.) Schiap commissioned two pink lip couches from Dali for her salon. Then she, in turn, took the motif of lips and turned them into whimsical pockets on a fitted suit wornwith a jaunty Dali inspired shoe hat. The dialogue of design between visionary artists is fascinating to me.
To put this in a context, let's take a moment to review the threads of inspiration...shall we? Man Ray’s famous gold lip pin was inspired by his lover Lee Miller. Dali, inspired by Mae West, fashioned a stunning red lipped couch and dimensional red lip buttons for Schiaparelli (or Schiap as she was known to friends.) Schiap commissioned two pink lip couches from Dali for her salon. Then she, in turn, took the motif of lips and turned them into whimsical pockets on a fitted suit wornwith a jaunty Dali inspired shoe hat. The dialogue of design between visionary artists is fascinating to me.
The House of Lanvin as headed by Alber Elbaz has been making some absolutely fantastic mixed media jewelry over the past few years and their red resin lip necklace with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS teeth, obviously a nod to Schiap and the Surrealists, is divine. With a price tag of $1550.00 (follow the link to see the necklace at Neiman-Marcus), alas, it is far out of this crafty gal’s budget. But a little red felt, some Aleene’s Fabric Fusion sheets, faux rhinestones (all easily found at your local craft store) I was able to re-envision these iconic red lips for but a few dollars. Here is my whimsical re-creation inspired by Man Ray, Dali, Schiap and Lanvin! You can make one too! Phew! Here’s how:
Dali/Schiaparelli/Man Ray/Lanvin Inspired Red Lips Necklace
iLovetoCreate Retrofabulous Crafts
Margot Potter
Materials
Red craft felt
10 graduated size faux rhinestones
2 red grommets
2 9-link segments of large base metal curb chain
Red satin ribbon
2 10mm base metal jump rings
Aleene's Fabric Fusion Peel and Stick Sheets
Permanent marker
Paper to create template
Tools
Fabric scissors
2 pairs chain nose pliers
Create a lips template. I used the Man Ray lips as my guide for the elongated shape.
Trace on felt.
Trace on felt.
Cut two layers of felt to stack for stability using good quality fabric scissors. 
Stack the layers and adhere using Aleene's Fabric Fusion Sheets.
Attach rhinestone teeth with Fabric Fusion using small segments of adhesive.
Use Crop-a-dile to attach grommets.
Attach chain to grommets using jump rings and two pairs of chain nose pliers.
Tie satin ribbons to each end of chain.
Wear with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek, perhaps with a cheeky bowler hat
and jaunty moustache
(This blogger was compensated by iLoveToCreate for this project and provided some of the product used to create the design. A gal has to butter her bread. All opinions are 100% mine)
