HARRODS X Katie Larmour Linen 🌎 'Poles Apart' (part 3)

For my next collaborative collection with Harrods I put together these wintery characters to fit into their ‘Poles Apart’ theme. My shimmering seal got a extra splash of beading, has been scaled up a bit, and had his trim changed from gold to silver to make him an exclusive for Harrods. Sitting calm and composed is Mr Fox, made a bit bigger, he also got some icy treatment. We added iridescent sequins with flecks of blue, green and twinkling purple on his main. His presence on your tree is sure to be majestic and proud. Our peaceful Polar Bear plods silently along the snow, with an additional sprinkling of snowflake stars on his back, and the same hint of a smile as our original. Dainty as always is our Reindeer, dancing across the landscape light on his feet, with a dash of sparkly tinsel style thread on his hooves. As for the Owl… he’s just joined his animal friends and is actually supposed to be in ‘Curious Creatures’, but his rustic palette pairs well among the group.

I sourced my Irish Linen for these collections from a variety of mills - in Wexford, Lisburn County Antrim and Kells in Country Antrim and some very special vintage John England fabric. 

I loved creating them and hope you like them too. 

Katie xoxo

Item descriptions / image captions:

POLAR BEAR:

Plodding along a long stretch of ice like silent poetry, snowflakes covering his fur in the form of hand-stitched sequins and glass beading. Crafted in fresh white Irish Linen. A true classic winter wonder.

How cute is this guy, and the baby’s not bad either, my little museum buddy is now in school. With Ulster Museum just on my doorstep, it’s been my go-to place for inspiration since the beginning. I fondly remember visits to see ‘Peter the Polar Bear’ from my own childhood, and I can’t believe I’ve brought him all the way to Knightsbridge! Look closely and you’ll see a hint of a smile.

I had to google if this fella was found in the North or South Pole, turns out he’s not in the South and only hangs out in the North. Catch him there!

FOX:

Both feisty and cute our hand-stitched fox ornament is adorable. Crafted from oatmeal linen, the rustic texture, colour and beauty of the undyed cloth is the natural colour of the flax plant itself. The metallic silver embellishment complements the neutral palette. He is calm and poised as his fur twinkles in the twilight and his bushy tail rests beside him.

On our own webshop we’ve recently launched the Fox in an earthy ‘rust’ hue, you can find him over here.

SEAL:

Out of all the animals in our collaborative collection I like his face the most. I added dainty whiskers in soft thread and also encasing the eyes. He has a wonderfully wistful expression and needs some love to get him through the winter. Each bead across his body has been hand-stitched, and creates an illusion of shimmering water. Seals can be found rocking both Poles, fascinating creatures.

OWL:

Artic Owl, White Owl, Snowy Owl, all gorgeous. Using a sequin behind a tiny glass dot bead really makes wide eyes look big and inviting.

Did I tell you I met a nice barn owl last summer?

When sourcing some natural Irish Linen from a brilliant mill in County Wexford (cloth used in this very collection) and visiting the Seal Sanctuary to deliver decorations to their gift shop, I stopped by the Irish National Heritage Park’s Falconry Centre and found a collection of very fancy looking owls.

I’m just as surprised as him that they let me into the enclosure. It was a magical moment.

REINDEER:

Light on his feet he moves gracefully across the land, you can almost hear the jingle of bells behind him. A touch of metallic tinsel thread across his hooves and ear to keep him warm. Hand-stitched beading alludes to the patten on his coat and the sparkles on his fur as snowflakes. His majestic sequin covered antlers catch the light and attention.

We often meet charming reindeers on our excursions…

Axel at Streamvale Farm in County Antrim.

Capturing a selfie with an agreeable reindeer can be tricky without getting a double chin, beware.

Fun with Finn.

Reindeer in hand.

And the wonderful Ark Farm in County Down.

I must have been twiddling my thumbs in school folks, because I have found out so much about both the North and South poles during this project that I did know. From discovering… there’s way more animals on the North Pole than the South; the Arctic is a sheet of ice not land, Antarctica is indeed land (albeit ice capped); the North is inhabited with people, the South isn’t; the North Magnetic Pole is constantly moving; the North Pole is at sea level and therefore significantly warmer; Antarctica is a continent and not a country, and a snowy landscape can also be called a desert. (take a breath lol) That my hare, brown bear, swan, puffin and goose could also have fitted into the theme. And the most astonishing thing I learnt of all was that a wolverine is real, who knew, that he wasn’t just a superhero. My goodness. I need to go to bed after that.