Get inspired by how designers rock their own jewelry
During this year’s jewelry week in Las Vegas, where established and bright new talents come together to present their latest collections at the Couture Show (a trade only event for journalists and retailers), designers were rocking their own looks, wearing the items and trends that will hit the stores during fall into holiday 2017. Unlike fashion, which is presented on models on international runways twice yearly, jewelry is most often displayed in glass cases and you often can’t tell how it moves or flows on the body. While I was covering the show, I thought what better way to feature how you could wear and style your favorite jewels then on the designers who created the pieces.
Here we give you an overview on how to bejewel like a designer
Dakota and Leyla, two of the three women behind Buddha Mama, which was launched by Dakota’s mother Nadia Badia in 2008, love stacking their bracelets whether they be soft flexible styles or hinged bangles which combine gemstones, enamel and gold. The collection, inspired by Buddhism and Eastern traditions includes traditional symbols reworked into various highly stylized collections of pieces that can be layered or worn on their own. The Buddha Mama team illustrates the popular trend of mixing different bracelets silhouettes or stacking two or more of the same bracelet on one wrist.
Tomasz Donocik’s jewelry borrows inspiration from a range of diverse influences including architecture, literature and sci-fi movies that come together to create a collection, which is bold, colorful and distinctively edgy yet, feminine. What some of you don’t know is that this award wining designer also creates men’s jewelry. Here, he strikes a pose in leather bracelets, a blackened spiky necklace and a gold signet ring that he designed for himself. Tomasz epitomizes the trend toward individualization in men’s jewelry and shows how finding a style that works with a guy’s personality can be sexy and striking.
Beth Bugdaycay, the designer behind Foundrae creates a collection filled with symbols and motifs inspired by the sentiment of the Victorian era, reinvented with a modern vibe and spin in the look and language of each piece. And Beth wears ‘it’ well; stacking her rings, layering graduated charm necklaces and sporting her bracelets on each wrist. Her design and personal style hits on all the timely directions in jewelry, yet they convey messages that go beyond trends. Meanings in her newest collection speaks to living life to the fullest and strength and resilience.
Jade Trau is inspired by antique and vintage jewelry and wears her own designs combined with heirlooms handed down from her mom, her grandmother and even her great grandmother, whose bracelet she is wearing on one arm with her watch. Another designer who loves stacking rings, old and new, diamonds and gold. The stacked and layered look has outgrown it’s label as a trend and is quickly becoming an iconic look in styling jewelry like it was in the 18the and 19th century.
Moritz Glik takes his cue from the male celebrities on the red carpet the past few seasons and is wearing his ‘man brooch’, which is a gold bee with his signature shake diamonds inside the head of the creature. He also wears a few of his leather bracelets, which feature diamonds and other gemstones in that seem cascade and move to catch the light between his sapphire crystals. Other new bracelets with diamonds are equipped with easy to open hidden closures on geometric pieces instead of true buckles. The collection was designed for women but can easily be unisex and speaks to Moritz’s creativity and trend in the market towards mixing the elegance of diamonds with the more rough-hewn texture of leather.
Another guy who has taken to the ‘man brooch’ is Nikos Koulis who is wearing not one but three, two on one lapel and one on the other. I know it’s a jewelry show, so male designers will be showing off their jewels themselves. Bu if any guys are reading, then take this to heart—men’s jewelry is on the rise again and you should go out and find something that works for you. As far as Nikos collection, it is the perfect blend of Art Deco inspired styles but modernized as lariats on leather and other contemporary and hip versions of earlier 20th century looks.
Pictured here is Nikos’ marketing and communications director Nikki Lalioti who looks stunning in his jewelry and is wearing it on trend—one delicate piece, his lariat, with one statement piece, his oversized round clip on earring from two different collections, which offset each other with a heavy dose of style.
Pamela Love and Irene Neuwirth together—both hot and happening for several years and who continue to top themselves in the creativity department just when you think they couldn’t get any more imaginative. Here Pam is wearing one of her delicate necklaces, spike earrings and some of her bracelets and rings (not shown in this photo). Pam knows how to shine herself and let the jewelry be an accent to her. Irene is the same. She is wearing one bold necklace as well as rings and a pair of earrings that are amazing but unfortunately hidden by her hair.
The beautiful Mizuki is always dressed and accessorized to perfection. Her multiple pearl ear climbers are on trend and sits beautifully one the ear. Her large pearl ring with diamond pave shank provides a bold yet subtle balance. Mizuki know what women look good in and shows both a heavily layered look or one that powerful in its minimalism like how she is wearing her jewels in this photo.
Monica Rich Kosann is charmed in her ability to keep designing new pieces that round out and update her charm, locket and poesy based collection. A proponent of wearing personal heirlooms, with self-purchased antique jewelry and her own pieces, she mixes everything up without ever looking overdone. Rather, she looks like a model for one of her ads.
Xio Wang creates knock out gemstone and natural colored diamond rings in various shapes that come together like small miniature works of art on her fingers. Instead of stacking, she is going for the opposite at the moment—the statement ring worn on various fingers. They are just as popular a trend as the stackers.
Aida Bergsen has created a fantasy wonderland where flowers grow into life-size creations that are magical and dramatic. They also reflect a lot about her growing up in Istanbul. Here she gave her daughter a necklace of flowers in high karat gold, blackened silver enamel and black diamond pave with one whimsical en tremblant set bird sitting on to on top of the flowers. Her designs are ingeniously over-the-top yet completely wearable. And, they go with all of the floral ready-to-wear from spring into holiday 2017.
Kristy Stone is the designer behind the collection Retrouvai; a name derived from the French proverb ‘Retrovailles,’defined as the joy of reconnecting with something from one’s past. She is wearing many pieces inspired by everything from Victorian to 1980s vintage design such as the large coin necklaces by Bulgari. But what is most unique about Kristi is her ability to mix from her various collections and pull off wearing a gold signet with a stack of white gold and diamond and colored gemstone rings. Around her neck is a large medallion on a choker wire. All of the signet and medallion pieces have different meanings, which she has combined with the iconography of different animals.
Andrea Fohrman’s collection has become a rainbow of colored gems and contains various unusual stones. She even has a rainbow on her sweater, which goes perfectly with jewelry on display. She is wearing pieces from her celestial collection –which continues to be a huge theme as we go forward.
Zoe Chicco is always effervescent and is layered in one or more areas. Her wrist action says a lot about the upcoming season. It’s all about cuff love or stacks of different bangles and flexible bracelets with and without diamond accents. She also loves starting with a choker and graduating necklaces from there.
Page Sargisson is all about casual bohemian chic. Her new raw organic looks in weighty 18K gold with irregular shaped rose cut stones bespeaks the designer’s down to earth manner and easygoing nature. She is completely on trend with the new boldness of her band rings and bracelets and the multi-colored sapphires in pastel to more vibrant hues.
Federica Rettore embodies La Dolce Vita in her lively spirit and her throw-the-rules-to-the wind approach to mixing precious and non-precious elements to create a fine jewelry collection. Like many Italian female designers and creative women, she can pile pieces on and make it all work without allowing the jewelry to outshine her. Her pieces are statement making and singular, which goes along with one of the most popular trends today
Louiza Babouryan a fashion designer, who is married to Arman Sarkisyan is the perfect model for his jewelry, with her clothes and beauty as the backdrop for his pieces, she can pile on quite a few of his high karat and high quality gemstone lockets and pendants allowing those to be the focal point, while also wearing just a few well chosen rings.
