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orange and white garments draped over a clothesline to look like a fox
All images courtesy of Helga Stentzel, shared with permission

Dressed to the Canines: Helga Stentzel Styles Playful Clothesline Illusions

Grace Ebert

The cat’s pajamas take on new meaning in Helga Stentzel’s fashionable menagerie. Working in what she calls “household surrealism,” the London-based artist styles cheeky illusions from socks, sweatshirts, and even onesies that, once draped over a washline, appear like a cow grazing in a pasture or a sloth hanging lazily from a branch. Her latest projects roam from the snowy mountains of Austria to the River Thames to the brightly colored buildings of the island city of Burano in the Venetian Lagoon.

Stentzel is currently collaborating with Portmanteau, a Helsinki-based performance company on a production with her chic compositions. She has select prints available in her shop, and keep an eye on Instagram for new clothesline creatures.

a blue and orange garment draped over a clothesline to look like a bird
white garments draped over a clothesline with colorful clothespins that looks like a unicorn
brown garments draped over a stick to look like a sloth
brown garments draped over a clothesline to look like a bird
white, black, and pink garments draped over a clothesline to look like a face
black and white garments draped over a clothesline to look like a cow
yellow, orange, and red socks and garments draped over a clothesline to look like a bird
brown, green, and tan garments draped over a clothesline to look like a mallard
two white garments and pink underwear draped over a clothesline between two windows to look like a cat's face

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