Etsy Beadweavers Team March Challenge Fashion Throughout Time

I've created this wonderful piece of wearable art for the Etsy Beadweaver's March Challenge "Fashion through the Ages". Having been born in the 60's, I remember the Flower Power Generation and the bright groovy colors and designs that were so popular in the 60's-70's so I used one of the most iconic fashion designers of the time as my inspiration.

This bib style collar necklace is fully encrusted in seed bead embroidery in array of cool colors. While Pucci's designs were bold and the patterns were bright, the color palette tended to be on the cooler side. I've used a soft cheyenne pink, turquoise, lime green, deep purple, medium and dark blue, accented by lustrous white in a loopy, swirly design. The scalloped necklace is edged in luster rainbow white beads with borders of matte brown beads throughout to accentuate the colors.

The beads were embroidered onto a stiff felt backing and backed with another piece of blue/purple tie-dyed felt. I've finished off the necklace with a "chain" of beads ending in a little medallion with a hook that can fasten at the back into any of the loops making it fully adjustable from about 15" to about 19". It is designed to be worn closely against the neck to create a bib that can sit atop a dress or just underneath an open collar.

This bib style neckpiece collar is 9.5" across the widest part and about 6" long from the middle. Truly a showstopper for your next big occassion!

History of Pucci
Emilio Pucci, Marchese di Barsento (20 November 1914 – 29 November 1992) was a Florentine Italian fashion designer and politician. He and his eponymous company are synonymous with geometric prints in a kaleidoscope of colours. Initially he used his knowledge of stretch fabrics to produce a swimwear line in 1949, but soon moved onto other items such as brightly-coloured, boldly-patterned silk scarves. Stanley Marcus of Neiman Marcus encouraged him to use the designs in blouses and then a popular line of wrinkle-free printed silk dresses. Marilyn Monroe was buried in one of his dresses, and his designs were worn by everyone from Sophia Loren to Jackie Kennedy and latter day pop icons such as Madonna in the early 1990s. His clothes were known for their brilliant colours and well-defined prints. He led the way for the colourful revolution of the 60's. The house of Pucci still goes on reviving the fashion house's glory days to make it relevant for a new generation. Capitalizing on Pucci's bold, instantly recognizable prints, The Pucci revival has been gathering momentum for several years.

Here's a sample of a Pucci Blouse.

I am a proud member of the Etsy Beadweavers Street team. Voting for the March challenge starts on March 9 and is open until the 15th on the bead weavers website (http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com). Stop by and vote for your favorite!