Once a symbol of abject terror, the death’s head sprawled across centuries in a way few other symbols managed to achieve. It has been used with great potency for everything from Prussian military uniforms to warnings on tins of poison. But today, it’s quite jolly. It has shed much of its ghastly psychic weight, and it is simply there to be used with freedom and irony.
Here is the new death’s head, studded as little nuggets of decoration on a clutch bag from
Kilt, 100 Victoria Street, Wellington. Admittedly it’s an edgy accessory, and the arrangement of skulls over a yellow vinyl background is elite kitsch.
Now, off to find a matching cocktail.
