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Elegant Curiosities
about
Elegant Curiosities was established in 2013 by Dutch designer Laila Van den Dageraad. Her expansive repertoire spans from styling for television shows, music videos, and styling for the MTV awards to creating a jewelry collection incorporating genuine wood from the RMS Titanic for the “National Geographic Channel provided artifact exhibition” in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Laila draws inspiration from history, breathing life into the elegance of bygone eras and dwelling into forgotten fashion, all while incorporating her unique spin. Her creations exhibit a timeless yet contemporary feel, exuding an allure that is both sensual and sophisticated, vintage yet vibrant.

Besides being a designer Laila is also a makeup artist and stylist specialized in (male-to-female and female-to-male) gender transformations and she is a genderfluid and transition coach (Trans Academy). On the runway she will display the beauty and the dominant side of femininity. Featuring genderfluid, crossdressing, trans models.

In addition to her work as a designer, Laila is also a skilled makeup artist and stylist, specializing in gender transformations, both male-to-female and female-to-male. As a gender expression and transition coach, she amplifies the beauty and empowering aspects of femininity in fashion. On the runway, she highlighted this ethos by featuring genderfluid, cross-dressing, and transgender models.

Displaying powerful and sexy women and femininity.
“The domination of female beauty in fashion”.

The designer aims to portray an appealing facet of femininity, preserving an air of elegance throughout. The pieces exude sensuality because, as Laila emphasizes, we have every right to embrace our sexy side! This was a freedom she lacked in her past, growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness where women were expected to adhere to modesty and conceal their bodies. Upon leaving the religion, Laila began to explore her genderfluid identity. She identifies as a cis woman with a genderfluid side to her. Working with gender expression personally and as a therapist it sparked her passion for pursuing her ideal vision of feminine beauty which can be seen in her designs.

The collection features an combination of repurposed vintage components and authentic relics from the past, including silver retrieved from the Atocha wreck and clothing fragments that once belonged to iconic movie stars, among other elements.

These creations are intended for anyone wishing to express their femininity, those who desire to make their mark in luxurious, unique, and exclusive attire. Each piece of clothing doubles as a piece of jewellery. Just a handful of the elements incorporated in her designs include historical remnants, 24k hand-gilded and silver-plated details, gemstones, freshwater pearls, sterling silver, and 14k gold. The aim is to provide you with more than just a garment, but a piece of jewellery rich with its own narrative and inspiration.