Click to enlarge- 2 rare and unique designs available tomorrow on our website
Chromium Dumb Belle is the embroidered and appliqued fantasy world of British artist Joanne Burke. Her embroidered hangings and art-to-wear accessories depict her own bizarre fairy tales and odd historical characters in multi-coloured dreamworlds of glowing metallics and faded technicoloured satins. Inspired by old costumes, theatre, eccentrics, and the exaggerated and embellished aspects of history and their gaudy fantasy, decadence and distortions.
Joanne is also the author/illustrator of Biba Dolls, a book published in 2004 that pays homage to the infamous London Biba boutique of the 60s and 70s. Barbara Hulanicki endorsed the book herself in its Foreword as 'a playful and beautiful look at the magical time of Biba'. Her illustrations for this book were also the inspiration behind the S/S '08 collection for the relaunched Biba label designed by Bella Freud. Her commissions also include a limited edition 'Biba Dolls' range for London department store Libertys & Co plus her designs for artwork and runway projections for the Biba S/S '08 London Fashion Week show. Her artwork of the early 20th Century Italian eccentric the Marchesa Luisa Casati is now housed in the Casati Archives and her Biba Dolls artwork has sold worldwide.
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