Monica Rich Kosann

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This past January on a Connecticut estate, I shot my first print ad campaign with my creative collaborator Kelly Framel for a luxury jewelry brand I have been a fan of for many years now: Monica Rich Kosann. As you know,  I have been collaborating with Kelly for close to five years now. She knows what I like, what I gravitate towards, and what will make a good photograph. I feel lucky I get to go to work with one of my best friends and have clients I personally love such as Monica. This time, however, was a bit different. When Monica approached us last year about creating their campaign images for 2015 it wasn’t just digital as we’ve done so many times before. This would be mine and Kelly’s first print ad campaign.

So it was a little different…

They wanted Kelly and I create the entire thing from concept to final selection. Kelly spent a ton of time researching photography books and british magazines and would come to meetings dragging a suitcase full of them. A lot of visual inspiration came from Bruce Weber’s Blood, Sweat and Tears and Peter Lindbergh’s Untitled 116. For me, the story was all about heritage and balancing the timelessness of Monica’s jewelry. The way each piece is something you collect (or dream of collecting) and becomes a part of your life until ultimately being passed it down to a loved one. Monica is also a photographer so there was an element of her photographic spirit I wished to capture in the images, the way she finds these quiet and intimate moments so beautifully. I wanted to shoot in natural light, as Monica chooses to do in her own body of work, and I wanted to give elements of a place or home but never be literal. To feel like a life being lived shown with a delicate simplicity.

We casted two women for the shoot to make it multigenerational, something that is integral to the Monica Rich Kosann brand which we also felt represented the storytelling quality of her jewelry. Though I worked closely with the ad agency, I handled all post production in-house from color grading to retouching. I was very adamant that these would not be overly beauty retouched and aside from a very small few blemishes the women were left as beautifully natural as they are in real life.

When I was growing up it was a pre-digital world everything lived and died by what was physically printed. I dreamed of seeing my work in magazines, on billboards in Times Square (back when they were still billboards), window displays and in mailers. I’m very happy about my career and how things have changed through technology but there is a small piece of me that feels really proud to be able to check off an old fashioned goal of making it in print. When the first ad came out it was so thrilling to see it on the shelf and comb through the pages looking for the shot. If you follow me on snapchat you’ll remember the tears of joy I had sitting there, holding it. I hope I am lucky enough, talented enough, smart enough, to make this the first of many more.

So here are the series of photographs we made on this winter day. Though these are the final four you’ll start to see in Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Town & Country among others, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite moments, and fill you in on what exactly they are wearing these chic creatures and a few behind the scenes stories to some of the shots below…

To Monica & Rod, thank you for believing in Kelly and me.

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The above shot of Deborah was the first in the series of ads to come out in this month’s Town and Country. The call time in Manhattan for the crew was 4:30am in order to get everyone up to the house in Connecticut by early morning light. As the models were in hair and makeup, the styling team were steaming the clothes preparing for the fist shot. I was standing in silence watching the light come up minute by minute. I knew I wanted to shoot in that soft delicate time before the sun comes up just over the horizon so I told Kelly she had ten minutes to have them ready by the dock. After we finished the shot just in time, the sun arose and that quiet moment had passed.

Above~ Marissa Webb navy button up dress | Primary funktional stockholm sweater coat | Monica Rich Kosann carpe diem necklace, gold locket, link chain with diamond pave bracelet, planet cocktail ring, cat’s eye stud earrings

Below~ Jill Stuart peach top | A Piece Apart white pants | Monica Rich Kosann earth charm necklace, suppose you love me posey ring, octopus charm necklace, short poesy rings necklace 

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The above shot of Ira was taken toward the end of the day. This is the 2nd ad to come out in this month’s Harper’s Bazaar. This photo is really special to me for a variety of reasons. First, I personally own this charm. It was an anniversary gift, a nod to all the world traveling and memories I’ve collected around the world. At this particular moment in the day I was feeling a little worn down from having so many people talking at me while I was trying to shoot. I felt like I couldn’t hear myself think! I told everyone we got the shot and they all started heading back inside. But I pulled Ira back and asked her to hang on for a moment. It was just her, my assistant and this quiet moment on the edge of the ocean and I asked her hold up the earth in front of her eye, like she has the whole world on a string.

