Bold, opulent & eccentric

Bella!” exclaimed Karl Lagerfeld, placing the all-important imprimatur on Delfina Delettrez Fendi’s first jewelry collection, which premiered at Colette, the beloved Paris institution of all that’s new and hypercool. The 19-year-old scion of the Italian fashion empire was typically tough like a true Fendi, never asking her mother, Silvia Venturini Fendi, for advice, though she had her father, the French jeweler Bernard Delettrez, to thank for transforming her ideas into reality at his Roman atelier. 

She obviously inherited her mother’s feel for textures — working gold, silver, enamel and gems into Gothic skulls and animals with varying layers of color and finishing. A pair of frogs had emerald eyes and pavé-set sapphires down its spine while a tete de mort (death’s head symbol) was covered in bright enamels with jeweled snakes over its hollow eyes and grinning teeth. Pearls, Carrara marble and exotic wood were also used in unusual combinations for her menagerie of fauna. Delfina drew inspiration from her grandmother’s spooky wartime stories and antique crucifixes, combining super-luxe elements like gold and diamonds with leather, bone and wood. The jewelry is definitely very individual and emblematic of the trend in jewelry and accessories today: bold, statement pieces that are opulent and unique, taken out of context for a look that can go from the exquisite to the absurd.

At the Swarovski autumn-winter 2008-2009 show at the Eclat de Mode, leading Filipino designers Bea Valdes and Butch Carungay of Avatar showed some of the most stunning pieces reflecting this same trend. The neckpiece of Bea was like a computer-generated axonometric snake whose scales had turned into 3D cubic flower buds in luminous crystals of moonstone and opal with honeycomb patterns of amethyst, ruby and peridot. A similar one was worn at the recent Inno Sotto-Bea Valdes show but more “Alhambra” in shades of onyx and tournasol, which the model sensuously caressed round her neck and over her shoulder, tapping into its mysterious, talismanic power. Butch used crystals sparkling in transparent rolls of ribbons cascading and curling in abandon with merry pompoms of fiery-red Swarovskis. Erik Halley, who designs jewelry for Hussein Chalayan, Alexander McQueen and Alberta Ferreti among others, had the most gorgeous cuffs in black galuchat with spikes of galactic crystals featuring Swarovski’s new unique shapes inspired by outer space and characterized by brilliant, irregular cuts. Another model had less dangerous yet equally dazzling cubes arranged in a digital pattern.

The Statement Cuff

The cuff is still strong for the next season but less is more, so that one cuff that you do decide to wear better be one to be talked about for many parties to come. Erickson Beamon showed high-glam cuffs in patent leather studded with geometric onyx and crystals set in gold. From their Heartbreak Hotel collection was a chunky copper cuff with a framed portrait of the legendary heartbreaker himself, Elvis Presley, encrusted in turquoise and coral. At his Fendi Spring Summer 2008 show, Karl Lagerfeld issued must-have cuffs in lucite with Star Trek spikes and the colors of the rainbow. In a takeoff from his iconic fingerless gloves, he also showed crystal-studded slave bracelets in black and white leather. Wynn Wynn Ong, who is preparing for her show next week titled “Intersection,” had bold kamagong cuffs with crickets and dragonflies set in gold with gemstones. She also had an exciting line in luxe croc embellished with couture-cut stones.

The Fantasy Necklace

The necklace is the stuff of fantasies and a rich source at the moment seems to be the Art Nouveau period wherein flora, fauna and faeries reigned. Even Miuccia Prada had Art Nouveau as a running theme from fabric prints to wild, Lady Kier (of Dee-Lite) heels. Erickson Beamon’s Mad Hatter necklace has dragonflies, birds, flowers and clocks in antique gold with enamel and crystals in spring pastel hues. Hervé Van Der Straeten, who designed the sculptural case of Guerlain’s Parure compact to be launched soon at Rustan’s, showed what W has declared as the must-have Art Nouveau necklace for spring: a chic piece made of abstract biomorphic shapes in gold, reminiscent of that romantic era but still resolutely modern and contemporary. The same shapes recur in statement earrings that are all you need to wear with an LBD or the simplest goddess gown. Pushing fantasy further, Beamon has also gone the surreal route, framing the famous Magritte sky in gold medallion pendants and referencing Man Ray lips to accent chain necklaces.

The Universal Traveller

Coming back to earth, multicultural influences continue to inform jewelry and accessories but not as touristy, ethnic souvenir staples. There are no more borders in the new ethnic style, which Elizabeth Leriche calls “The Universal Traveller” — a heady mix of references from Africa, Asia and South America. The motifs, however, are reworked and styled out of context so that they have an ironic or futuristic slant geared toward the creative, elegant and urban woman. Satellite has filigree orbs but plasticized in black and strung at random in an asymmetric necklace to give it the look of today. Filigreed gold geometric panels, looking like the windows of a Marrakesh riad, are studded with garnets and oversized to make for an edgy necklace cum breastplate. Csengeri uses multicolored cording to encrust semiprecious stones for a fresh and modern look that’s fun and just remotely ethnic.

The Couture Spirit

Hollywood elegance and the couture spirit are the driving forces for grown-up womanly looks that have been prevalent in the fashion scene. Chanel’s spring 2008 show had oversized pearl teardrop earrings and piled-on pearl necklaces that personify Coco’s legendary style. Diamante balls accented with pearls were blown out of proportion at Erickson Beamon to adorn chain necklaces and monster rings. Brooches have resurfaced again in both white and multicolored stones to reinforce this sophisticated feeling in the air. If there’s one fantasy that won’t go anytime soon it’s the Hollywood star wearing the most sumptuous gowns and the most exquisite jewels, surrounded by opulence and worshipped by adoring fans despite, and because of, her eccentricities.

It’s a fantasy world fashion followers will always aspire for and designers will continue to feed, an escape from the humdrum and the quotidian. As Karl Lagerfeld says in his new film documentary Lagerfeld Confidentiel, “I don’t want to be a reality in people’s lives, I want to be an apparition.” And may other designer apparitions like him continue to bless us with more delightful fantasies and fashion miracles for many seasons to come!