Vivienne Westwood launches Gainsborough Palladium jewels
Dame Vivienne Westwood, one of the most influential designers of
our times, launches 'Gainsborough Palladium jewellery' with
Georgia May Jagger as the face of the collection. The nine pieces
include three 'couture' designs shown here and were inspired by
Westwood's "Paper Jewellery" show of 2000/01.
Though the ornate designs and particularly the tiara, remind me
of the opulent and elaborate jewels of Gainsborough's portraits of
aristocratic ladies in the late 18th century, the jewels
emphasises the lightness and strength of Palladium.
Vivienne Westwood's wit and playfulness is evident as she
deconstructs our idea of stately jewels and leaves us with
hauntingly beautiful empty frames. The vacant metal openings
suggest the ghosts of precious stones that may once have graced
these ornaments and hint at the frailty of the jeweller's
art. The intricate details wrought in fine Palladium wire are as
light as a spider's cobweb accentuated by dewdrops of little
diamonds and sapphires.
Appropriately, Georgia May Jagger, a society girl of our times
has been chosen as the face of the collection and the campaign shot
by Juergen Teller, a modern portrait artist, . Vivienne Westwood
said, "We chose Georgia May because she's absolutely gorgeous.
She's so beautiful and looks wonderful in the jewellery."
This is Vivienne Westwood's second collaboration with the
International Palladium Board and 'Gainsborough' was first seen at
her Gold Label Paris Fashion Week S/S 2013 show. The collection
will be available at Vivienne Westwood stores and online from the
end of October 2012.
www.viviennewestwood.com
