We examine the greatest jewellery propositions that have appeared this season, from Jamie Hawkesworth's Loewe shadows to Céline's lobster claw
A brand's presentation of its collections doesn't have to stop at the occasional campaign or an e-commerce cutout; some of the greatest houses in fashion additionally provide a considered series of imagery to communicate their aesthetic. While a lookbook provides a clear visual of the pieces that are available for fashion editors to shoot (and later, for customers to buy online), it can be much more: it can dictate a narrative, suggest an atmosphere, discuss themes that are ongoing within the house. Here, we examine the greatest jewellery propositions from three of fashion's greatest brands; those who understand the power of the image as well as the pieces they depict.
Loewe A/W15
Ever since Jonathan Anderson took the helm as creative director, heritage brand Loewe has thoroughly updated its image with the help of photographer Jamie Hawkesworth and stylist Benjamin Bruno. For the A/W15 lookbook, they released their sixth, linen-bound limited edition publication, which, complete with a dust jacket that unfolds into a poster designed by M/M (Paris), demonstrates how its entire conception and production is intimately considered. With Lexi Boling modelling the 80s-inspired collection, it's all pretty covetable but the standout element is definitely the jewellery. The graphic pieces elegantly dangling from Boling's ears and casting shadows onto the walls of Paris' Maison de l'Unesco are showcased in an exquisite manner that has us counting down the minutes until they hit stores. Good work, team Loewe.
Céline Pre-Fall 15
Few people (if any) manage elegant glamour like Céline, a brand whose name has become synonymous with chic under Phoebe Philo's expert direction. Large pieces of yellow gold appear far from ostentatious when paired with clean tailoring, softly lit, beautiful photography and a bare face: instead, the lobster claws and distorted heart shapes feel organic and somehow witty, the chunky necklaces achieve a subtlety not ordinarily expected from a gold chain. As anothermag.com editor Laura Bradley reminded us earlier this year, Phoebe Philo once told us that "the world doesn’t need many more frivolous bits and bobs that end up left in cupboards or landfills” – and the Pre-Fall jewellery collection is not ending up on a rubbish tip any time soon.
Maison Margiela Fine Jewellery
A brilliant combination of erotica and gesture documents Maison Margiela's Line 12 fine jewellery collection, which is (rather quixotically) described as "An anthropomorphic gesture. A random movement quickly becoming stable and a jewel that comes to be defined, understood, engraved in us like a footprint. Sketched by hand, a moving body, giving meaning. The transformation changes a chance into a story." There is something wonderfully enigmatic yet almost explicitly suggestive about it all; fingers elegantly contorted, necks flung back to reveal the throat – but, through beautiful monochrome photography, it stands distinctly apart from the dated and highly-sexed diamond campaigns of yore.
