Tom Binns designs jewelry with trashy class and a little punch of punk rock flash. Maybe you’ve heard already, since his Faux Real line has been making waves all over the fashioniverse for months now. Think rusted junk store relics mixed with precious gems in a haphazardly amazing sort of way.
Chunky pieces like this one are what he’s coming to be known for. Who, praytell, can tell the real from the faux on this one? Binns is probably also the driving force behind the trend of neon metal and gemstones, now appearing at a TopShop near you, and soon to be seen at every mall in America. By the time it gets there, it will probably lack all of the subversive deliciousness of Binn’s over-the-top designs, so maybe you should think about getting in on the ground floor?
Personally, I prefer the badassitude of his Tough Chic line, which combines chain and skull motifs with lustrous pearls and rhinestones. A southern girl never goes anywhere without her pearls, especially when they’re strung up with skulls. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find many of the pieces from Tough Chic anywhere, including eBay, but then again, it would take more than a little recession to make me part with some skully pearls, had I the good fortune to own them.
So, where, then, does all this shockingly irreverent creativity come from? Um, Ireland, of course. A Belfast native, Binns made his name early on the Eurpoean scene, but is only now getting mainstream American recognition (I guess that means us). A Tom Binns pop up store has been promised on Perry St. (NYC) for ages now, but hasn’t quite popped up in reality.
Though his work is accepted, as evidenced by Vogue spreads and his own counter at Bergdorf’s, that doesn’t mean he is accepting of the played out ubiquity of the big name houses. Binns, you will find, has taken some of fashions most iconic jewelry, and scribbled all over it. The Cartier Love bracelet, for example, gets its trademark bolt design remade into anarchy signs. Viva la revolucíon! Check out Tom Binns’ take on Cartier and more on his website.
[slideshow=10]
[...] from the collection looks extraordinarily similar to the designs of Avant Guardian favorite, Tom Binns. Minus the off-kilter, dirty glam [...]