#ITLIST: JEWELRY DESIGNERS
Our five favorite up-and-coming accessory lines.
There was once a time when accessories played second fiddle to the clothing components of an outfit--emphasis on once. Today, when the phrase "arm party" has a trademark pending and statement necklaces emerge as major runway trends about as often as floral prints and military-inspired details (which is to say, often), it seems that jewelry designers are no longer the ugly step-sisters in the world of fashion. Be it a simple necklace or an over-the-top pair of earrings, there is always the potential to take dressing and elevate it. And so it should be no surprise that as the realm of accessories has evolved, a cadre of exciting, enlivening jewelry designers has emerged with it. Though it's easy enough to find them on Etsy or at your local indie craft fairs, there are five in particular who have caught our eye. Here they are--and if you like them too, you know what you should do: show your love by putting a ring on it.
REBECCA WILLA DAVIS
The Designer: Julie Thevenot
The Vibe: Pasta necklaces go high-end.
The Bio: Since launching her eponymous in 2008, the French-born, Brooklyn-based designer has spun out from fashion and print design to jewelry.
The Details: Thevenot uses everything from long, tubular wood to small spherical gold beads (with leather thrown in for good measure) to make her chunky necklaces and bracelets. Think of them as subtle-statement pieces--they'll never upstage the rest of your outfit.
The Pick: Ekka Simple Version necklace - $105
The Designer: AOKO SU
The Vibe: Not-too-simple hammered pieces that you can wear with everything.
The Bio: Ashley Jerman has called New York, Missoula (Montana), Seattle, and Richmond home in the past 10 years--but for all her wanderlust, she's not designing with a traveler in mind. Instead, she's set her sights on making pieces that are "special enough to wear everyday."
The Details: Think of her pieces as the burn-out shirt of jewelry--classic shapes with a bit of edge, be it gold hoop earrings with a primitive stake-like closure or a band ring with a row of spikes.
The Pick: Gold Dagger earrings - $72
The Designer: WXYZ
The Vibe: Breaking Bad, if it had its own jewelry line.
The Bio: Laura Wass got her start working for Philip Crangi and Giles & Brother, before spinning off on her own. The fall '12 collection is her very first--but you'd never guess it.
The Details: Cartoonishly oversized rubber links that form a bracelet, pixel-inspired rings, and--is that a gold, silver, and gunmetal double-helix necklace? Why yes, it is.
The Pick: Bubble Bracelet - $95
The Designer: Mega Etc.
The Vibe: Your elementary school art teacher on crack.
The Bio: Brooklynite Sarah Evans searches out found materials to inspire her chunky, colorful creations.
The Details: Shop Mega Etc. pieces online and you'll find that they're broken up into different categories ("wood necklaces," "ceramic necklaces," etc.) but the truth is that no single descriptor accurately captures the designs. Each combo captures the sort of whimsy that you can only express with jewelry--in the form of oversize beads, colorful chains, and off-kilter pairings.
The Pick: Hodge Podge necklace - $70
The Designer: Brook & Lyn
The Vibe: Wearable art that evolves every season.
The Bio: Mimi Jung's background is in the visual arts--she studied installation art as a student at Cooper Union and designed books and exhibitions for Art+Commerce--but it was her on-a-whim foray into jewelry three seasons ago that has found the bicoastal (that is, New York and Los Angeles) designer acclaim.
The Details: Saddle leather, cotton strands, and handmade patina glass mirror may sound simple, but in Jung's hands they turn into complex, engaging pieces. Each collection she chooses a theme and sticks with it--which means that every season we have a reason to check in and see what she's up to.
The Pick: Stencil Circle Cuff - $154
REBECCA WILLA DAVIS
The Designer: Julie Thevenot
The Vibe: Pasta necklaces go high-end.
The Bio: Since launching her eponymous in 2008, the French-born, Brooklyn-based designer has spun out from fashion and print design to jewelry.
The Details: Thevenot uses everything from long, tubular wood to small spherical gold beads (with leather thrown in for good measure) to make her chunky necklaces and bracelets. Think of them as subtle-statement pieces--they'll never upstage the rest of your outfit.
The Pick: Ekka Simple Version necklace - $105
The Designer: AOKO SU
The Vibe: Not-too-simple hammered pieces that you can wear with everything.
The Bio: Ashley Jerman has called New York, Missoula (Montana), Seattle, and Richmond home in the past 10 years--but for all her wanderlust, she's not designing with a traveler in mind. Instead, she's set her sights on making pieces that are "special enough to wear everyday."
The Details: Think of her pieces as the burn-out shirt of jewelry--classic shapes with a bit of edge, be it gold hoop earrings with a primitive stake-like closure or a band ring with a row of spikes.
The Pick: Gold Dagger earrings - $72
The Designer: WXYZ
The Vibe: Breaking Bad, if it had its own jewelry line.
The Bio: Laura Wass got her start working for Philip Crangi and Giles & Brother, before spinning off on her own. The fall '12 collection is her very first--but you'd never guess it.
The Details: Cartoonishly oversized rubber links that form a bracelet, pixel-inspired rings, and--is that a gold, silver, and gunmetal double-helix necklace? Why yes, it is.
The Pick: Bubble Bracelet - $95
The Designer: Mega Etc.
The Vibe: Your elementary school art teacher on crack.
The Bio: Brooklynite Sarah Evans searches out found materials to inspire her chunky, colorful creations.
The Details: Shop Mega Etc. pieces online and you'll find that they're broken up into different categories ("wood necklaces," "ceramic necklaces," etc.) but the truth is that no single descriptor accurately captures the designs. Each combo captures the sort of whimsy that you can only express with jewelry--in the form of oversize beads, colorful chains, and off-kilter pairings.
The Pick: Hodge Podge necklace - $70
The Designer: Brook & Lyn
The Vibe: Wearable art that evolves every season.
The Bio: Mimi Jung's background is in the visual arts--she studied installation art as a student at Cooper Union and designed books and exhibitions for Art+Commerce--but it was her on-a-whim foray into jewelry three seasons ago that has found the bicoastal (that is, New York and Los Angeles) designer acclaim.
The Details: Saddle leather, cotton strands, and handmade patina glass mirror may sound simple, but in Jung's hands they turn into complex, engaging pieces. Each collection she chooses a theme and sticks with it--which means that every season we have a reason to check in and see what she's up to.
The Pick: Stencil Circle Cuff - $154
This story was published on October 1, 2012.
CONTENT RATING:
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Karen Oseland
10/01/2012
Please check out my daughter Andrea Oseland's jewelry line cocoquette. She is a designer in Minneapolis. She was in the metro magazine last year as the main stylist.
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