Every year, on the first Monday in May, a host of stylish celebrities descend on the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City to commemorate the opening of the year’s fashion exhibition theme. An exciting and important event in the fashion world, each year the exhibition showcases significant moments in fashion. This year’s theme is ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’ which will showcase historical pieces from as far back as the 17th Century and the dress code is ‘The Garden in Time’, based on the 1962 short story by J.G Ballard which explores the concept of preservation through flowers. We are therefore expecting an array of vintage-style florals and beautiful colours.
To coincide with the MET theme this year, we are spotlighting one of Kiki’s most well-known and enduring designs, the double oval earrings. Inspired by the spring fairy’s green and blue tutu in the ballet ‘Sleeping Beauty’, Kiki’s iconic Peridot and Blue Topaz earrings challenge the traditional belief that certain colours could not be put together. Soon after this, purple amethyst was paired with green peridot, magenta rubellite with crimson fire opal, golden citrine with blue topaz as well as other striking colour combinations that could not be found elsewhere in the British jewellery scene. This was the beginning of a fulfilling relationship between Kiki’s designs and the ballet, with numerous collections after this being inspired by various performances and costumes.
To celebrate fashion is to look back and understand how design has shaped the world, and how it never quite disappears but gets re-invented and innovated in a multitude of ways. Whilst jewellery trends tend to stay around longer than those for clothing, at Kiki McDonough we are always inspired by our past designs. At the beginning of this year, we launched our new Kiki Classics earrings which are a fresh take on the double oval design that has been a Kiki McDonough staple for decades. Keeping the lower oval in the design, the top oval was updated with petals and pear-cut gemstones in their place, with a nod to the original colour combinations. With sparkling diamond accents, these earrings are the perfect accessory for special occasions.
As a bolder choice, look to our Florence collection which was first launched ten years ago and recently revived - the floral motif at the forefront is the perfect way to pay homage to ‘The Garden in Time’ theme. Now in new colours including summery citrine and sky-blue topaz with bold gold detailing, this collection is made up of earrings, pendants and rings and is perfect for celebrating the beginning of spring and the reawakening of past designs.
If we were to attend the MET gala this year, we would wear with pride the luminous blue topaz and peridot double oval earrings or anything from our Florence collection as an example of how jewellery is constantly evolving whilst standing the mighty test of time.
