Minimal, Punk, Chunky and Colorful Jewelry Dominated at Paris Fashion Week
PARIS — A glimmer of gold or a flash of silver is no mere adornment for the jewelry designers who showed their collections during Paris Fashion Week.
Organic shapes, accumulations, magnification and a bird’s eye view on a lockdown’s promenade path are some of the ideas these designers hailing from Paris to Tokyo, Hong Kong to Montreal, Milan to Beirut developed for spring 2024.
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Charlotte Chesnais
With the Lasso collection, Charlotte Chesnais wanted to return to the fundamental of her brand: a circle that twists and turns to form new shapes. “I love creating afresh, that’s what amuses me the most. But the challenge I set for myself was creating something that wouldn’t overshadow previous [designs] while becoming a new essential in itself,” she said.
With these loops that curve around fingers, wrists or the edge of the ear, she carved a spot for the skin to become the finishing jewel. A new favorite for Chesnais and her visitors was an earring that looped back on the edge of the ear like a cuff. At her presentation, silver and gold tones played with the texture of the wheat covering the jeweler’s Nipple table, part of the “Sculpting Nature” installation with French artist Emma Bruschi, who won the le19M des Métiers d’art de Chanel prize and Mercedes-Benz’ sustainable collection prize at the 2020 Hyères festival.
Le Mandorle
Is there a space more suited to poetry and potential than punctuation? In Unspoken Conversation, Hong Kong-based jewelry label Le Mandorle based its fifth collection on commas, the ellipsis and most of all, quotation marks as “the gatekeepers of direct speech, the sentinels of quotations and the guardians of meaning.” Their tell-tale shapes turn into organic swipes worn as brooches, puffy links for a substantial chain necklace, but also swirling pendant earrings and clusters that climb along earlobes.
Designer Tara Lee, a London College of Fashion graduate who cut her teeth at Céline under Phoebe Philo and Jil Sander during Luke and Lucie Meier’s tenure, launched the brand in 2021. With an eye toward organic shapes — the brand’s name means “the almond” in Italian — she plays with 3D printing and traditional silversmithing techniques for contemporary designs priced from 105 euros for a Comma brooch up to 1,020 euros for the Oliva choker.
Sophie Bille Brahe
Pearls are the central element — or rather pillar — of Sophie Bille Brahe’s spring lineup titled “Endless Colonnade.” The Danish jeweler was inspired by the idea of “a secretive, endless colonnade between the sky and the ocean” for long column earrings made of strings of pearls or strands of diamonds. The standout of the collection is the 264-pearl Piazza Colonna version, with twin strings of graduating orbs, while the Colonna Grande offers a more compact but just as eye-catching spray of pearls. Bille Brahe also nodded to her inspiration’s watery counterpart with the asymmetric Pillier de Diamant earrings but also the Collier d’Ocean Royale, a graduating tennis necklace with more than 10 carats of diamonds twisted into a wave shape resting on the collarbone.
D’Heygere
Between sugar cube rings, a pretzel that becomes an earcuff, earring backs that become the star of the earlobe, golden chains braided into extensions for earrings, a tubular flower choker where you can slip blooms for a truly ever evolving look — Stéphanie d’Heygere made you look, and probably even made you stare. In her Manifesto collection, she cranked the dial on her trompe-l’oeil play to 200. In the ultimate twist, there’s even a gift card envelope and carrier bags emblazoned with “Thank you” or “Happy Birthday” — a collaboration with leather goods brand Medea.
Justine Clenquet
Don’t mess with Betsy, Debbie or Holly. They may sound like sweet souls but they’re the namesakes of Justine Clenquet’s Showgirl collection, where the Lille-based designer played with the trappings of punk-grunge hardware. There was a belly barbell scaled up to be the central feature on a ring, hoop earrings studded with their own piercings and spiky strands of silver and 51,28-tone brass entwined on a necklace. The brand is also expanding swiftly thanks to the addition of shoes and bags, already at Galeries Lafayette in France and at Nordstrom from spring 2024. Having outgrown its 800-square-foot studio in Lille, the label moved to a new 2,300-square-foot one in the northern French city in October.
Eéra
Romy Blanga and Chiara Capitani went for bigger, bolder designs to enrich their ever-growing Eéra world. Capturing the proportional shift were the Stone and Reine collections, hinged on a motif recalling can tabs and now tweaked to further accentuate angles and curves, and scaled up to result in oversized pendants. These stood out alone as maximalist drop earrings or necklaces built on black cords or chains.
