Bamboozled by Brilli

Upon further investigation then of Natalia Brilli's AW08-9 collection, it would seem that the collection is exactly what I expected with a firm and trusty continuation of leather covered beads, bows that don't look sickly sweet, trinkets that border on being a little odd and bags that are solidly beautiful rather than flimsy. There is just no chance in hell that anyone, even the most saccharinely enthusiastic person could look at Brilli's collection and say 'Oh that's cute!' in a high pitched voice... thank god though because I believe that Brilli is aiming for a different sort of embellishment and adornment altogether with her collection. The clutches aren't airy of full of fluff; they seem weighted, like you need to be in awe of them. The cuffs are unapologetically big but not cartoonish. The necklaces whilst using bows and beads, manage to look warrior-like. Oh, and how she managed to turn a Chinese phoenix-like bird, usually seen in naff Chinese costume dramas in bright colours and metallics into something sleek and truly covetable (left) is beyond me...

For the next season, she has explored different textures such as grey gradiated ponyskin, burnt wood and of course a whole host of coloured/treated leathers to add to the black staple that has served her well over the years since launching her collection in 2005.

The mens range of accessories excites me just as much as the womens stuff, if not more, only because I'm a fan of the passport/card/key holders and would like a matching embossed set as seen in this collection...

When I'm talking about being 'bamboozled' in the title though, I'm referring to Brlli's use of black goat fur in items like a tasselled clutch, tote and cape for the new collection. It reminded me of Lady Coveted's post about being intrigued by 'monkey fur' and so with a cautious heart and head, I do officially announce that I'm becoming quite a fan of the aesthetic of Mongolian black goat fur. Having done a lot of Googling, I found it incredibly difficult to find out the process of how the material is sourced and produced so this may actually lead to a bit of research with Ms. Brilli herself... I've actually always held the 'sitting on the fence' stance when it comes to fur, depending on situation, production process and research to back up whatever piece is sitting in front of me as opposed to spitting and toshing at whatever fur comes my way. The superficial truth is, I do like the way this fur has been used in these accessories and the material itself seems to lend itself well to jackets and gilets as well. Like I said, further investigation is needed but for now... the cape...hmmm...

(BBlessing, Erie Basin and Order & Progress stock a good range of Natalia Brilli accessories online...)