It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last, but the perennial obsession with all things Jazz Age is in full force. Blame it on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, maybe, but last summer, there was also Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris and last winter marked the release of Paula McLain’s novel The Paris Wife, about Ernest Hemingway’s first wife. Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming remake of The Great Gatsby is going to be out next Christmas. And let’s not forget the runway trends for this spring: Gucci’s shimmery frocks with Chrysler Building geometry; Marc Jacobs’s drop-waists; and Ralph Lauren’s return to his Gatsby roots.
Lauren continued his love affair with the Jazz Age with his new fine jewelry collection: nine pieces in white and rose gold, onyx, emerald and diamond done in geometric and asymmetric shapes. We love this cuff, inspired by the architecture of the Art Deco era ($141,500). It pairs perfectly with matching earrings, done in a paved diamond square motif with agate and onyx ($36,000). Available at the Ralph Lauren women’s flagship store, 888 Madison Avenue; ralphlauren.com.
It’s now common accessories knowledge that you can never have too many bangles, but sometimes you want more than just a glorified friendship bracelet to add to an arm party (yes, that’s code for bracelets piled on a wrist). Enter Jemma Wynne, a contemporary jewelry brand whose gold bangles with brightly colored sliced stones are the perfect addition to that carefully planned stack of cuffs, bangles and watches.
The collection, which also includes sliced watermelon tourmaline necklaces and mammoth ivory earrings, is designed by Stephanie Wynne and Jenny Klatt, who first met in 2005 while working at Judith Ripka. Their background there can be seen in the delicateness of their pieces, but it’s their colorful sliced stones and asymmetrical shapes that make their collection unique.
When the duo teamed up in 2008 to launch the brand, their first piece was a bangle; now they have more than 20 options available. We especially love this stack with a mix of pavé diamonds and prehnite, labradorite and serpentine. Bangles from $1,700; 626-799-3109.
Every season shoe designs become more and more outrageous: more studs, more exotic skins, more death-defying height (who could forget Alexander McQueen’s ten-inch Armadillo heels a few years back?). Which is why the new spring collection of Aperlaï, designed by founder Alessandra Lanvin (granddaughter-in-law of Jeanne Lanvin) with Central Saint-Martin grad Geraldina Bassani Antivari, is a welcome change. The 40 pairs in the collection, which feature ladylike details and sumptuous shapes, are sexy but feminine. To be clear, the styles still have their share of super-thin metal stilettos and rich python and croc—plus the new exotic favorite, stingray—but they’ve been mixed with softer, colorful details like raffia ruffles, thick satin ankle wraps and even seersucker. Take the Clara heel, trimmed in black raffia, or the hot pink–strapped Chiara, with subtle nude snakeskin details. Each heel is at least four inches, but Aperlaï also offers suede and python moccasins for true comfort. The shoes are available at Bergdorf Goodman—albeit in limited quantities—and a Paris boutique is in the works. Shoes, from $570. For more information, contact Aperlaï at aperlai@aperlaiparis.com
Last week French jewelry firm Mauboussin opened the doors
of its shop on Madison Avenue in New York to celebrate the launch of its new
e-commerce site, mauboussin.us. Guests filled all three floors of the townhouse
boutique to snack on macarons, sip La Caravelle Champagne and peruse the new
collections, which include large candy-colored amethyst and citrine cocktail
rings and diamond necklaces and bracelets done in Mauboussin’s signature shooting
star. The Manhattan boutique, which opened in 2008, is the company’s first American
flagship and houses its colored-stone, diamond and watch collections on the
first two floors, while the third floor serves as its bridal salon.
The online shop, meanwhile, is an ode to Mauboussin’s
flagship on the Place Vendôme. Most of the collection will be available online,
though the emphasis is on the company’s steel-and-diamond watches (from $545)
and popular cocktail rings (from $1,100), which come in sapphire, amethyst and citrine
and have poetic names like Couleur Baiser (Kiss of Color) and C’est Toi la Star (You’re
the Star).
Mauboussin, 714 Madison Avenue; 212-752-4300; mauboussin.us
American Express Publishing ("AEP") may use your email address to send you account updates and offers that may interest you. To learn more about the ways we may use your email address and about your privacy choices, read the AEP Privacy Statement
