Week 1: Dashing Diva
My design inspiration was naturally Erté/Art Deco. The Art Deco movement is one of my favorite design aesthetics, and living in Chicago, I am surrounded by famous architectural examples of this “Jazz Age” phenomenon. The Carbide & Carbon building was my inspiration, and I created a set of appliqués that echo the opulent, green terra cotta building with real 24k gold leaf accents that some say was designed to resemble a bottle of champagne.
Thinking about Spring/Summer 2014, I designed these nail appliqués for a woman attending a black-tie charity event, a girl anxiously getting ready for Prom, a woman who loves to add a vintage flair to her wardrobe, or a bride who wants “something blue” in her manicure.
The base of the design is a Wedgewood metallic, a beautiful light silver-blue that complements the silver, swirling deco designs on top. Each design is based on a real fixture or finish in and around the Carbide & Carbon building, which is now the Chicago Hard Rock Hotel. The blue metallic base color and the silver accents evoke the spirit of the Art Deco movement: creating beauty in everyday things.
