The Jewels in the Crown: A Review of
the Spring/Summer 2012 Jewelry and Accessories Collections
Fashion Week is never just about clothes. Itʼs also a chance for jewelry and accessories designers to strut their stuff before a captive audience. This past September in New York City, the following designers rose above the rest, piqued my interest, and showed collections that were daring, beautiful, filled with high energy and as dramatic as you would expect a jewelry/accessories collection to be.
By Phillip D. Johnson
Kara Ross' love of fine jewelry began at the age of 13 when, during an African holiday with her parents, she was encouraged to choose a native gemstone to design her own ring. She later spent years designing fine pieces for private clients and is known for her use of color in both her jewelry and handbag/belt collections which informs her viewpoint that jewelry should be bold, traditional but edgy, feminine yet modern and always vibrant. A certified gemologist, Ms. Ross has been designing jewelry for over 20 years and is also celebrated for her modern, geometric pieces that sometimes feature semiprecious stones, often set in 18kt gold and always designed on a grand scale. Her designs also boast a sleek, architectural look with structured pieces that often reminds one of geometry and her attention-grabbers have been worn by Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Lopez, Carrie Underwood, Ellen Pompeo, Reese Witherspoon, and Michelle Obama, just to name a few. The vision for the spring/summer 2012 collection is “upbeat and whimsical.” For her jewelry collection, she was inspired by the ocean, and an "under the sea" fantasy was born in this collection. It feature cool color palettes, layering designs in a fresh light and playing up ideas of free flowing strands and layering. However, the elements of the pieces still retain our signature structure and geometric shapes.
For her handbag collection, she was inspired by summer desserts. Almost all of the exotics skins used in the collection have a “berry” reference (blue raspberry, pink berry, black berry wash) while still remaining edgy and fashionable with touches of metallic and neutral washes. We also have a python skin we call “cookies and cream”
There is nothing here in this collection that I wasnʼt in love with. I adored her stackable bracelets, her gorgeous turquoise and gold rings; the rose quartz suite (earrings, bracelets, and rings) and just about everything she showed at the Circa Lounge at Lincoln Center. Her handbags, mainly evening clutches, were like icing on the cake. Here too, she outdid herself in providing luxury, beauty and function. Sheʼs at the top of her game and I expect that the fall/winter 2012 collection will be just as good, if not better.
The vision for the spring/summer 2012 collection is “upbeat and whimsical.”
The Reece Hudson handbag line was established by designer Reece Solomon and Max Stein in 2009, with the goal of launching a collection that bridges the gap between luxury products and street style. Ms. Solomon (Hudson is her younger brotherʟs name) strives to combine strong design sensibilities (after all, she started out designing clothing) with the highest possible quality materials and construction – all of course handcrafted in New York City.
Each bag is hand-crafted, made of super-soft leathers and exotic skins, and lined in cotton. She is inspired by people she sees on the street, travels, and often old photographs; and is particularly interested with form and function when it comes to designing and shapes. The line is anchored with an innate attention to detail combined with an astute skill in the mixing of textural and tonal contrasts, quilting, and exotic skins.
The Reece Hudson handbag line
For spring/summer 2012, Ms. Solomon has “sunshine on my mind. I was thinking about a tropical beach," and most of the pieces in the collection were both beach- and city-worthy. In high gloss primary colors, there were totes in stripes and chevron; oversized clutches in turquoise and cobalt; and weekend-ready carryalls in sunflower yellow. In terms of color, the collection was very cohesive in that there were the right amounts of color without going crazy. Shapes were structured, lines were clean, and the details had just the right amount of city grit. She expanded her skill set by working with fabrics in addition to skins for the first time, as well as experimenting with new embroidery techniques and applications. Next season, Ms. Solomon and Mr. Stein will be working with a hardware specialist as the next necessary step in advancing the line and adding some weight to the bags.
