2016 began with a flurry of exciting, creative projects in the Bergdorf Goodman visual department. No sooner then I could wipe off my New Years glitter, we began taking down the illustrious holiday windows, and putting up two new sets of Men's store fashion windows and the 7th floor Decorative Home interiors displays at women's under the watchful eye of Visual director Shane Ruth. I lovvvved working on this interiors installation. The premise being downtown chic takes over her stylish, vintage Granny's apartment. We did an extensive wall treatment of ribbons, lace, stencils, and spray paint, accompanied by Bergdorf's fashion and decor merch, and specialty furniture and art objects from 'Mantiques Modern.' Using the realistic, antique mannequins was the icing on the cake!
Oh the joy of taking a can of spray paint to the walls of this illustrious house of high fashion!!!
Installation by Sarah Sparkles and BG Crew, Art Direction by Shane Ruth, Fashion by Gucci, Marni, Dries van Noten, Kentshire Estate Jewelry, and Prada.
The next exciting turn of events was getting a call from designer Johanna Burke of Burke and Pryde asking me to do large, custom sparkle props for BG's Gucci Fashion week windows out of the Sparkledome studio. The answer is YES!!!! One of my major life callings is to make intensely sparkling objects out of my studio and anywhere for that matter... YES. The assignment was to embellish larger-then-life snakes that were designed to emulate the blinged-out appliqués on Gucci's most recent fashion collection. The 8ft and 5ft sparkle snakes overtook my studio. With a two week deadline, I worked around the clock cutting and glueing paillettes, weaving strands of sequins, beads and gems. Upon pick up, I went straight into the Gucci window install at the Men's store to culminate my 100hr work week. :)
Embellished snakes by Sarah Sparkles/Sparkledome Studio, Window direction by David Hoey and Shane Ruth, Fashion by Gucci. Special thanks to Johanna Burke for fabulous art direction on the props, and my trusted assistants Abby Hertz and Charlotte Lily Gaspard.
Up next was the '5th Avenue Safari' installation in Bergdorf's 7th floor Decorative Home loft. This was a really fun environment to create, with my highlight being making faux mud brick walls from scratch. There is even an indigenous fashionista that presides high above the room on a bridge, and a custom made treehouse!
Dream come true alert!! This March I did my first job directly for ***SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL.*** The mothership of all things sparkling and good. :) It is one of my major longterm life goals to work in Swarovski's bling arsenal. So it was to my great joy, when they reached out and asked to hire me to do a 360 degree treatment on the props I had embellished for the sight line of the 2015 Bergdorf holiday windows. Now Mr. Alligator and Blue Ribbon are in Swarovski's archive of bedazzled objects that are going to be used in shoots and installations around the world <3
Dream come true to work for Swarovski!!!
Custom crystal embellishment by Sarah Sparkles/Sparkledome Studio.
The day after submitting my bedazzled props to Swarovski I thought I might sleep in, however the sparkle Gods had other plans. I woke up to a phone call from Darrell Thorne, one of my absolute favorite costume designers in NYC. He asked if I could come to his studio and rhinestone embellish a mask for a photoshoot that was in two days. So I threw on my glitter, and off I went. :)
Thus concludes a supremely epic art season. Am so deeply grateful to work with such talented, inspiring artisans and creative directors. Reaching the milestones of working directly for Swarovski, and more sparkle projects out of my own studio has shown me that with clear focus, and being willing to give it your all, you can make dreams come true. So Very Grateful <3