Originally introduced with rings, the Tubo family was also expanded to create hoop earrings and bangles marked by the signature octagonal silhouettes, here defined by pops of neon colors and diamond-encrusted edges. The ‘90s vibe imbued in these pieces continued in a new series of gold designs coming with squared charms covered in diamonds, which offered a new strong proposition set to further build on the duo’s juicy recipe of turning out high-end jewelry appealing for younger consumers.
Statement
Amélie Huynh introduced a new line in her brand’s assortment of sculptural pieces inspired by Art Deco and Brutalist architecture. The label — which since 2018 has stood apart for helping to establish reclaimed silver’s place in high jewelry by elevating it with diamonds and precious stones, before welcoming pieces in 18-karat pink gold, too — debuted the full-fledged Spike collection. This included rings, pendants, earrings and bangles available both in pink gold and rhodium-plated sterling silver, which were all marked by a new geometric motif paved with diamonds and defined by black agate studs on the sides.
Riefe
In her work as creative director of the Yohji Yamamoto by Riefe line, Rie Harui is all about “strong dark pieces.” Under her own Riefe label, this trained gemologist who studied jewelry design in Paris is “always playing with colored stones,” she told WWD at her first Paris presentation. The occasion was an opportunity to discover a sampling from her first five seasons, such as the Noise ring inspired by sound waves, the stackable designs of the Allure one, but most of all, the Self-Awareness sixth offering. Emblematic of Harui’s desire to infuse Japanese spirit in her work were the Arc pieces, whose geometric outline alluded to the curving slope of roofs typical of her homeland’s architecture, captured by famed photographer Takay at the Enkakuji temple in Kamakura, one of Japan’s national treasures located near Tokyo. They served as a metaphor for meditative practices.
“When people need to center themselves or seek a spiritual moment, they do a tea ceremony or calligraphy. So many things are happening but in the duration [of that practice], we are focused only in the moment,” Harui said.
Silver and 10-karat gold are the designer’s favored metals, with all jewels made in Japan. Among memorable designs were a pink gold ear cuff with white diamonds (from 1,237 euros, tax excluded) as well as a silver and malachite tennis-style necklace, priced over 3,500 euros.
Tracia
On the first day after the 2020 lockdown, Canadian-born and Paris-based jewelry designer Claudia Riendeau came back to find her apartment burglarized and most of her jewels gone. “That was a kick in the a– from the universe” to get serious about launching a brand, an idea she’d been kicking around since moving to Europe and leaving her luxury retail career behind, she told WWD. Three years on, she’s unveiled Tracia and its first “voluminous, a bit bold, impactful pieces meant to be worn on minimalist outfits.”
Another heritage of the lockdown is their geometric outline, taking after the shape of the paths in the Luxembourg Gardens that she’d trace time and again during the lockdown’s daily one-hour exercise outing as seen from a high vantage point — congruent with her desire to encourage others to rise above challenges big and small. The brand owes its name to Thrace, a region in modern day Bulgaria where humanity first discovered gold four millennia before the current era, but also to Riendeau’s use of Fairmined gold, with precise origins disclosed. The six models Riendeau released — four necklaces and two earring styles, with another two already in the works — retail from 1,400 euros for a dainty pendant and up to 5,350 euros for a chunky chain choker.
Marie-Hélène de Taillac
Blue is what inspired Marie-Hélène de Taillac for a spring collection in which she played extensively with Arizona turquoise, tanzanites, iridescent moonstones, apatites and a 51.28-carat aquamarine. Taking pride of place in the collection as one of her Princess rings, this sparkler is the largest stone the Jaipur- and Paris-based jeweler has ever set. It came accompanied with a row of turquoise clouds, a three-strand necklace with 157 carats worth of tanzanite briolettes, dancing and dangling hoop earrings set with a gradient of blues, as well as a charming bunny pendant of aquamarines framed in yellow gold.
Josie Natori
“I wouldn’t want to fake so I liked the idea that they’re not natural but they’re real,” said Josie Natori last July of her new lab-grown diamond fine jewelry collection titled “The Orient Express,” the latest addition to her expansive brand that includes ready-to-wear, lingerie and couture creations. For the designer, who grew up surrounded by natural diamond jewelry, playing with substantial stones in opulent designs that don’t completely break the bank felt like a great way to play on the idea of preciousness. Expect 14-karat yellow and white gold jewelry designs with an Art Deco flair that play on cushion- and baguette-cut diamonds, priced between $2,170 for a yellow and white diamond emerald-cut pendant and around $42,000 for a statement necklace with emerald-cut stones on one half and brilliant ones on the other, finished off with a 5.8-carat central motif.