Lulu Frost, a jewelry brand founded in New York City in 2004 by designer Lisa Salzer, is known for combining vintage style with contemporary design to create classic and enviable pieces featuring an eclectic mix of pearls, diam a n t e s , turquoise and silver. She is inspired by many things: her at Dartmouth College experience as an art history and fine arts, her familyʼs long involvement in the fine estate jewelry business (for over 30 years), and the influence of having worked with Victorian, Deco and Nouveau pieces as a child.
This love of combining modern with vintage came through loud and clear in her spring/summer 2012 collection entitled “Endless Summer”. While working on the collection, Ms. Salzerʼs mind was very much on her Long Island childhood and the summers she spent on the beach in Montauk. Going outside her comfort zone a bit, the collection combined unexpected materials such as raw-cut stones, suede lashing, silk orchids, brass beads melded into gold, and found pieces with her usual semiprecious stones, gold, and silver, all working to create a collection any woman can love. She stacked bracelets on top of each other, created gladiator-like pieces that ran up the leg and arms, necklaces that combines pearls, gold leaflets and gold pieces shaped like sharkʼs tooth, and colorfully stringed beads in perfect harmony. What could have been a clashing mess turned out to be a glorious mix.
Ms. Salzer is a very talented craftsman and this collection will serve to highlight her strengths and gain her even more fans.
Lulu Frost, a jewelry brand founded in New York City in 2004 by designer Lisa Salzer, is known for combining vintage style with contemporary design to create classic and enviable pieces featuring an eclectic mix of pearls, diamantes, turquoise and silver.
forms lavishly decorated with broaches, bib necklaces and other pieces alongside models transformed into fairies, dancers, a cellist, an opera singer, all within a whimsical landscape of flora, fauna, and jewels. The highly creative colors of the makeup on the models were the most creative and vivid seen all Fashion Week, the hair and costumes were straight from Black Swan and the set resembled a bejeweled jungle, all in theme to create a fantastical yet inviting world. Necklaces were displayed on half-forms, all the better to highlight their creativity, and the full-form mannequins were “decorated” to the hilt with a vivid collection of colorful silk flowers, Broaches made with pearls, beads, semi-precious stones, necklaces wrapped around the dummyʼs arms – all piled one on top of each to create an extraordinary mosaic of beauty with dramatic effect. This garden was really one I could have lived in forever.
The partnership of Karen Erickson and Vicki Beamon, also known as Erickson Beamon, has long been a driving force in costume jewelry design for over 23 years; and really doesnʼt need an introduction. The two women, hometown friends from Detroit, happened into jewelry design by chance. But chance has had nothing to do with their subsequent success. Their designs are as varied as their customers base and ranges from street fashion to ladies-who-lunch-but-nevereats and haute couture. They have collaborated with every major designer over the years, as well as selling to the worldʼs top retailers. But truly the one of the highpoints (so far) in their career was working, in the mid nineties. on John Gallianoʼs first show for Dior, Alexander McQueenʼs first show for Givenchy, with Dries Van Noten and Ungaro - all in one season. They continue to grace the photo-editorial pages of the top and most progressive magazines (Vogue, Vogue Italia, Harpers and Queen, ID, Dazed and Confused, Purple, W, Dutch, Tank etc....) and their beaded necklaces, chandelier earrings, bracelets, and brooches are all meticulously handcrafted using crystal and semi-precious stones. As an aside, they are known throughout the industry for their signature chandelier and statement necklaces, “sometimes with a vintage feel, and often with a rockʼnʼroll twist.” Their Spring/Summer 2012 collection, “The Redemption of Eve: Return to the Garden”, was inspired by “Kar Wai Wongʼs beautiful and timeless film In the Mood for Love, the infamous French photographer Guy Bourdin, with folklore brights and eclectic prints inspiring the color palette.” Designers Karen Erickson and Vicki Beamon transformed an eight floor space at Milk Studios into a garden of ethereal yet earthly delights. The collection was displayed on mannequin
