Royal commemorative scarves have a rich history, and I'm thrilled to see my designs join this distinguished lineage, which includes some of my favorite designers from the past, like Oliver Messel (1904-1978), whose whimsical creations I've long admired.
The scarves I've been working on are for three different places, each with a unique identity and connection to royalty: Westminster Abbey, the home of coronations; Highgrove, the King's private residence; and The National Portrait Gallery, which houses centuries of royal portraiture.
King Charles III Coronation Scarf for Westminster Abbey
Designing scarves that captured the essence of each place while representing the new reign was a challenge, but a delightful one at that. The scarf for Westminster Abbey features a background of oak leaves and martels, similar to those which decorate the coronation chair. The borders are filled with linocut renderings of the Abbey's medieval tiles, all overlaid with heraldic animals and plants symbolizing the four countries that make up the United Kingdom.
Highgrove Coronation Silk Scarf
The Highgrove scarf takes a more personal approach, drawing inspiration from the gardens His Majesty has created. It features iconic Highgrove motifs of topiaries, delphiniums, and ferns, and is the only one of the three scarves to include the Royal cyphers of HM the King and HM the Queen Consort.
Coronation Scarf for National Portrait Gallery
For the National Portrait Gallery, I created a design inspired by a family tree, starting with Henry VII and listing all the monarchs leading up to King Charles III. All of the Kings and Queens listed are represented in the gallery's collection.
It's been a pleasure to create these special designs, which will join a growing collection of royal and noble scarves in my archive. Previous examples include scarves inspired by Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette for The Wallace Collection, King Ashurbanipal for the British Museum, Madame de Pompadour for The French Porcelain Society, Elizabeth I, The Platinum Jubilee, and Elizabeth II, all for Westminster Abbey.
Rory X
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Since 1066, Westminster Abbey has been the site of coronations, and every English and British monarch (with the exception of Edward V and Edward VIII) has been crowned there. The coronation ceremony is steeped in tradition, with a variety of customs and rituals that have remained largely unchanged over the centuries. It is an event that embodies the grandeur and majesty of the British monarchy, and for me, designing a scarf to commemorate this historic event was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
To create the King Charles III Coronation Scarf, I drew inspiration from a range of sources, including the oak leaves and birds featured on the coronation chair, the Abbey's medieval tiles, and the heraldic animals and plants that symbolise the four nations of the United Kingdom. Using the linocut printing technique, I created an intricate design that aimed to capture the essence of this historic moment.
The result is a classic 90x90cm silk scarf in a vintage-style colour palette of red, off-white, and blue, with borders emblazoned with the names of the King and Queen, as well as the coronation date. The scarf is a perfect accessory for those attending the coronation ceremony or anyone who wants to commemorate this historic moment in style. It is a timeless and elegant accessory that can be treasured for years to come.
The King Charles III Coronation Scarf is an example of how traditional printing techniques, such as linocut printing, can be used to create a modern and timeless design. The scarf's design was inspired by the rich history of Westminster Abbey and the coronation ceremony, capturing the spirit of this historic moment. It is an accessory that is not only stylish but also meaningful, representing a significant moment in British history.
In conclusion, the King Charles III Coronation Scarf is an accessory that is both elegant and timeless. It embodies the grandeur and majesty of the British monarchy and commemorates a historic event that will be remembered for years to come. Whether you're attending the coronation ceremony itself or simply want to add a touch of regal style to your wardrobe, the King Charles III Coronation Scarf is a must-have accessory for any history buff or fashion enthusiast.
You can buy the scarf from Westminster Abbey shop both in-store and online here.
]]>Next year will mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio. To celebrate this great literary treasure and all things Shakespeare I have made the First Folio the theme of a new capsule collection.
]]>If they had not committed to collecting the works for the book, modern day experts on Shakespeare’s life and work have stated that half of all of his plays (including Macbeth, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, The Tempest, and Antony and Cleopatra) would have been lost forever.
The First Folio was printed in London and published in an edition of around 750 in November 1623. Just over 230 copies have survived to this day.
To celebrate this wonderful book and all things Shakespeare I have made the First Folio the theme of a new capsule collection.
Available from my website, the new additions feature bold colours, dramatic linocut designs and includes two long scarves, two square scarves, a pocket square, and a hand fan (made in collaboration with Rockcoco Fine Fans).
Resplendent in black, gold, red, and grey, the new prints feature the titles of Shakespeare’s plays, references to the First Folio’s publication date, Shakespeare’s birth and death years, and his portrait, as well as figures dressed in Elizabethan costume, and recurring motifs in the plays, including a rose, crown, dagger, skull, and quill pen.
As well as celebrating the anniversary of this hugely important book and recognising Shakespeare’s enduring legacy as a playwright and poet, these pieces serve as a ‘thank you’ to Heminge and Condell for saving so much of Shakespeare’s work for future generations.