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Above~ Tibi blue trench | Monica Rich Kosann sugar loaf bracelet, posey bracelets, gate collection hoop earrings, stacked collection of posey rings necklaces

Below~ Karen Millen white tshirt | Zimmerman pinstripe suit | Monica Rich Kosann hoop earrings with scroll detail, collection of poesy ring necklaces,  poesy ring bracelets, & stacked poesy rings

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The sports car… that was a surprise. When Kelly and I arrived at the estate the day before the shoot to location scout the grounds keeper took us into the garage were we gasped at the sight of four amazing sports cars. It made for quite the hysterical Snapchat show. On the day of the shoot we had Ira in the previous photo on a yellow couch with a blue jacket on and it just wasn’t sexy or cool enough. The jewelry stayed the same but Kelly put her in a power suit and white tee shirt, we pulled out this little red sports car and that was the right moment. That’s the girl I want to be. This image will also make it to print.

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Natural Beauty

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Natural beauty comes in all forms, in the bareness of a woman’s face, the sweeping landscape of our earth’s vistas, the colors of a sunset and in a precious metal that came crashing down to earth 4 billion years ago: GOLD. We talk about gold jewelry here a lot from what it means to us to where we wear it. I’m always inspired by what designers do with these natural elements, how they create magic with something that traveled across the universe and existed here before mankind.

Modeled by my own natural beauty muse Alli Lanier here are 5 new jewelry designers I’m finding inspiring these days to watch~

Temple St. Clair

Temple St. Clair began, like many great works of art, in Florence, Italy in 1986. A city where the namesake designer still draws inspiration from stating, “Each object that I create carries the soul of the history of the artisans of Florence.” With her signature cocktail rings, rock crystal amulets and elegant gold work, this very chic woman has created a line of jewelry that is collected by in-the-know women that appreciate the balance of art, history and craftsmanship.

Above cover~ 18K Gold Classic Horizontal Oval Ring with Blue Sapphire & Diamond Granulation

Below~ Royal Blue Moonstone & Diamond 18K Gold Bella Bangle

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Below~ 18K Gold Owl Face Post Earring with Diamonds

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The Golden Plumes of 1932

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Gabrielle Chanel believed jewelry had the power to transform oneself and to escape. When looking at these delicate 18K gold feathered pieces by CHANEL remade from her 1932 collection, I thought about those two words: Transform & Escape.

I thought about transforming oneself with our masks into good or evil, into the lightness or darkness, or escaping who we are in our day to day lives with jewelry being the stage we write our script to. Dancers have to be one of the most accomplished groups of people in the art of transforming and taking on roles. While in Paris I met one such dancer, Claire Camille, and wanted to bring this delicate collection of golden plumes, as imagined by Coco, to life and transform into characters so delicate you could imagine they’d simply float away together

Float away together I thought… I love the idea of escaping through jewelry. I have this beautiful gold globe designed by Monica Rich Kosann which I adore. When I wear this piece I escape on a million adventures around the world, discovering beauty beyond imagination and expanding on what limited time my eyes have left to see.

You can easily see how we define ourselves, where jewelry can take our imagination, something LoveGold showcases better than anyone. What does the jewelry you wear transform about you? When you truly want to escape, what pieces do you put on? Do you, too, play characters in the theater of life? On this early autumn day in Paris, here is where we drifted off to like a feather endlessly floating in golden light….

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CHANEL 1932 PLUME~

Earrings // Necklace // Bracelets // Ring

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Worth its Weight in Gold

a look at the special pieces of gold jewelry I wear and why

I like for the jewelry I wear to mean something, to have a story when people ask me about it. Yesterday was the start of New York Fashion Week which means lots of photographs, lots of beautiful clothing and lots of chatting with fashion friends I’ve missed over the summer. A woman on the street complimented me on my gold jewelry which meant so much because each piece has a memory sewn into its life with me. The most important being Kevin’s wedding band {above} which was my Grandfather’s and we all know how amazing he was. They could not afford to buy wedding rings when they were married today, September 5th, 1950, so for their one year anniversary my grandmother had saved for months to buy this simple gold band.

