Lulu Guinness, the British accessories designer known for her quirky, retro-looking handbags and shoes, has launched a line of costume jewelry.
Guinness created a 13-piece collection of vintage-inspired, gold-plated necklaces, earrings and bracelets set with costume pearls and colored-glass charms.
“After I did my book, ‘Put on Your Pearls, Girls!,’ people always asked me, ‘Where are the pearls, Lulu?’,” said Guinness, explaining her inspiration. “And I could never find jewelry that I wanted to wear — vintage with a modern twist.”
The line may seem restrained — at least by Guinness’ standards — but there are details such as toggle fasteners featuring a tiny lipstick that fits into a pair of lips and sets of small pouting lips as links in all the chains.
“I was inspired by the surrealists,” said the designer, who added that she also looked to Miriam Haskell’s designs and costume jewelry from the Thirties, Forties and Fifties. “These are pieces that look as great with simple black knitwear as they do with a cocktail dress.”
The jewelry collection will retail from $126 for a pair of gold-plated drop earrings to $665 for a gold-plated tiered necklace. It launches today at Guinness’ stores in London and New York, and at Harrods.
The collection is meant to stand alongside Guinness’ higher-end Couture handbag line that made its debut this year, and which is sold in the U.S. at Guinness’ store on Bleecker Street in lower Manhattan. Guinness also plans to launch a mainline jewelry collection for spring that will include silver pieces and retail at lower prices, from $126 to $375.