The collections unveiled at Paris Haute Couture Week celebrated times past alongside nature, travel and the universe.
When we think of the finest pieces made with rare gems and unparalleled craftsmanship, our minds go straight to a beautiful, neoclassical square in Paris’s first arrondissement: Place Vendôme. Home to the world’s best-known jewelry brands, this historic location is where exclusive couture collections are designed, developed, strung and set. It is also the destination for viewings during the January Paris Haute Couture Week.
Despite the chaos and turmoil caused by the coronavirus over the past 12 months, some of Place Vendôme’s prestigious brands kept their doors open this year and hosted a select few editors and writers to view their latest high-jewelry collections. Van Cleef & Arpels, Chanel, Piaget and Boucheron were among those laying out the red carpet, pairing their events with black, medical-grade masks. Their latest collections are breathtakingly nostalgic, evoking a pandemic-free world through motifs including history, nature, travel and space.
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
In its latest collection, Sous les Étoiles, Van Cleef & Arpels takes us on an interstellar adventure. Composed of 150 pieces, the new series is inspired by the cosmos, with the maison’s designers, jewelers and expert gemologists having consulted with astronauts before finalizing their creations.
They also drew inspiration from classic sci-fi movies such as Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. These components — together with recent astronomical images — galvanized the designers, resulting in a collection of one-of-a-kind pieces set using innovative techniques.
The works are full of vivid colors, fluid movements and complex textures. Sugilite, fossilized wood and red coral are just a few examples of the alternative materials used to create this awe-inspiring series. The jewelry house even introduced a hammered gold texture into the pieces to accentuate the black holes that fill our universe.
“The maison has always been interested in the instant where observing nature encounters poetry and the imagination,” explains Nicolas Bos, president and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels.
Indeed, the jewelry house has used the galaxy as poetic inspiration ever since 1907, when the sale of a star-shaped pearl and diamond brooch was mentioned in one of its first accounting ledgers.
In the spotlight: The Temple ring
A perfect example of how astronomy and science fiction have influenced this collection, the Temple ring’s peak is a nod to Jean-Jacques Lequeu’s audacious Temple of Equality architectural drawings from the 1790s, as well as the structure of the 1960s Kongsberg cinema in Norway.
The warm colors and golden tones of this piece are inspired by the earth’s magnetic field which, although invisible to the naked eye, protects it from harmful solar radiation.
CHANEL
Journeying from the stars back down to earth, our next stop on the Place Vendôme was Chanel for the unveiling of its Escale à Venise collection.
With this latest series serving as an ode to Coco Chanel’s love of Venice, you feel instantly transported to its streets as you walk around the boutique’s showroom. The vibrant colors, emblems and shapes associated with the floating city and its famous carnival can be recognized in each of the 70 pieces. Some are inspired by the Gothic architecture and mosaics of St Mark’s Basilica on Piazza San Marco, others by the red and blue striped mooring poles of the gondolas.
The collection even uses the city’s symbol of the lion, which also happens to represent Mademoiselle Chanel’s astrological sign. The designer’s enthusiasm for Italian fashion can be seen in playful cocktail rings, as well, which feature the distinct hats of the gondoliers.
In the spotlight: Eblouissante Prestige necklace
This transformable necklace in pink gold, platinum and diamonds can be worn six different ways. Interpreting the facades of Venice’s historic palazzos and the polychromatic marble floors of its churches in a staggered motif set with baguette diamonds, the piece also features the quilting pattern that is synonymous with Chanel.
PIAGET
Just around the corner from Chanel, Piaget displayed its latest high-jewelry collection, Wings of Light, with brightly colored feathers and wall-to-wall flowers. Taking its inspiration from the vibrantly-colored plumage of tropical birds and the enchanted jungles in which they live, the series pays homage to nature — bringing it to life in three distinct chapters.
The first focuses on the design elements of feather marquetry by maître d’art Nelly Saunier, combining these with skillful gem setting to create articulated pieces. The second depicts the rich blue tones of sapphires from Sri Lanka’s acclaimed Ratnapura district. The final chapter meanwhile showcases nature at its finest hour, under the glowing rays of the setting sun. This is brought to life by Piaget’s designers through the warm hues of rubies, brushed gold, leather, wood and mother-of-pearl marquetry.
In the spotlight: Natural Harmony watch
This emerald, diamond and black opal piece is a testament to Piaget’s ability to combine the intricate mechanics of watch making with the artistry of high jewelry. In the case of the secret watch, necessity was the mother of invention. In the 1920s, it was considered improper for women to be seen keeping time, which is why these pieces originally came into being. Over 250 hours of work went into this modern-day masterpiece and it took more than two years to find emeralds of a similar color to match each other perfectly.
BOUCHERON
Delving deep into Boucheron’s extensive archives, its creative director Claire Choisne looked to the maison’s rich Art Deco past for inspiration. High on the list of achievements were pieces from 1925, when Louis Boucheron received the Grand Prix at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris — widely acknowledged as the birthplace of the Art Deco movement.
It is a style that is “eternally contemporary,” according to Choisne, whose 21-piece Histoire de Style, Art Déco collection features the contrasting characteristics of the movement. Think pure lines but opulent designs, or black and white with just a touch of color.
Another important focus for this collection is its gender neutrality. “Both women and men will have the freedom to wear our pieces in any way they want,” Choisne notes.
In the spotlight: Ruban Diamants
Inspired by a bracelet in Boucheron’s archives, this baguette and round diamond piece set in white gold is anything but ordinary, requiring 650 hours of work. The chevron-patterned item can be converted and worn in different ways — as a headband, two bracelets, a choker and finally a belt — making it the ideal genderless accessory.
Main image: Boucheron signet ring set with a 4.43-carat Muzo emerald, rock crystal, onyx and diamonds.
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