When I’m shooting or traveling to more rural parts of the world I also prefer to wear a more simplistic set of jewelry than the beautiful vintage ring that usually lives on my finger (and I still get caught starring in awe at it). Instead I wear another simpler ring that is very special to me. Yesterday we learned about John Hardy’s Greener Every Day initiative with their bamboo collection: when you wear bamboo, you plant bamboo. My bamboo ring is inscribed on the inside “This Planted 7 Bamboos” and reminds me not only to take care of the earth around us but also recalls a life changing journey to Bali with John Hardy and Cuyana.

a look at the special pieces of gold jewelry I wear and why

Around my neck is a long gold chain with two charms dangling off it: the moon & stars with the earth. The Moon & Stars was a gift from a woman photographer & creator of very exclusive heirloom pieces I greatly admire after I photographed her daughters at our studio. The earth was an anniversary gift from my husband to remind me of all the places we’ve been and all the dreams I have to look forward to.

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Flash Tattoos

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This year we have been spending a lot of time out on the eastern tip of Long Island, watching movies in the backyard with friends, having picnics on the beach, driving around windy country roads to farm stands in our 1982 Mercedes. One morning my creative partner in crime (Kelly) came in and said look at these! Everyone at Surf Lodge is wearing them and I want to paint a girl’s entire body like a warrior princess with them, do you want to shoot it? Obviously.

Part of fashion is looking at the culture around you, taking aspects of it, like trendy flash tattoos the girls in Montauk are rocking, and turning it into a fantasy, into a story that only lives in our minds yet is inspired by the world around us. It took Kelly 4 hours to adorn our fearless warrior Sofia before Ido took over with hair and makeup. With some amazing Issey Miyake pieces catching in the summer wind whipping around her body, we followed her into a world of golden goddesses…here is to the sparkling days of summer before the twinkling light washes away like flecks of gold foil.

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NAGA

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You can’t help but be overcome by the romance of the NAGA story. All over Bali we kept seeing the face of the lovesick dragon in temples, as carvings and in the landscapes of the fable. As the story goes…

There is an ancient story of a dragon known as the Naga. He lives on the volcano peaks of Bali, but at night will descend into the ocean to see his true love, the Pearl. In the morning, the Naga rises up from the water and flies back to his peak. Water drips from his scales as he goes, nourishing the rice fields of Bali. During the day he keeps watch over the island, protecting Bali and its people, before returning to the ocean each night. Because of this routine, the Naga represents eternal love, prosperity, and protection to the Balinese people.

John Hardy’s Naga Collection takes this fable and brings it to life through dragon imagery: the scales along his body, his expressive face, and sometimes, glowing eyes. You can wear a Naga piece differently to mean different things – if you orient his head so it faces toward you, it represents eternal love and prosperity. Away from you, it means protection (this has to be my favorite application of a story to something wearable!)

Since the mythic dragon lives between volcanoes, we paid a visit to Mount Batur to hike up this active volcano which most recently erupted in 1963. Through volcanic activity over the centuries, a lake has formed from a collapsed crater. The visible activity of the volcano is a network of vents releasing hot gases – at the source, hot enough to warm food (in the case of our trek it was hot bananas!) It was my first experience on the top of a volcano, feeling its hot gases wrap around me as if Naga was watching the sun set, preparing his descent into the ocean to be with the one he loves….

