For the longest time, jewelry pieces have been revered as mere accessories. But times have changed and now, top fashion designers including Schiaparelli, Givenchy, and more are adding gold and gems to their garments.
It was in late spring during the lockdown in New York when Daniel Roseberry, the artistic director of Schiaparelli, while strolling around West Village, started thinking about those people who live in the gorgeous brownstone buildings. If the world ends, what can they take with them, then?
According to Roseberry, those with amazing art would probably take their art pieces. Those with amazing jewels would take their jewels. But, aside from these two valuables, people would probably just leave their homes with whatever clothes they are wearing.
It was the clothes that Roseberry thought of when he designed his newest spring 2021 collection. He wanted to make a statement where the heritage, direction, and investment of the brand are showcased through the jewels.
This year, jewelry is regarded as a strong benchmark for the top designers. In spite of the colossal change in how people look and live their lives for the past several months, the collections for fall 2020 and spring 2021 that were revealed earlier this year and a couple of months ago featured jewelry as the centerpiece of most designs. This time around, the jewelry has been integrated to the garments instead of using this as just a simple accessory.
Roseberry stated that for Schiaparelli, jewelry is now the new embroidery for them. This is the exact phrase that he has been discussing with his team. For him, it feels more contemporary to start imbuing the codes to the jewels instead of trying to find their way with embroidery.
Net-a-Porter’s international buying director Elizabeth von der Goltz agreed that jewelry has a more modern feel compared to embroidery as a sort of decoration and is more appealing to customers. Jewelry integration is a more practical solution that designers can incorporate to their creations.
She added that the origin of the trend can be traced back to Daniel Lee whose Bottega Veneta fall 2020 collection featured the sweater dress with the neckline embellished with chain.
However, just like what the designer Gabriela Hearst stated, mankind has been adorning themselves since time immemorial, which makes this trend intrinsic as to who humans are as a species.
Jewelry can also make garments more timeless and Ms. Hearst described this as the focus of how she designs. She treats clothes in a more precious way and she said that the addition of jewelry can contribute some uniqueness and substance.
Hearst’s collection for spring 2021 took inspiration from an Eastern Island shell bracelet given to her by her mother at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She thought that this was a beautiful thing to include on the creation of their pieces since she thinks that their collections are more about the human hand and the human spirit.
With this latest innovation in the fashion world, people can expect to see more garments that use jewelry as their centerpieces.