I was stuck at home, miserable flu, exercising the old index finger on the TV remote, stopping only to sneeze. By chance I caught this book being previewed on a well-known daytime chat show. Gamely, its (the books’) designer Ellwand and couture illustrator David Downton were teaching Graham Norton how to make a petal dress, similar to one in the book, allegedly. - An invaluable skill, I’m sure. Anyway, I pre-ordered the book from this site. It arrived one month later on publication and I wasn’t disappointed. ‘Fairie – Ality The Fashion Collection’ is as extravagant as it is beautiful. Damn! I wouldn’t mind some of those dresses! Alas, they weren’t made for my figure…(or yours) but for the diminutive faerie…
If you order this book, you won’t be let down. It’s likely you won’t have seen anything like it before. Yes, a fashion collection for faeries is bizarre. But if you can suspend belief, you’re drawn - no - invited (there’s a genuine invitation card inside), into a magical world where you’re a privileged guest in a most unusual realm.
This is a book of fantasy but with a highly creative and sometimes-interactive layout. Delightful and delicate faerie clothes and accessories, made from flowers, leaves, seedpods, feathers and shells fill the pages colourfully. Downton’s alluring portraits blend with Ellwands' expert photography, enticing you in, making you believe that there is realism to the event – the secret show that you’re exclusively party to by royal faerie invitation. A story unfolds, written enchantingly by Eugenie Bird who understands fashion very well, and faeries too apparently. Her narration gives us a glimpse, a preview of that world of wonder, which unravels gently.
The creations themselves are also by Ellwand, originally a florist by trade. If you didn’t know it, you might think callously that his creations are one dimensional for the purpose of being photographed. That is to say, they’d be flat, like the paper clothes you can dress cardboard dolls with. Not so, these are genuine, fully wearable clothes and accessories, made from the finest natural materials. His creations are inspirational, as well as skilfully accomplished. They’re the essence of ‘Fairie – Ality’ bringing to life the whole notion of faeries. You may even find yourself believing in them, as his creations are exquisite and truly sympathetic to their very idea.
The imagery is rich, the text charming, and the pages are a delight, some glossy, others textured, and some translucent, all flattering the collection. There’s certain sensuousness to the publication. I’m sure they would’ve imbued the pages with the fragrance of the flowers and scent of the woodland, if they could…in all; this is a book to treasure.
