There is nothing quite as exciting for the lover of fine jewellery as London Fashion Week, where top class designers gather to display their wares to admiring audiences. This year was no different, as display after display of exquisite pieces made their débuts among the clamoring crowds. The focus this year was a raw delicacy with beautiful combinations of metals, wrought wood and collections of rarely used materials such as one-of-a-kind vintage beads and even fabric beads. Each piece exuded romance that did not quite speak the language of the Victorian era, but instead, had an artful contemporary twist.
There was an earthy quality about the fashion jewellery at London Fashion Week this year as though each designer had drawn inspiration from nature. Creatures great and small were represented in the forms of jewel-encrusted foxes with ruby eyes, hand-made silver mice and rabbits and even trees with branches in silver akimbo. There were a number of dimensional scarab pieces in insect and moth themes, as well as art deco animal pieces by way of rhinos, antelope heads and elephants.
Delicate bracelets are all the rage this year with frosted pastel colored Lucite pieces trimmed with brass. Some were museum quality in their sculptural grace. Architectural designs were also big at fashion week with necklaces that resembled scaffolding and gears adding a touch of elegance to a steam punk look. Large, chunky rings ruled the show in bright, oversized shapes that did not necessarily go with a set, but rather stood alone as beautiful accents.
Cultured pearls made a renewed appearance in silver bibs or connected with leather, to offer a stark textural contrast and adhere to the earthy overall theme of the show. Ethereal, light and graceful are three qualities of this year’s rather delicate chains and heart-themed pieces.
Men’s jewellery took on an elegant masculinity with brass dog tags and dress collars with embellishments that came in limited numbers. The masculine imagery of hammers and nails was apparent in a number of pieces that included cufflinks and chunky identification bracelets. The London designer jewellery show at Fashion Week was simply spectacular.