April's Fools

Artwork/ Design: Maria Morris
Events designer: Rose Alexander

A beautiful and wonderful time to be had by all...
Always nice to come back from an artistic break and work with a fantasticly talented person!

Cthulhu's Wife...

Illustrated in pen and ink: Maria Morris

When my friend Tom Baker asked me for an art work for his band The Bohemianauts whilst we sat in our lovely house in New Cross supping on much red wine, we discussed a semi nude girl of inky steam punk styling siting in a ring of deco loops. Life and other things got in the way, and this art work never formed a reality and then three years on from our hazy conversation Tom asked if I'd have the time to bring our imaginary girl to life. However the nude steam punk girl just didn't appear (she seems a little bit shy, maybe she'd prefer it if she had some clothes on?) and instead Cthulhu's Wife sauntered seductively into the room.

Little notes of interest...

 

Model: Annie Fox

Designer & Photographer: Maria Morris

The lovely set of underwear above has just sold today! The 'Pola Negri' has been by far most popular on http://www.etsy.com/shop/fragiletales 

So I think it'll be the first to be vamped up into a bigger size range. I've been getting some lovely materials together for a new range and drafting new design ideas, as well as working out the best designs to put forward for my new line in bespoke custom fit knickers and bra's. All in all been a very busy week.

In other news I had an overwhelming lovely response to my designs when I posted on: 

http://www.reddit.com/r/somethingimade/

There was a lovely little side idea put around about turning these beautiful pictures of Miss Annie Fox into gentlemens playing cards which I'll be following up on soon.

And finally of the back of the Reddit post someone very nicely blogged about my lingerie. You can go and have a peek at Blog of the Atom here: 

http://blogoftheatom.tumblr.com/

She sat in a field of blue flowers...

 

Clothing: Vintage

Model: Jade Watts

Photography: Maria Morris

Don't you just love those lazy days when you get to walk through an icy park with mist rising and look over the River Thames? Oh and then you make your way through Greenwich to the clock tower market that's just closing and you spot an amazing dress that you just HAVE to have? You ask the stall holder how much and she quotes you a cheap as chips price because it's the end of the day you snap up the dress without even trying it on. All the way home you can hear the material rustling in your bag and you can't wait to get home. You get home, kick of your shoes and put the kettle on, then you run to your room and quickly try the dress on only to find that your dream vision of what you'll look like wearing it was slightly askew. It fit's like a dream catching all those womanly curves and floats like an angel with it's cute little petticoats whirling around as you turn in the mirror. But there is no getting around it, the colouring is just not right on you. Bugger it. 

You think about keeping it regardless but the idea of keeping such a fabulous dress all locked up under closet arrest seems wrong, so you begrudgingly decide to put it up for sale on Etsy. You rummage through it's inners to find a label and discover that it's made by Laura Ashley... then you do some research and you find out that this is one of her very first designs... EVER! You giggle with the very notion of what you hold in your hands.

Now you're really struggling with the idea of parting with it, you're picturing all those amazing comments the dress will get every time you wear it. 'Oh yes I know. It's beautiful isn't it? It's a Laura Ashley... one of her first ever designs!' you can hear yourself saying in that knowing voice you use when you're feeling extra smug. However the other inner voice the one that's sweet and good hearted and knows it's rights from wrongs is telling you to pass it on to some one else, some one who will adore it and cherish it and actually be able to wear it as apposed to you hanging it on the wall and loving it with your eyes alone.

The good voice wins and onto Etsy it goes. Ho hum. 

Maybe another day in another colour way I will find my dream dress.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/92198138/vintage-she-sat-in-a-field-of-blue

Eternal Dance

Photo: Oisin Meehan

Photoshop: Maria Morris

This is a beautiful photo that my husband Oisin took on our holiday to the states. It inspired a whole small tall tale of a girl and a huntsman punished by a sorcerer and turned into two trees; one white, one black. The story goes that once they grow and their branches touch the spell will be broken and they can be together again.

Etsy & Fragile Tales

 

She was a Lady from the Silver Screen:

Lingerie: Maria Morris

Photography: Maria Morris

Model: Annie Fox (much thanks to the courageous girl)

Sorry to have not blogged in a while but I have been a busy little bee. Having dug around in many a vintage store and collected enough material from which to start, I have designed and made a little lingerie collection (some of which is modeled above) which can be found for sale at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/fragiletales

This lingerie collection was inspired by images of old Hollywood starlets as inspiration. These women were some of the first diva's, vamps, tramps, harlots, showgirls and wicked beauty's to make an impact onto the silver screen.

All the knickers, brassiere and clothing are made from vintage recycled materials... so have those little blemishes and quirks that add character to a garment and help tell a story of where it's been.

Hope you enjoy.

The Lady Creek and her Tides; Ebb and Flow

 

Artwork: Maria Morris

This is the Lady Creek and her Tides; Ebb and Flow, who push frail ships back and forth on her frothy waters, sometimes out of harms way and sometimes into it. 

I started this as a quick pencil drawing, an idea as a present for a friends birthday, and then used black indian inks with a pen and brush over the top as the idea grew on it's own. There may also be some small photoshop wizardry involved.

This ones for Stephen