Exhibitions

A pair of exquisite, 18ct white gold floral studs with green and white diamond solitaires and additional tsavorite and diamond signature hooked backs. A combination of the two major themes present in Leane’s work, Flora and Line, these expertly crafted earrings masterfully demonstrate the diverse range of skills and technical abilities of The House. 

The most highly coveted of ornamental plants, the delicate, exotic and graceful orchid at once represents love, luxury, beauty and strength. Here its likeness is transformed into a symbol of the pure elegance of the natural world.

The collection explored the clashing of Middle Eastern and Western cultures, hence the invocation of the yashmak, a symbol of Middle Eastern dress. Since it is formed from jewelled, metal plates, this yashmak also alludes to the armour worn by Knights during the Crusades. Worn on the catwalk with red and silver knickers, it served as a provocative statement regarding the respective concealing and liberation of the body by Middle Eastern and Western cultures.

Fitted to his own jaw bone, the piece fastens with hooks around the ears and inside the mouth.

Its appearance suggested that the models’ skin and flesh had been stripped off, leaving the jaw bone and front teeth visible. The design took inspiration from reconstructive surgery pioneered in the First and Second World Wars. The design also alludes to certain specimens found in Renaissance Wunderkammers (Cabinets of Wonders), wherein specific aspects – in this case the jaw bone – were displayed in isolation in order to attract the viewer’s gaze.

Modelled on Christ's crown of entwined briars, a sterling silver piece which captures the fragile yet sinister nature of the thorn. It was an apt motif for McQueen's collection, Dante, centred on religion as the cause of war, referencing to Alighieri, the author of the fourteenth-century allegorical poem, The Divine Comedy, a journey through the kingdoms of the Christian afterlife. McQueen stated in a 1997 interview in Time Out, ‘The show’s theme was religion being the cause of war. Fashion’s so irrelevant to life, but you can’t forget the world’.

The Feather Dart Earring showcases the balance in Leane’s work as he uses contrasting materials to create formidable silhouettes that celebrate strength and fragility in nature. Inspired by the Amazonian tradition of adorning the body with feathers, the two-piece silver spike is decorated with the delicacy and opulence of fine tropical plumes. Designed to capture the spirit of indigenous body adornment, this iconic ear piece embodies strength and power. Created in November 2003 as a couture silver piece for Arena Magazine. 

Roses burst from her lustrous silver skin forcing their way out into an efflorescent bloom, epitomising the strength and fragility in nature.

A feminine piece of armour created for McQueen. Embedded with pure silver electroformed roses and draped with strands of garnet beads to represent drops of blood. The piece grew slowly and organically into a protective form around the woman transforming her into a romantic warrior.

Modelled on Christ's crown of entwined briars, a sterling silver piece which captures the fragile yet sinister nature of the thorn. It was an apt motif for McQueen's collection, Dante, centred on religion as the cause of war, referencing to Alighieri, the author of the fourteenth-century allegorical poem, The Divine Comedy, a journey through the kingdoms of the Christian afterlife. McQueen stated in a 1997 interview in Time Out, ‘The show’s theme was religion being the cause of war. Fashion’s so irrelevant to life, but you can’t forget the world’.