Panda parties, cats in fancy dress, and the garden of Eden, they may not seem the likeliest of bedfellows but all play a part in Karen Mabon’s latest collection “Rosebud.” Mabon isn’t a stranger to surrealism with Panther Birthday’s and Sweet Shop Robberies featuring in her previous designs. As always there is a high fantasy, child-like escapism with her work, it’s fun with a capital F. Where else would you find a cat dressed as a pumpkin? Or a shark? Or even a scuba diver?
Her latest shoot for the “Rosebud” collection gives you a slight peek into what it must be like living inside Mabon’s head. Shot by acclaimed Scottish photographer David Anderson (who at this point seems to have photographed any Scottish politician worth talking about), “Rosebud” is like falling into a Hitchcock film by way of Roy Lichtenstein. Coupling bold over posed expressions with saturated colour pops of blues and yellows, the shoot tells of a woman scorned. If you’re going to get revenge though, you’re going to want to look fabulous. There’s nothing subtle about the “Rosebud” shoot, just as there is nothing subtle about the scarves, and sometimes that’s exactly what you want – drama, colour and passion.
The cats in costumes really is a highlight for me from this collection, a much anticipated follow up to her puppy dress up scarf last season. Quite frankly, I feel Mabon would make a small killing just creating pets dressed in silly costumes on scarves, but to her credit, she doesn’t limit herself to this. We have everything from Panda Parties, kitschy gnomes to birds in flight – Mabon’s imagination truly seems limitless.
Rosebud is available for sale at Karen Mabon
Photographer: David N Anderson
Model: Katie Kelly
MUA: Caroline McKeirnan
Styling: Laura Macintosh