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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Hannah Bronfman

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Josephine Baker (8)

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.

Danielle & Laura Kosann

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Fashion Portrait (13)

Sisters. Businesswomen. Entrepreneurs. Manhattanites. The Kosann sisters are everything I love about young, smart women today. They can walk into a room, or in our case, our studio, and fill the air with conversations about their newly launched site, their inspiring mother, their favorite designers to wear and chef’s tables to dine at. We chatted endlessly about The New Potato, an online foodie destination the sisters launched this past May where they interview chefs, restaurateurs, celebrities, models, editors, personalities, you name it about something we all have in common – FOOD. Good food. All kinds of food.  My favorite feature of the site is the cityguide… curated by the people who know where to go. I think this is amazing and so useful!

They were on this day our muses.

Working with LoveGold we pulled amazing gold jewelry collections from designers like H Stern, Camilla Dietz Bergeron, Temple St. Clair and even their own mother, Monica Rich Kosann with her nostalgic jewelry designsHere is an intimate look at sisters carving a life into the new potato in black, white & GOLD.

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above and cover image: Danielle (left) wears LOLA hat, Donna Karan suit, Camilla Dietz Bergeron necklace, Slane ring; Laura wears Prabal Gurung dress, Temple St. Clair ring (index finger), H Stern Ring (middle finger), Camilla Dietz Bergeron earrings, Camilla Dietz Bergeron brooch

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above: Laura wears Donna Karan blazer, Zac Posen skirt, Camilla Dietz Bergeron choker, Monica Rich Kosann necklaces

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amfAR’s Cinema Against AIDS Gala in Cannes

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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!