W. Salamoon & Sons
The storied jewelry house founded by Wadih Salamoon in Beirut in 1907 intertwined its craft to an environmental cause in the Arctic Splendors collection, which aimed to raise awareness of the effects of climate change on the Arctic region and inspiring customers to embrace more eco-friendly behaviors. The shapes in the jewelry line recall the glaciers that are in danger, and came encrusted with diamonds and punctuated by aquamarine gems.
The collection is a testament to the brand’s own commitment in becoming more responsible and eco-conscious, as pieces were crafted from recycled gold and a heightened focus on transparency was ensured by providing provenance reports for the majority of the handpicked stones. In addition, the company pledged to donate 20 percent of proceeds from the sale of the collection to support charitable initiatives aimed at raising awareness and protecting the Arctic as well as reversing the adverse effects of climate change overall.
Begüm Khan
Turkish jewelry designer Begüm Khan was still in celebratory mood, as her namesake brand launched 10 years ago offered a maximalist display of bold, fancy jewelry in the new Grandball collection. Nature, talismans and lucky symbols continued to be the main sources of inspiration for her statement necklaces, cuffs, brooches, earrings and rings, which here combined scaled-up animal motifs with pearls, crystals and gold. Cue the Windsor necklace that stood out for its opulent gold chain, turtle and scarab-shaped pendants and big pearls.
While Khan’s flamboyant vision already extended to bags, belts and headpieces in her own brand, the designer has now stepped into the world of beauty, too, thanks to a collaboration with Guerlain unveiled during Paris Fashion Week. For the occasion, Khan’s signature elements further elevated Guerlain’s makeup packaging and especially fragrance flacons in a high-end holiday edition that will hit the shelves next month. Prices for the limited-edition scent bottles will range from 500 euros up to 18,000 euros for an exclusive one-liter flacon available only in 10 pieces.
Peracas
Also hailing from Istanbul, Peracas imbued references to flowers and fruits and leveraged organic silhouettes in the approachable pieces crafted from semi-precious stones and crystals on 24-karat gold-plated silver. Cue to chunky floral earrings and the new Cesare and Ginevra rings punctuated by colorful stones, which added to the pendant earrings resembling bunch of grapes the brand is most associated with.
Jacquie Aiche
Los Angeles-based designer Jacquie Aiche continued to build on her rich assortment of gold creations, which hinge on a hand-selection process of minerals and semi-precious gemstones aimed to inspire positive energy, as well as heavy layering. To wit, the concept of the brand she launched in 2007 is to envision jewelry as second-skin talismans for everyday use, rather than occasional accessories, with her assortment ranging from thin chains punctuated with diamonds to big amethyst and turquoise pendants or upbeat inlaid designs. Highlights of the new collection included pendants in quartz crystals cinched by gold bands paved with diamonds and emeralds, as well as a line of 14-karat gold cartouche charms outlined with diamonds and further embellished with pink tourmalines or sapphires in the center.
The designer also renewed her collaboration with Timex to elevate a limited-edition series of watches with her customization, this time adding crystal hour markers and her signature eye motif to the dial, available in turquoise, mother-of-pearl and black goldstone versions.
Ashaha
Moroccan native designer Uma Jémil also takes inspiration from stones and their energy for her Ashaha creations, which are crafted in ateliers between Paris and Italy’s Valenza. The brand, which is influenced by the designer’s Berbere roots and geometric shapes, is best known for the Aku stackable rings in gold and rainbow gems like diamonds, pink sapphires and topazes, as well as for the Unzi line mixing linear and more curvaceous silhouettes. The latter concept was reprised in the new Wave collection of rings, earrings and bangles crafted in yellow gold and diamonds or punctuated with colorful semi-precious stones.
L’Atelier Nawbar
Playful stacking and personalization are at the core of Lebanese fine-jewelry brand L’Atelier Nawbar’s vision, too. The label, which dates back to 1891 and has been revamped by the fourth generation of Nawbars, put on hold its usual nods to astrology and Art Deco-reminiscent motifs to offer joyful pieces inspired by an imaginative flower that bloomed in the dreams of designer Dima Nawbar. This resulted in the Psychedeliah line of colorful pendants, rings, earrings and bracelets handcrafted in Lebanon from 18-karat gold and refined with white diamonds.
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