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#Wanderlust

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I‘ve always dreamed of traveling and I feel so very lucky that my job takes me around the world to be witness to and capture the wonder and beauty of different cultures, natural marvels, and lifestyles. One of our most recent journeys was to the island of Bali to shoot Cuyana’s summer campaign. We added a few days to the trip so we could truly experience the island, hosted by our friends and Bali natives at John Hardy who know the island so well. Staying at the Villa Campuhan was one of those pinch-me moments when your wanderlust dreams come true in the pure definition of paradise…we ate only the freshest food in an open air pavilion overlooking the Balinese ocean, we drank coffee with the sunrise and spent the hot afternoons swimming and reading. This special place fit right into LoveGold‘s summer of #wanderlust campaign… I can’t wait to see where other people travel to over the next few months and if they are lucky enough to be adorned in luxurious hand crafted gold like I was. Here is what I wore at the breathtaking Villa Campuhan…gold to match the sun, white to keep cool, anything to flow like the ocean and only bare feet ~

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Above & below John Hardy Bamboo Collection gold and diamond pave cuff and ring // MAIYET skirt & Ralph Lauren top

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John Hardy + Earth Day

I‘ve been thinking about Earth Day coming up tomorrow and how much more conscious we are of the globe now thanks to air travel, digital technology and the speed of communication. When I think about the Earth, certain words or earthly elements pop into my mind: Water, Plants, Animals, Wind, Earth, Sound, Gravity, Light, and Humanity. I wanted to put these earthly words into a visual photographic story while also telling the story of one of the most “GREEN” luxury brands and conscious companies out there.

John Hardy, the sustainable luxury jewelry brand based in Bali, thinks about their approach and place in the world in a 360-degree way. For example, all the silver jewelry is made from reclaimed silver which can come from a variety of places, such as old jewelry, computers and refrigerators! They believe they can produce a luxury product that is in harmony with our environment; instead of pulling more out of the earth and continuing to strip our natural resources, they want to use what is already out there.

In Bali, the jewelry is handmade by local jewelry artisans, who have centuries of passed-down knowledge and expertise in craftsmanship. The company knows how important these people are and goes to great lengths to take care of them, providing organic meals for their artisans and a single mother initiative that allows women to work from home in order to care for their child. Together the designers and artisans collaborate to make what ultimately is the distinct look of John Hardy.

When I was interviewing them at their New York City offices about the company philosophy, the passion simply poured out of the team. The pieces I ended up shooting below are all from the Bamboo Collection – this is significant to point out, as these pieces are part of an initiative. For every piece purchased from this collection, one or more bamboo trees are planted with help for forest management and water preservation. This year to date, John Hardy has planted 900,000 bamboo seedlings, which is 6 times the size of Central Park. In honor of Earth Month in April, John Hardy will donate 20% of all Bamboo Collection sales made on JohnHardy.com to support Trees New York which goes to funding a project where the John Hardy team will plant evergreens in the middle of West Harlem with the idea of creating a canopy effect to help filter the air and, in winter, add color to our gray days.

We are all beginning to become conscious consumers. I talked about that a bit in my personal style post: supporting brands that give back. John Hardy is all about what they call “Sustainable Luxury” which breaks down to Culture, Community, Commerce and Care.

Care – Giving back and especially giving back to nature for a “greener every day“.
Culture – the John Hardy Family. Supporting the collaboration between designers and artisans and the preservation of the Balinese art forms and traditional french jewelry making processes.
Commerce – Creating a profit to sustain their initiatives and give back while connecting with consumers and educating them on what their products do beyond the monetary exchange.
Collaboration Taking care of their the employees either through organic meals, enabling single mothers to work, providing amazing health care to supporting the local orphanages and communities of Bali.

