Take one look at the AW catwalks and you will see they were awash with dramatic, decadent, collections. From Dries van Noten to Dolce & Gabbana, Marni to Marchesa, heavy embroidery, indulgent brocades and intense goldwork peppered every other show: baroque is officially back in town.
I completely fell head over heels with the utterly exquisite goldworked jacket at Ralph Lauren, sumptuously embroidered to within an inch of it's life. Alas, what with the £6,490 price tag* (I kid you not...) being slightly over my budget (though, should it be within yours it's available now from RalphLauren.com), I embarked upon a search for how I could bring such beauty into my life without A). selling a kidney on the black market or B). re-mortgaging my parents' house without them realising...
It was then, dear reader, that I stumbled across the delight that is the London Embroidery School. Whilst googling goldwork classes in London I discovered this gem, based in an Islington studio and run by Royal School of Needlework-trained tutors, the school is part of the embroidery company Hawthorne & Heaney. Regular monthly classes are run in disciplines such as tambour beading and monogramming, but the one which particularly tickled my fancy was undoubtedly the goldwork - being the magpie that I am, I'm a sucked for anything sparkly or shiny, so this had my name all over it.
The option is there to enjoy either a 3 hour beginners evening class, or a full day (run on a Sunday) which runs at a slightly slower pace. I opted for the latter; pouncing on any excuse to spend as much time as possible sewing it seemed like the more productive option for me.
I was greeted at the Cobble Lane studio at 10am by tutors Claire and Sara, both of whom trained at the Royal School of Needlework. After a swift cuppa it was straight down to business - goldwork is a time-consuming craft which I learnt takes a lot of preparation and a LOT of patience!
We were talked through the different techniques, threads and wires - by the time we even started the actual sewing part my head hurt with all the information! The four different wire techniques taught throughout the day including passing, cutwork, pearle purl and bright check (I know, sounded foreign to me at first too...) broken up mid way with a roast lunch at a delightfully cosy pub a stone's throw from the studio.
I don't want to go into too much detail - if I give away a step by step guide you won't go and try the class for yourself - but suffice to say after all the preparation, and the slightly pernickety perfectionism you need to stitch the goldwork itself, the results are amazing. Don't get me wrong, it takes time (I still haven't quite finished my piece...) so to create the Ralph Lauren jacket might just be a pipe dream at this stage of the game, but if you invest the time the end product is so beautiful it's undoubtedly worth it.
The goldwork day class at the London Embroidery School is £80 (next class 3rd February). The evening class is £65 (next class 7th November). For more information and to book visit www.londonembroideryschool.com
Love Laurel x *Seriously? You can buy a CAR for that price. A WHOLE CAR. Oh but it is pretty...
