Friday, June 24, 2011

inspiration: i dream of byzantine

One of the more difficult aspects of creating a new collection of jewelry is deciding on color.

I begin building the framework for an upcoming season far in advance.  You'll find me working on sketches for a summer necklace while there is snow on the ground.  As of late I've been putting the finishing touches on our Winter/Holiday collection in 70-degree weather.  

Rich jewel tones and metallics reign for Winter/Holiday.  We're pairing forest green with gunmetal, gilded bronze with gold, and plum with antiqued brass.  These colors nestle right in with the lush velvets and embroidered dresses we've seen for the cooler weather.

Always a fan of Chanel, I found the pre-fall collection to be quite inspiring, and surprisingly in line with our chosen color palette.

Karl Lagerfeld's designs for Chanel were rich in Byzantine references, inspired heavily by Empress Theodora and imperial Roman dress.  Decorative collars, bejeweled stoles, and silk headpieces played dominant roles in Chanel's Paris-Byzance Collection:

CHANEL Paris-Byzance Sandal 

CHANEL Paris-Byzance Ring

CHANEL Paris-Byzance handbag

A look from CHANEL's pre-fall 2011 ad campaign

A look from CHANEL's pre-fall 2011 ad campaign

Limperatrice Theodora Au Colisee by Benjamin Constant


I personally adore the satin dress with the embroidered gold details.  What's your favorite? 

View the rest of Paris-Byzance here.  

Sweet dreams.

-Katy


images 1-5, www.chanel.com
image 6 www.wikipedia.com

1 comment:

Limon said...

The headpieces. Mmmm...

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