The sisters Phoebe and Annette Stephens are the faces and youthful talent behind Anndra Neen, an unusually rustic yet very glamorous collection of handmade copper, brass, and nickel-silver jewelry all handcrafted in Mexico. Launched just this past spring, the Sisters Stephens grew up in Mexico City surrounded by artists. Their grandmother, Annette Nancarrow, was a painter, sculptor and jewelry designer in Mexico during the '30s and '40s, with an amazing studio in Mexico City filled with pre-Columbian figures, beads, feathers, and bones. Ms. Nancarrowʼs designs, made primarily from Columbian stones and shells with mixed metals, were worn by Frida Kahlo, Helena Rubenstein, Elizabeth Arden, and Peggy Guggenheim and sold at Henri Bendel in New York City. The sistersʼ collection, however, conceived and made by local artisans in Mexico City, are influenced by their grandmother but draw on their own interpretation of antique European jewelry, Egyptian and Bedouin motifs, Japanese design elements and French Medieval armor. All these influences can be readily seen in their Spring/Summer 2012 collection shown during New York Fashion Week at Made at Milk (at the Milk Studios). I really liked the silver bib necklaces, the bicycle chain and silver-nickel necklaces with Agate, Lapiz and Quartz pendants. As a point of fact, the Stephens sisters, young as they are, have probably learned a very valuable lesson from their artistic family: Itʼs okay to push the boundaries but you have to know when to leave well enough alone. All the pieces in the collection are highly expressive, pieces that say “look at me!” but they grounded enough to garner fans across the entire spectrum, from the avant-garde/downtown, hip-til-it-hurts maven to the Upper East society girl. However, the most exciting aspect of this collection is the metal cage evening bags. It actually originated as an extension of their signature Cage Cuff. The sisters were intrigued by the challenge of taking that concept even further and saw it as a way of standing out in the crowded accessory marketplace. “We liked the idea that you could see through it, so what youʼre carrying becomes part of the bag's aesthetic. After we had made and used the first clutch, we had the idea to make a smaller, oval shaped one that you could hold in the palm of one hand for the nights when all you need is a credit card and your lipstick. The sisters worked closely with their Mexico citybased artisan who developed the bag into a three-dimensional piece. After that, it was about testing the bag in real-life social situations to get a feel for its functionality and to figure out if there were any other adjustments that need to be made. In terms of taking this collection to market and their future in the industry, the sisters see only the limitless possibilities that lie ahead. “Our father paints and brought us up to be able to really look at art in terms of its composition. We feel that each piece we make must feel complete and balanced. We feel it's important, especially in jewelry, to create pieces that someone will keep for a long time and hopefully pass down to their children. Our design philosophy is to always push boundaries. If the two of us get truly excited by the piece and by wearing it, that will come through and hopefully others will like it as well.”
All imaged were photographed by the author and Cheryl Gorski
Exercising Your Options with Phillip Johnson
You see her and can't help but admire how fabulously put together she is: the Marc by Marc Jacobs top, the Alexander Wang pant, the Mui Mui fitted jacket and the sky-high four-inch high heels. She's a vision of loveliness in her hot outfit and her killer heels. But what you didn't see was her walking five blocks from her home that morning in those four-inch heals to get to the subway station. You didn't see her hurrying down the stairs at the station as she runs for her train (after all, she's already late for work) in those four-inch heels. You didn't see her throughout the day running her errands, and traversing the office aisles in the said heels. You didn't see her occasionally massaging her feet under her desk. You didn't see her later that night out at dinner with her friends, with her shoes off under the table. Once she got home that night, her feet was swollen but hey, sometimes we suffer for fashion. Well, maybe now you won't have to.
