The increasingly close relationship between jewelry and haute couture
Jewelry and fashion , it's a love story that took off in the 90s and hasn't faded since, quite the contrary. More than ever, the relationship between luxury jewelry , or even costume models, and haute couture is close.
Jewelry enhances fashion
After all, what could be more logical than these two disciplines, whose aim is to enhance the person wearing a piece of clothing or jewelry, meeting to link their destiny. There's nothing like a magnificent long necklace to enhance a neckline or to match a bracelet to a skirt. The great designers most of the time have their own jewelry division, whether it's Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana or Dior.
Of course, not all of these houses waited until the last minute to get into luxury jewelry. Chanel jewelry has been around for decades, so much so that some can be categorized today as antique jewelry . The first Chanel jewelry collection was launched in 1932 (called “Jewelry of Diamonds”). But for many others, this interest came much later. For example, you won’t find Dolce & Gabbana jewelry from before 2015…
Chanel, pioneer of luxury jewelry from fashion
The French house of Chanel was the first haute couture brand to venture into the jewelry field. At the request of the International Diamond Corporation, Coco Chanel created a collection of 47 diamond jewels. The success was immediate… except among the jewelers of the Place Vendôme , who were probably worried about seeing fashion treading on their toes.
This fashion/jewelry association has allowed the emergence of classy jewelry at affordable prices, whether high fashion or small jewelry… depending. In these jewels, the noble precious stones such as diamond , ruby, emerald and sapphire are replaced by onyx, turquoise or even malachite.
Haute couture at the origin of costume jewelry
It is also interesting to note that it was haute couture that allowed the emergence of costume jewelry. Gabriel Chanel played a leading role in its development. It should not be forgotten that at the time, it was the Roaring Twenties. As opulence spread, Gabriel Chanel saw costume jewelry as things " devoid of arrogance, in an era of too easy opulence ." People like Jean Schlumberger would also have an influence on this trend, as well as Yves Saint-Laurent .
Let's not forget that Paco Rabanne started out as a costume jewelry designer for Emmanuelle Khahn. Some creations are so exceptional that they are sought after on the antique jewelry market. This is particularly the case for the baroque creations of Christian Lacroix , now retired. If haute couture and motorcycle houses are into costume jewelry, it is also for purely commercial reasons: if it has a price much lower than a real piece of jewelry , the manufacturing costs are even lower. Indeed, a pair of silver-plated earrings at several hundred euros makes for nice margins.