I am especially excited to share the campaign images for this collection. The location for the shoot is Garrick’s Villa, a Grade I listed country house on Hampton Court Road, Richmond-upon-Thames, which was owned from around 1754 by the renowned Shakespearean actor and theatre manager, David Garrick (1717-1779). The photographs were taken in Garrick’s Chinese drawing room which was designed by celebrated eighteenth century architect Robert Adam and overlooks grounds laid out by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown and Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare.
Garrick’s Villa is in private ownership so it was a particular privilege to be granted access and I am forever indebted to current chatelaine Boudicca Scherazade for so generously opening her home to me.
Names like Robert Adam, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown and David Garrick are icons of the eighteenth century, the century with I am most draw to aesthetically so this was like all my Christmases coming at once!
The ‘First Folio 400’ scarves, pocket square, and hand fan have made a dramatic entrance into my collection, and I hope that they will appeal to Shakespeare lovers, theatre goers, and anyone who enjoys adding a theatrical flourish to their favourite outfits.
The collection is available to purchase online here and will soon be available in store at The British Museum, The National Theatre, The Royal Opera House and Westminster Abbey.
Photographer: Anne Schwarz.
Model: Anastasia La Sala.
]]>Founded in 1954 Pushkin House is the United Kingdom’s oldest cultural center and from its inception has been a meeting point for intellectuals and creatives. Located in the heart of Bloomsbury, London’s most celebrated bohemian neighborhood, the organisation historically focused on Russian culture and strove to celebrate the cultural exchange between Russia and the UK, often during very difficult times politically, proving that the arts are a force for good and can unite people. Pushkin House is in no way affiliated with the Russian government and has been using its platform to speak out against the current military aggression in Ukraine.
Sunflowers linocut for Ukraine
For this collaboration I created a linocut inspired by the colours of the Ukrainian flag and the sunflowers for which the country is so famous. Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers, they have featured in at least two of my designs previously. They are such joyous flowers you cannot help but feel optimistic when surrounded by them, but they are not delicate, unapologetically they face the sun supported by robust stems, the perfect flower to represent the people of Ukraine.
Greetings Card and Notebook for Ukraine
Art printers King & McGaw very kindly sponsored the production of the greetings cards and notebooks and I did not charge any design fees, allowing Pushkin House to raise even more money for this worthy cause.
Proceeds raised from sales of these items will go to the Support for Ukrainian Cultural Workers Fund which specifically helps Ukrainians working in the cultural sector.
Greetings Cards for Ukraine
Notebook for Ukraine
Packs of 6 notecards and notebooks are available to purchase through the Pushkin House website here. Purchases can also be made on site at the Pushkin House Bookshop and the products will be selling at forthcoming Pushkin House events, while stocks last!
Rory X
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Unable to find high-end contemporary fans that compared favorably with antique and vintage examples, Denise and her sister Janis set about researching the old techniques and eventually decided they would have to do something about the lack of beautiful fans themselves.
An impossible task for most these sisters were unfazed, they have accessories in their blood. Their grandfather founded a millinery company in the City of London in the 1930s, their father joined the firm after the war in the 1940s, joined by Janis in the 1990s, now the third generation of the family have pivoted into fans.
They could not have picked a more timely moment to dedicate themselves to this cause, fan making is on the Heritage Crafts Association’s Red List of Endangered Crafts. The sisters are on a mission to rescue fan making from the brink of extinction and are playing a leading role in educating the next generation of fan makers.
I first met Denise in 2019 when she kindly agreed to show me her collection and talk me through the process of making a fan.
In 2020 I was delighted to have the opportunity to design a fan in collaboration with Rockcoco. The fan we created was inspired by floral designer Constance Spry, not only is Spry one of my favorite designers she shared a name with Denise and Janis’s grandmother, so the Constance fan is a double tribute!
It was tremendously exciting to see my design come to life on a fan but more than this I enjoyed working with Denise and hearing the stories of her journey in fan making.
Wanting to capture some of these stories in the hope that they will fascinate and inspire others I conducted this short interview with Denise:
RH: What do you love most about fans?
DF: I love the timeless elegance of a hand fan, it adds an air of sophistication and flirtatiousness to every outfit; The great thing is that it can be created from just about any material (woods, fabrics etc ) which can take it from casual to full on glitz. Of course they are also very practical in keeping you cool.
RH: What historic techniques have Rockcoco saved from the brink of extinction?
DF: One of the historic techniques we have reintroduced is the double-sided fan. The fans you see today have fabric on the front with exposed sticks on the back - while this can be very attractive we wanted to try something different. While researching double-sided fans it became apparent that fan makers today were not skilled in this technique, eventually we managed to track down a fan maker in her 90s who possessed these valuable skills and was willing to teach our fan makers. We now offer this historic technique on some of our bespoke fans.
