When Other

World Whisper

a solo exhibition by Rosie Emerson

‘I knew the Shell Belle Couture Kimono’s & Slips were going to look beautiful, but I didn’t expect them to feel quite so amazing, so soft. They were a dream to photograph & the models all loved wearing them too, they look timeless, ethereal yet still sexy & modern’

-Rosie Emerson. May 2024

Shell Belle Couture X Rosie Emerson

A Creative Collaboration

We were fortunate enough to be invited into the dreamlike world of Rosie Emerson when we received the invite for the Private Viewing.

Curated over 3 floors at 17 midland Road by Anna of the Smithson Project. When you wander the space you are transported to a time gone by, with statement artworks that rise to a heady finish, gilded & spectacular.

As you enter the top floor you bear witness to a Narnia of creativity where the walls & tables are adorned with Rosie’s sketches, books, trinkets & treasures. There, taking centre stage on the aged stone wall is our Alice Slip dress in the softest most ethereal expression of femininity. With our signature palest pistachio green background, pressed flowers, touches of gold leaf & her mixed media of techniques, creating a breathtaking vision of beauty.

‘The most wonderful aspect of this creative collaboration for me has been the coming together of both Art & Fashion in a celebration of Femininity. To see my pieces immortalised in such beautiful artworks has been a beautiful yet humbling experience. Following the journey of my Alice Slip Dress & Alice Kimono from the shoot through to the final pieces has been an honour.’

– Michelle Blenkinsopp-Guild

Founder Shell Belle Couture

Sep 2024

Grandeur

Expressions of Femininity

Decadent

‘The artworld has historically been male dominated & valued more masculine attributes in contemporary work. I’ve fought my own inner sexism & leaned into the feminine with this new body of work. In my opinion, when photographing a ballerina in a silk & lace slip, working with flowers & tones of pink & gold… it doesn’t get more feminine, but powerfully so!’

Rosie Emerson Sep 2024

‘It’s all a big guilty pleasure, my love affair with aristocrats doing bonkers stuff’.

@rosieemerson

Rosies creativity has an evocative & magical grown-up allure, transporting ones imagination to a charmed, aristocratic world of days gone by.

Rosie gently fuses nature with subtle historical references from nature, burlesque & theatre.
The framing is nuanced with arches & elements of architectural grandeur.
Feathers, palms, florals, shell grottos & corals are all subtly captured in her work.
The overriding air of raw femininity is beautifully exposed & only accentuated with the vintage slip dresses. Teamed with exquisite hand-crafted head dresses, which give a crowning glory to these theatrical works of art.

Shell Belle Couture’s Alice silk pieces are perfectly placed in these magical works of art. The vintage
veil placed as a diamond applique adds a sensual dimension to these wonderfully whimsical pieces.
For the onlooker you are left with an overwhelming desire to step right into this cornucopia of
delight. Rosie’s work is often gilded, adding an element of drama, excess & opulence.

‘It is an honour to have my styles immortalised by Rosie’s work. Like the heirloom styles themselves
they will be cherished & passed down through generations. A collaboration with such an esteemed,
creative force like Rosie feels perfectly aligned. With a shared passion for femininity & grandeur I was
able to embrace my nostalgia with a childish delight, where for just a moment you get to lose yourself in this decadent grown up fairy-tale. A playground of magical, sensual delights that is perfect escapism for the new bohemians.

So Slip on your Silk Kimono, pour yourself a Whisky Sour & enjoy the voyage to a fantastical
dreamscape of lavish, languid lifestyles & past grandeur’.

– Michelle Blenkinsopp-Guild

The Alice Slip Dress & Kimono in beautiful sandwashed silk & French leavers lace form part of the
Illusions of Grandeur collection. A considered curation of wearable pieces to treasure. The lace itself is from the French lace archives & is a remake of a vintage Mantilla (veil) worn over the head in Church. The Mantilla is intricately appliqued to the silk to form sensual reveals.

A collection of Storytelling pieces for Lovers & Dreamers.

‘Everything you can imagine is real’

– Pablo Picasso