In Working Girl, Melanie Griffith's character, Tess McGill, lived on Staten Island, took the Staten Island Ferry to work as a secretary on a trad-
ing floor on Wall Street, where she changed from her Reebok sneakers into the shoes she had stashed in a draw in her desk. That was the 1980's and early 1990's for you. That wouldn't necessarily be the case today. Most young women and professional women in the New York City wouldn't dream of downgrading their outfit, however temporarily, for comfort. It's simply not done. I am thinking Slim Goodies is the answer to their prayers and to maybe get them out of those godawful flip-flops as well. .
Alyxaundria Sanford and her friends, Sheree Coleman and Sherrae Hayes, all left Ohio (in 2008 and 2009) to move to New York City to attend New York University and graduate school (Miss Sanford and Miss Hayes), and to pursue her dream of working in television (Miss Coleman). They embraced all that New York City had to give them, further developing great style, participating in the NYC nightlife and generally grew to love the city and all that it had to offer. Except wearing killer heels wasn't all its cracked up to be. They believed that, in matters of the “sole”, every woman needs the ability have instant relief at her fingertips. Tired of their own aching heels and swollen feet,
the three women, knowing that there has to be a way to be trendy yet medically safe, in 2009 put their heads together and let loose their entrepreneurial spirits to create Slim Goodies. Designed for delicate soles, Slim Goodies are wonderfully flexible ballet flats that are so slim, they slide with ease into an accompanying pouch that is small enough to fit in any bag, or large enough to carry all the other essentials like a credit card, your ID, mad money (extra cash in case your date flakes on you and stuck you with the bill) and your cellphone. Although Slim Goodies' primary target market would naturally be career women on the go (that walk from home to the subway station in the mornings in high heels can seem awfully long), Ms. Sanford and her fellow Goodie-ites believe that every woman should exercise her rights to be comfortable and discreet. Slim Goodies comes in black leather, a leopard print, silver and gold (for now) and in simple sizes: small (5-6.5), medium (7_8.5), large (9_10.5), and extra large (11_12.5). More colors are coming.
“every woman, if given the chance, will like Slim Goodies”
This flexible shoe is a practical product that serves as a temporary yet very stylish solution to relief foot pain after wearing heels or even after long walks. It has an extra hydrophilic foam layer on the sole that absorb moisture and keep your feet fresh. The elongated front preserves your dignity so to speak by hiding unwanted toe cleavage and the soft leather look is easily as stylish and versatile enough to keep you on the well-dress list. It's far better than lugging around an extra pair of bulky shoes and you won't anymore have to carry a work and a sneaker bag. And even better, you are helping your feet to heal itself, because quite frankly, they are the only feet you will have in your lifetime.
Although they live in New York City, Ms. Sanford and the Sole Discretion Team knows that every woman, if given the chance, will like Slim Goodies, whether they are out partying in Las Vegas, a professional in downtown Cleveland just running out to get some coffee or lunch, or running errands during your lunch break in San Diego.
Slim Goodies were handed out to celebrities and fashion insiders attending the GBK Gifting Lounge at the Empire Hotel at the recent Spring/Summer 2012 New York Fashion in September. The fashion blogging community has discovered Slim Goodies and much have been written about them on numerous fashion blogs, which after all is the target audience. There has also been testimonials on twitter and numerous retweeting by Slim Goodies' increasing fan base. As Miss Coleman told Amanda Amsel of Cincinnati City Beat, All the shoes in this series will have the same premise of being compatible and easy to carry around. However, the next shoe in the series can be worn all day and can be a substitution for heels It will have a slightly elevated heel, but still will be able to fold up.
Almost any heel can be uncomfortable, so it comes in handy to be able to switch to a comfortable shoe anytime you need to,Miss Hayes says. It also gives you a sense of freedom to not have to carry around multiple bags. It is
so nice to have everything you need in one clutch.
Slim Goodies, costs $15 each and currently only available online, although the company hopes to be able to offer them in local retail outlets soon.
For more information, email customerservi ce @ so le -discretion.com or visit w w w . s o l e discretion.com. www.sole-discretion.com