Another lost skill from historical fan making was engraving mother-of-pearl sticks in preparation for inlaying with gold leaf. After much searching, we found a talented artisan in the U.K who works with mother-of-pearl, inlaying it into musical instruments. He was willing to attempt engraving the mother-of-pearl which fortunately was a success and we went on to have this inlaid with gold leaf.
RH: What have been your favorite commissions?
DF: I love all the personalised bespoke hand fans we have created for our clients. They all have their own personalities by way of the different choices people have made.
RH: When you think back over the last 8 years at Rockcoco what 3 achievements are you most proud of?
DF: Our first and most important achievement was discovering talented artisan fan makers and working with them to create a range of hand fans that up until then we could only imagine.
In 2017, I was extremely proud to be awarded the Freedom of the City of London at the Guildhall in recognition of becoming the first luxury fan maker in London for over 100 years. I was also honoured to be invited to become a Liveryman at The Worshipful Company of Fan makers which was incorporated in 1709 during the reign of Queen Anne.
It has been a long-held tradition of the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers to present senior royal brides with a hand fan on the occasion of their marriage.
We were delighted to be commissioned by them to create a bespoke hand fan for HRH the Duchess of Sussex which was presented to her at Kensington Palace on the 19th of March 2019.
A fan for the Duchess of Sussex
RH: Are there any historic fan making techniques that you have yet to try, what would you like to try next?
DF: We are currently working with our fan makers to recreate an antique design which enables the fan to adjust from small to large. We are really enjoying the challenge.
RH: If money and craftsmanship were no object and you could create any fan you wanted what would it look like?
DF: It would be our dream to commission a range of contempoary artists to hand paint fan leaves and to hold an exhibition of them as was all the rage in the 19th century with artists such as Degas, Manet, Gauguin and Pissarro.
Fan Leaf, Edgar Degas (French, 1834-1917), © Norton Simon Art Foundation
RH: Which is your favorite fan from your ready to ware collection?
DF: I love all our fans but have a special place in my heart for the Hawaii with its delicate hand painted design and sparkling sequins
Rockcoco Hawaii Fan
RH: Do you think fans are becoming more popular again?
DF: Yes and not just in the UK we have sold our fans to customers in many different countries especially the U.S.A
RH: How do you find working with family?
DF: I love working with my sister, we get on well and more importantly we are able to express ourselves with the honesty that only siblings can do.
RH: One of the unique things about Rockcoco is your ability to offer bespoke fans for occasions. If somebody wanted to commission a fan what is the process and how long does it usually take from start to finish?
DF: We work closely with our clients to create the perfect luxury fan for any occasion. Firstly we meet to discuss the clients vision and ideas and then together we carefully select the different elements from the finest of materials including fabrics, woods, precious or semi precious gems and metals, engraving, inlaying, embroidery and hand painting. The options are endless! Once the order is placed the process can take between eight to twelve weeks.
If you would like to find out more about Rockcoco Fans or see their collections you can visit the website here.
Rory X
]]>Next week Glasgow’s impressive Burrell Collection will reopen its doors after an ambitious six year refurbishment project.
Gifted to the people of Glasgow by shipping magnate and art collector William Burrell (1861-1958), this vast collection spans millennia and represents artifacts from all over the world. Typical of collectors of his generation Burrell had an encyclopedic approach to collecting and an unquenchable curiosity and thirst for knowledge, but far from being entirely retrospective Burrell’s collecting interests also encompassed the most cutting edge contemporary art of his day, hence many fine examples of drawings and paintings by the French Impressionists are to be found at the Burrell Collection.
I had the pleasure of living in Glasgow for four years and have a particular love of this great city. It was in Glasgow that I began my business and received so much support. The opportunity to work with one of the cities most beautiful museums felt particularly significant to me.
For this project The Burrell Collection asked me to design a range of silk accessories for men and women inspired by the museum’s collection of Iznik ceramics.
These bright and boldly painted artifacts continue to captivate connoisseurs today just as they did in Burrell’s lifetime, my interpretation aims to capture the bright energetic appeal of far away lands and blue skies that inspired early collectors.
Reinterpreted through linocut the lively abstract florals synonymous with this type of pottery are given a contemporary twist with bold block colours.
The collection includes three silk scarves, a silk bow tie and a silk tie. Available exclusively from The Burrell Collection Shop.
The Burrell Collection will reopen to visitors on Tuesday 29th of March. The perfect excuse to visit Glasgow.