So here is to our Mother Earth and all the gifts she gives us. May we have, as John Hardy says, a Greener Every Day and be the example of a new kind of balance. While photographing the concepts of these earthly elements, I asked our model to come completely barefaced, non-styled hair and bare nails. I wanted this to be about natural beauty, the natural beauty of us… the natural beauty of earth ~

WATER

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Above Gold Knot Ring / Below Silver Link Necklace 

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Below Silver Rope Necklace 

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PLANTS

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The Parisian

The girls in Paris are special and unique / You see it in their eyes when they walk down the street / They sing a song my poor heart never can forget / This night I wish that I were still in Paris yet…

The many ways of dressing up gold… along with stylist Micaela Erlanger we are transforming our muse Devon into 5 different fall looks with amazing gold accessories each day this week. See previously our Uptown Girl / Punk Princess / The Bohemian / Power Player and today, quite fittingly as I am walking the streets of Paris, we end with:

The Parisian

There’s something about Paris – a city of love, of lights, and containing an unbearable amount of chic. My fashion-loving heart aches for Paris, for the women who glide by, looking effortlessly stylish. Here’s to Paris and all its joys, jewelries, and je ne sais quoi

above: Norman Norell Vintage maroon blazer, Norman Norell Vintage pencil skirt, Celine black classic box bag, Monica Rich Kosann and Jennifer Fisher bracelets

above: Miu Miu top, Chanel pleated mini-skirt, J Crew cardigan, Celine black leather bag, Celine Mary Jane pumps, Oliver People’s cat eye sunglasses, Zoe Chicco and Jennifer Fisher rings, Monica Rich Kosann, Jennifer Fisher and Borgioni bracelets (same as cover image)

above: vintage Stephen Sprouse velvet dress,  Zoe Chicco and Jennifer Fisher rings, Monica Rich Kosann, Jennifer Fisher and Borgioni bracelets, Zoe Chicco earrings

The Parisian for LoveGold starring Devon from Ford Models, Styled by Micaela Erlanger, Makeup by Bradford Knight, Hair by Ana Sicat, Shot at Cirque le Rouge

See the entire fall fashion series here or by girl:
Uptown Girl / Punk Princess / Bohemian Spirit / Power Chic / The Parisian

Hannah Bronfman

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Here is what I know about Hannah Bronfman: she is a restaurateur, DJ, entrepreneur, lives in Soho with her gorgeous boyfriend, wears a powerful last name and I loved shooting her. “What’s my inspiration for this shot?” It played out more like a mini-movie than a photoshoot.

I don’t think Hannah can breathe and not create in the space around her. She curated the sounds that filled the studio on this day, matching the beat to the mood of each shot. She talked about her newest creation, an iPhone app called Beautified which allows you to book last minute open spa appointments.

We weren’t going to the spa this day but we still beautified the room with Hannah in gold jewelry designer pieces brought over by LoveGold to take us to a glamorous dream world. The inspiration for this shoot was the golden era of Hollywood and the history-making Dorothy Dandridge…and who better to tell the story anew than someone making her own way in modern times and looking so good while doing it?

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above: J. Mendel dress, Temple St. Clair amulet necklace, Slane necklace, Camilla Dietz Bergeron bracelet (right wrist), Camilla Dietz Bergeron bracelet & H Stern bracelet (left wrist), Temple St. Clair earrings

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above: Donna Karan dress, Camilla Dietz Bergeron choker, Camilla Dietz Bergeron earrings, Camilla Dietz Bergeron bracelet, Camilla Dietz Bergeron ring, Temple St. Clair ring on pinky (right hand), Camilla Dietz Bergeron ring (left hand)

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above: Maiyet dress, Slane tassels necklace, Slane tassels earrings, Temple St. Clair necklace, Temple St. Clair ring (right ring finger), Camilla Dietz Bergeron ring (right pinky), Camilla Dietz Bergeron ring (left index finger), Camilla Dietz Bergeron bracelets

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above: Talbot Runhof dress, Slane earrings, Slane necklace, Temple St. Clair amulet necklace, Slane ring, Camilla Dietz Bergeron bracelet

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above and cover image: Alberta Ferreti coat, Nonoo dress, Camilla Dietz Bergeron necklace, Camilla Dietz Bergeron brooch, Slane ring

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above and below: Talbot Runhof dress, Slane tassels necklace, Camilla Dietz Bergeron brooch, Camilla Dietz Bergeron ring (left hand), Slane ring (right hand)

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Hannah Bronfman, founder of GetBeautified / Styled by Kelly Framel / Hair by Francis Rodriguez / Makeup by Michelle Dittrich / Shot at Ann Street Studio

See more of our LoveGold collaborations from inspiring sisters to Hollywood gold and across the seas to Cannes HERE.

amfAR’s Cinema Against AIDS Gala in Cannes

Fashion Illustration

cover: Ana Khouri cuffs

Over the past few months, we’ve been swooning and sighing over some seriously gorgeous gold, thanks to our work with LoveGold, the organization that’s bringing gold jewelry back to the forefront of fashion.

