An
engraved personal message on a coin necklace cast from antique small
change; an assemblage of pastel-coloured sapphire gems, prismatic nuggets
that separate beams of light into a spectrum of colour; gold-plated rings with
calligraphic flourishes that spell out touching messages: these are
constitutive of the delicate eclecticism of Laura Lee’s jewellery designs. The
label’s eponym, Laura Lee, was first attuned to the wonder of jewellery from
her mother’s ‘amazing charm bracelet’ that she used to adore when she was a
little girl. ‘Borrowing’ this bracelet at regular intervals, Laura Lee has at
her design core an inspiration from personal objects that are laden with
sentimentality. Following her nomadic family through the rich scenery of
Asia,
Europe and Australia, Laura Lee mixed this pull towards the sweet and the
heartfelt with a palpable sense of wanderlust, with what can be seen in far
flung galleries, museums and markets. Her passion for the exotic beads and
trinkets from her travels was to know no bounds.
Laura
Lee launched her jewellery label in 1985 and has since been lauded for blending
the seasonal trends of Fashion Weeks with a structural and aesthetic purity
that devotes itself to the use of natural gemstones. The result is a stunning
collection of contemporary pieces that does not dismiss an everlasting appeal.
While her designs are stocked in some of the world’s eminent boutiques and
department stores, including Harrods, Le Bon Marché and Barneys New York, Laura
Lee opened her own boutique in 2004. In the heart of Covent Garden, the store
is a veritable treasure trove, whose window displays are as beautifully
creative as the jewels onto which they offer a gleaming, transparent aperture.
Wanderlust is transformed into windowlust, with the window having undergone a
tattoo processed that the store team
have affectionately branded ‘Pretti Graffiti’. Whimsical messages past and that
have decorate the bracelets, rings and necklaces inside past and present have
been hand drawn onto the window for browser’s pleasure.
the Laura Lee Shop
Window.
For
Spring/Summer ’13, the label create pieces with ‘The Girl with the Kaleidoscope
Eyes’ in mind. As the title suggests, the collection boasts a delicate sequence
of gems that refract light into a spectrum of colour and geometric shapes that
add a directional structure to rings and necklaces. Once more, Laura Lee drew
inspiration from her adventures abroad for this kaleidoscopic collection. The
luxuriant atmosphere of the Rajasthani Palace, with its powder-puff sapphires
and hexagonal landscaping, both feature in pieces such as the lilac sapphire
multi-gem bracelet, large moonstone earrings and engraved hexagon necklaces.
while the allure of amber in pendants and drop earrings was inspired by the
intense cultural magnificence of the Amber Palace in Jaipur. A fresh and
minimal look is thus evoked for 2013.
Lookbook.
A
bevy of celebrities have fallen for Laura Lee’s charmingly eclectic pieces.
Anna Friel, Keira Knightley and Alexa Chung have all been accessorising their
looks with the label’s designs . Alexa Chung, so pleased with a Laura Lee
piece, took to twitter to announce her love for her new horse cameo ring, in a
social media move that gives the label the ultimate seal of approval from the
BFA’s Most Stylish Woman of the Year, no less. The press, too, have been quick
to style their shoots with Laura Lee pieces. The October edition of Vogue saw
Cheryl Cole on the front cover wearing a pearl ring from the label. It is no
matter of coincidence that this number was called the ‘Pure Style’ issue.
Picture tweeted by Alexa
Chung with the Pony
ring -Cheryl Cole wearing Laura Lee pearl ring in 'Pure Style' issue of Vogue.
All Images curetscy of Laura Lee or Laura Lee Press.
