Kate Young, a celebrity stylist, is responsible for some of the most recognisable ensembles we’ve seen on the red carpet in recent memory. She is the expert on how jewels can provide the ideal final touch to a show-stopping ensemble. She outfitted Selena Gomez with a stunning Bulgari Serpenti choker for this year’s SAG Awards. In diamond tassels by Boucheron, Sienna Miller exuded easy glamour at the BAFTAs. And who could forget Margot Robbie at the 2015 Oscars wearing her Van Cleef & Arpels Zip necklace?
Fortunately, you no longer need to have the financial resources of a Hollywood celebrity to take use of this jewellery expert’s knowledge. The New York-based stylist collaborated with Monica Vinader to design a line using pieces from her incredible collection of vintage jewellery. The diligent duo of innovative entrepreneurs was acquainted by a common acquaintance,
Vinader claims that after their first video call, she felt it was a match made in heaven. You said, “Hold on a second, I’ll just go to my safe. And you literally spun around and began displaying your jewellery box to us, complete with your incredible collection of old items and the things you cherished.
Although I adore fashi
on, it may be quite fleeting. After a year and a half, things that were significant suddenly became extremely worn out. Jewelry doesn’t accomplish that, claims Young, who enjoys the work of Elsa Peretti among other designers. She cites witnessing the expression on new interns’ faces as one of the finest aspects of award season when they open a diamond necklace for the first time.
The Monica Vinader X Kate Young collection was inspired by a variety of sources, including fashion, modernist sculpture and architecture, and vintage jewellery. Young says she is now “very influenced by that early 2000s minimalism, that Donna Karen/Armani-style modernity.”
The end result is a modern, sculptural collection of high-shine gold vermeil earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings that is complemented by a stunning combination of lemon quartz and black and green onyx. Vinader attributes the realisation of the pair’s concept to the skill of her goldsmiths, a testament to the enduring nature of good design. She laughs, “It turns out simplicity is difficult.
One bracelet has a flawlessly smooth curvature made of black and gold. Wear it by itself or layer it with other items. If you wear the bangles in all-gold, they appear to be quite simple, but Young claims that if you layer them in various hues, they take on a cool, conceptual quality.
Young is as encyclopaedic in her knowledge of jewels as she is in that of clothing. When her mother took her to storytimes at the library, she would immediately head to the fashion area since she was obsessed from a young age. But she didn’t begin to learn about jewellery until she began working as an assistant at US Vogue in the early 2000s.