In the spirit of instant information sharing in this digital age, they’re opening up the doors and allowing us live access to their exclusive gold-inspired runway show at amfAR’s Cinema Against AIDS Gala in Cannes. Curated by the one and only Carine Roitfeld, the show will feature a selection of gold dresses and high-carat gold jewelry from both legendary and emerging designers.

To celebrate this amazing sneak peek at some of the world’s most stunning gold pieces, we did a collaboration with fashion illustrator Katie Rodgers. The beautiful bracelets you see in the illustrations here are going to be part of the show on May 23, so make sure to log on and check it out with me and be gold with envy!

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Hollywood Glamour

I know when you think of Hollywood you think of the silver screen, but on my most recent trip to LA for Oscars weekend, it was more of a golden moment. And who is Hollywood’s golden girl? Marilyn Monroe, of course.

Thanks to LoveGold we had the privilege of accessing Fred Leighton’s vintage collection of gold jewelry so we could be inspired by glamour through the ages. These one of a kind vintage pieces have been worn by Hollywood’s royalty such as Nicole Kidman, Tilda Swinton, and Amy Adams. Styled by Kelly Framel with the help of our beautiful muse, model and actress Estella Warren, we strived to recreate the feminine glamour and playfulness that is so classically Marilyn, so captivatingly Hollywood and made of gold.

Above: Fred Leighton 22K yellow gold flower brooch by Zolotas (previously owned by Jackie O!!), Pale Pink Cocktail Dress by Peter Som

Above & Below: Fred Leighton 18K yellow gold scaled hoops by Cartier, rock crystal and yellow gold cocktail ring by David Webb, White Angelic Top by Badgley Mischka

Above: Fred Leighton 18K yellow gold mesh sculpted swallow evening bag by LaCloche (worn by the lovely Amy Adams at the 80th Annual Academy Awards), Baby Blue Dress & Coat by Donna Karan

Above & Below: Fred Leighton yellow gold and diamond winged victory brooch by Gaucherand Paris, 18K yellow gold and diamond retro cuff bracelet (worn by Maggie Gyllenhaal at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards), White Winged Cocktail Dress by Prabal Gurung

Above & Below: Fred Leighton pair of Victorian yellow gold, blue enamel tracery flower motif bangles, Golden Goddess Gown by Marchesa

 

Shot on Oscar weekend at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood featuring Fred Leighton vintage jewelry, starring  the beautiful Estella Warren, Styled by Kelly Framel, Makeup by Patty Bunch for Benefit Cosmetics, Hair by Sam DiVine, Photography by yours truly~

Editorial made possible and very special thanks for our collaboration with LoveGoldan amazing organization that show cases incredible jewelry, designers and fashion all centered around this precious metal. Sign up to be a part of their golden world for more beauty and inspiration than imaginable!

Golden Dreams…

LoveGold invited us to spend a day with gold, the luxurious metal they plan to never let go out of style. Their mission is to seek out the world’s most beautiful gold jewellery, the designers creating it and the glamorous people wearing it. After having spent a day with so many gorgeous pieces, it’s hard to imagine ever letting go. For this girl, Gold is here to stay.

Below are just a few of the inspired designer’s work in gold that were on hand for our visit. 

Platt

Camilla Dietz Bergeron

I feel madly in love with this vintage Munnu ring so much that the guards had to pry it off my finger when it was time to go!

Ray Griffiths

Camilla Dietz Bergeron

Continue reading “Golden Dreams…”