The Macarbe and the Beautiful

Illustration by C Serpent Art

Meet the first of my Worn Wild interviewees, Charlotte from C Serpent Art. Who would have guessed that this gorgeous blonde pixie is the host of such dark inspirations. With a talent for pen and ink illustration, Charlotte is taking her art to a more wearable level and is now producing brooches and scarves featuring her delicate subjects. Drawn to the Victorian fascination with the macabre, Charlotte incorporates antique anatomical imagery, cross dressing touches and deadly flapper girls to create her unique brand of illustration. C Serpent Arts began as a small market stall and is now branching into online sales so we can all enjoy her work. You can find both her illustrations and her wearable art on Etsy and on her own online store.

Charlotte and her wares






Covet Couture - Strap skirt and D-ring Strap Skirt.

When I met Simone from Covet Coture, my first reaction to her collection was, "Okay, so there's inky black, midnight black and coal black." While not all that stimulating viewing layed out on a table, the beauty of her clothing became apparent when properly presented. (Isn't that always the way, it looks nothing on the hanger..) Simone focuses her designs on form, finding ways to highlight a woman's best assets, no matter her size, even providing sizes up to XXXL! She showed me the pride of her collection, a simple fishtail skirt but using straps and d-rings to bring it in in just the right places. What this means is that you end up looking Gina Lolabrigida and not Rosanne Barr. While you could chose to wear these as shown if you're a purist, the separates had a versatility about them that I loved. I could see wearing the strap skirt with a burgundy pussy bow blouse for a bit of Secretary does S&M. Based in Perth, Simone runs three stores; Mame Clothing, Covet Couture and Burlesque Baby.

Simone showed me through the various shades of black on offer.




Handmade Bee notebook by Crypt Trash

The work by Caroline of Crypt Trash is delicate, beautiful and begs to be seen. Her work encompasses jewelry, fascinators, poppets and my personal favorite, customized notebooks. Drawing inspiration from Victoriana curiosities, Carnivale and Voodoo just to name a few, creates an intriguing melody in her wares that sings to you from each piece. Caroline doesn't work by seasons or collections, simply gathering inspirations and materials as they cross her path. While she has been at it already for four years, it isn't all money for jam. As with so many of the designers I met that day, a driving passion and the chance to indulge her creativity keeps her going. While she isn't yet eyeing off millionaires row, Crypt Trash is stocked in a few NSW and ACT boutiques, and even makes a cameo appearance at certain burlesque shows. I'm adding Coraline's wares to my list of fabulous place to buy all kinds of presents for friends, and not least because of her tag line. "Crypt Trash - Gifts for the Curious". Excellent.

Update: You can now find Crypt Trash in the PERIL store in Melbourne.

Baby Birds fascinator by Crypt Trash