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Back in 2020 I set myself a lockdown project responding to the work of my favorite female gardeners of the twentieth century, Bunny Mellon, Lady Rhoda Birley and Vita Sackville-West. These women of means managed to landscape, plant and prune with sartorial panache. Bunny enjoyed gardening attire by Balenciaga and Givenchy, Vita preferred farmhand chic in breeches and gaiters (always with pearls), while Roda favored jaunty straw hats with whimsical scarves.
Originally conceived to keep me sane while locked up in a small London flat without a garden, this project turned out to be one of the most enjoyable I have undertaken. Through these designs and the women who inspired them I have met many fabulous people including enthusiastic gardeners and garden historians and even won a commission from Compton Verney to design a scarf inspired by their Capability Brown landscape. This spring I am adding three new garden designs to my Garden Collection and this time the flowers take center stage.
The first scarf in this trio is called Vita’s White Garden and features the above quote together with another of my favorites from Vita Sackville-West, ‘Still, no gardener would be a gardener if he did not live in hope’.
Vita Sackville-West designed a white garden at her home, Sissinghurst Castle in Kent. I’ve always been drawn to this idea, a white garden is as much a study of green as it is of white and I can’t imagine anything more calming than being surrounded by the subtle beauty of white and green on a summers day. The garden Vita created is now iconic and widely regarded as one of the first modern gardens in Britain.
Formal parterres and knot gardens dominate the center of this design and are surrounded by an array of white flowers in bloom. I have poured my longing for such a space into this design.
Gertrude's Garden is the next scarf I am adding to the Garden Collection. This design draws inspiration from garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. Influenced by the Arts & Crafts movement Jekyll created some of the most celebrated Edwardian and early twentieth century gardens. Particularly noted for her explosions of colour, Jekyll had a painterly approach to her gardens and her work can be found throughout the British Isles and further afield. A keen plantswoman, Jekyll began collecting and cultivating plants at a young age, sourcing interesting specimens from the wild as well as ancient cottage gardens.
This is the most colourful design I have ever attempted, Jekyll has inspired me to be brave! The flowers featured were all used by Jekyll in her schemes. The garden bench at the center is in a style favored by renowned architect Edwin Lutyens. Lutyens was a great admirer of Jekyll’s work and they regularly collaborated, her designing the gardens to compliment his buildings.
The cat seated on Lutyen’s bench is a nod to Jekyll's love of feline company, she even included a chapter titled ‘Pussies in the Garden’ in her 1908 book, Children and Gardens.
Lastly we have a scarf titled Temple of Flora. An ode to Flora, Roman Goddess of flowering plants this design has been in the pipeline for almost two years, the central image of flora made an appearance in my Manor Garden Scarf from the original lockdown collection. In this design Flora takes center stage. Holding a garland of flowers she stands in a classical temple.
A vibrant red and pink scarf, the colours of roses. Flora’s temple is surrounded by formal parterre and knot gardens with ornately scrolling ironwork marking the perimeter. The outer borders are filled with a joyful abundance of flowering specimens.
Other features within the garden include a dovecote, birdbath, potted orange tree, a sundial and elegant tulipieres. In front of the temple we can see the gardener’s dog together with her abandoned sun hat and watering can.
I hope these scarves will inspire sartorial gardeners everywhere and become the accessory of choice for tea on the lawn or an afternoon spent weeding and pruning!
Check out the full Garden Collection here.
Rory X
]]>I have designed many scarves inspired by iconic historical figures including Elizabeth I but the opportunity to design a scarf commemorating one of the most iconic living people is a particularly special honor.
Focusing on the Coronation chair I created a series of linocuts inspired by the chair’s iconic shape and its ancient decoration featuring acorns, oak leaves, martlets and graphic checkerboard banding, only fragments of this original giltwork decoration remain on the chair which must have looked even more spectacular when first conceived.
The impressive Saint James Crown is also featured on the scarf alongside Tudor roses, shamrocks and thistles, reminiscent of the embroideries on the Coronation robes. Purple was the obvious choice being the official jubilee colour. The scarf commemorates the occasion with the dates 1952-2022 emblazoned on its four sides.
The resulting scarf is a classic 90x90cm silk square with rolled edges. The perfect souvenir to commemorate this historic occasion. Available exclusively from the Abbey’s onsite shop and online here.
Rory X
I was delighted to receive a commission from the museum to design a scarf inspired by Stonehenge and the material culture that surrounds it. The theme is unlike anything I have tackled before and was a great learning experience.
Designing this scarf was particularly nostalgic, the abstract zig zags and concentric circles transported me back to my art history classes at school and a trip to Newgrange, Ireland's most celebrated neolithic monument.
Lino prints with their rugged liveliness proved to be particularly successful for representing these ancient stones and the material culture that surrounds them.
The Stonehenge scarf measures 90x90cm and is available exclusively from the British Museum Shop, both instore and online here.
The World of Stonehenge will run until July 17th 2022. Read more about it and book your tickets here.
Rory X
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