The Lost Sirens: 'Street Siren' out now in Kirameki Magazine

"We are all laying in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." -Oscar Wilde

This collection is a story about true love in the age of youth... Beautiful and whole-heartedly blind; so much so that it eventually leaves you with a hole in your own heart. This is a story of magic and destruction, of the breathtaking emotional highs and lows that every facet of lovesickness is borne out of-angst to sightless euphoria and everything in between.

These clothes are an homage to the young destroyers, the misfits, the vandals, the freaks, the runaways and the beautifully broken. It's a story about the stargazing grunge queens with tears in their eyes and and the smoke of spliff on their tongues. Or the mind-numbingly drunk punk rock princesses, bruise covered and fragmented in their pain... Trying to hurt on the outside to distract themselves from what's within.

They are 'The Lost Sirens'... Angsty feral dreamers, strong enough that they think they can eat the flesh and bones of their young destroyer love boys.... But in the fall of this euphoric idea of "love" the Sirens are the ones who are lost enough that they end up with cracked and broken hearts. I guess that's how the light eventually starts to find it's way into them.

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To continue to see this collection of unique streetwear as it develops please follow the tumblr archiving the photoshoots that document it as well as the things that inspire it.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the most recent shoot of the collection, out now in Kirameki Magazine.

PHOTO CREDITS

Photographer: Chantel Beam

Model: Lana

MUA: Jolie by Monique Noelle

All clothes by Papusza Couture 

"Undine" Art Couture Collection-Editorial by Regina Marie

My summer was split between two focuses; both allowing me to create my most recent art couture collection, titled "Undine." One of the focuses was throwing myself into the furls of learning new skills and how to work with new materials in order to procure all of the treasures needed to craft this collection. The other focus was one which pulled me deep into the spirit of the sea, and learning how to understand the language of this water world, which has always soothed me.

I spent months working on this collection, laboriously scoring and drilling glass and china, scheming how to affix spoons to form a bodice, weaving abalone shells into an intricate harness and bustle set... and of course there was lot's of sewing. At the end of it all I had the honor of showcasing the collection at the beautiful de Young Fine Art Museum of San Francisco. As a fashion designer one of my favorite aspects of the work is having the opportunity to showcase my more sculptural couture in an art appropriate setting, and was honored this was my first museum exhibition.

My absolute favorite part of my creative process is that final moment when the piece is captured in it's idyllic setting, and this usually resonates in the form of a photoshoot. This is when the art is in it's purest form, and in the case of "Undine" this was close to nature, beside the sea, where the spirit of the concept was born. Below you will find many of these beautiful images and the story that they tell.

If you would like to know more about this collection, and fashion as an art form, please read muse Ashley Garner's recent article in Creem Magazine.

Photographer: Regina Marie
All garments handmade by Papusza Couture
Custom Accessories by Mad Elegance
Models: Ashley Garner and Kate Coneely
Hair and Makeup: Elle Duerr

"Undine" Art Couture Prsentation at The de Young Museum

I am proud to announce that I had my first museum showcase of art couture a couple of weeks back. I debuted my newest collection of sea inspired work-titled "Undine"-as part of beautiful memorial show called "What Tethers Us?". This emotive and stunning show included many talented artist from around the SF area, and was curated by visionary artist Deidre DeFranceaux, who released brilliant collection of mermaid inspired paintings at the show.

My collection Undine is a fine art couture collection, conveying the erie spirit of the sea, and all the injured lives and souls that are washed clean by it's waters. In mythology an Undine is a nymph-like water spirit, eternally immortal unless she is captured by certain elements of landlocked life. Inspired by this mythology, the garments of this collection are melancholy, haunting and ethereal. Each garment is hand made as a giant wind chime of sorts, using unconventional materials such as abalone shells, broken china, sea glass and silver wear... All objects that one might find on the floor of the sea after a ship wreck, ideal treasures for a spritely water spirit to be adorned in. These objects are incorporated in the garments in a way that allows them to create musical noise when they are worn and ignited with movement.  The idea is that this movement brings a magical sense of life with it. This collection of art couture is an ode to the singing spirits of the sea, being carried to us upon the wind to whisper their secrets to us.

Have a glimpse of the collection and some magical moments from the Papusza Couture presentation of the show below...

CREDITS:

Photos by Regina Marie
All garments designed and fabricated by Papusza Couture
Custom accessories and millinery by Mad Elegance
Hair and makeup design by Ellementals

Model: Audra Horride with the paintings of Deidre DeFranceaux

Model: Kate Coneely

Model: Jonny Signer

Model: Ashley Garner

Custom Halloween Costume Orders and Rentals

As many of you know in past years I have enjoyed creating many handmade custom Halloween costumes for clients. This year, with the mid October upcoming debut of my new art couture collection at the De Young, I will only be taking on a limited amount of orders for custom Halloween costumes. If you would like to place an order for a costume with me and you do it before September 29th I will be charging my normal rate. All orders places after this date will include a rush fee. Some of the costumes I have created in the past include mermaids, fairies, Peter Pan boys, bird men, futuristic babes, bloody brides, Phantom characters, Angry Birds and beyond. Have a peak at some of my favorites below... I will also have a small variety of garments available for rental, including the first three pictured below.

"Bloody Swan" Photo by Elizabeth Raab. Model-Elizabeth. MU/Hair: Brandee Slossar.

"Bloody Crow" Photo by Elizabeth Raab. Model-Cayte Bosler. MU: Dawn Tunnell. Hair: Danyale Cooke.

"Seaglass" Photo by Regina Marie. Model: Audra Horride. MU: Becky Brazier. Hair: Celia Racicot. Staff by Mad Elegance.

Shell Bra photographed by Regina Marie.

                                          

Photo by Julie Hanna. Model-Ashley. Batwings available in my etsy shop.

Save The Mermaids: A Debut in Couture from Papusza

I recently created a small collection of mermaid couture, which I hope and plan to build upon in the future. I have always felt connected to mermaids, from the time I was a small child, splashing in the icy ocean waves of the Pacific Northwest's rugged beaches. I still feel the same freedom and kinship when I swim in the ocean as I grown woman. It is a part of me I know will never disappear. I need to know that the ocean exists in order to function as a balanced human being.

Below see a debut, told through handmade clothing, beautiful treasures of accessories and exquisitely composed images. In this magical land the sirens are muses, with locks of hair so intricately placed and countenances so perfectly painted that you would think their beauty had been licked on by the sea.

PHOTO CREDITS:

Photographer: Regina Marie
Clothing Designer: Papusza Couture
Accessories Designer: Mad Elegance
MUA: Becky Brazier
Hairstylist: Celia Racicot
Models: Sarah Rose Butler and Audra Horridge

If you are interested in purchasing any of the clothing from this shoot some items are currently for sale in my etsy.

"A woman needs ropes and ropes of pearls." -Coco Chanel

"But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more." -Hans Christian Anderson

"I am a siren, a mermaid; I know that I am beautiful while basking on the ocean's waves and I know that I can eat flesh and bones at the bottom of the sea." -C. Joybell C.

"I must be a mermaid... I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living." -Anais Nin