THE JEWELLERY OF GIANFRANCO FERRE- A BOOK TO CHARM YOU

BY SARA DARLING

Mention the name Gianfranco Ferré, and his pristine white shirts might spring to mind. In fact, his career as a fashion designer is far more celebrated than his work as a jeweller. With a degree in architecture, his conceptual jewels and highly structured fashion complement each other in their diversity.  Using precious stones, his jewellry interprets his clothing collections, cleverly intertwining an element of reference. Particularly utilising eye catching ornaments for the neck wrists and the waist.

His fashion credentials established when he designed his first collection in 1974. In 1978, he founded his own company and in1989 became artistic director of Christian Dior. Ferré designed haute couture and women's prêt-à-porter collections for Dior until 1996, when he returned to working exclusively for his own company.

Ferre’s trademark reinvention of the white shirt in the nineties, allowed him to enter the realm of every woman's wardrobe, and his incentive cuts reflected his passion for travel, with later collections inspired by cultures from all over the world consisting of highly structured garments with  trademark, strong, prominent seams.

Dubbed the Frank Lloyd Wright of fashion, which is a reference to his architectural roots, he blended his love of practicality seamlessly into fashion design; Declaring ‘fashion is logic’ his jewellery is made with a much more experimental eye. 

Choosing to work with unique and unusual jewels, his catwalk jewellery collections are intensely detailed, and using pearls, polished shells, crystals, corals and painted wood, the avant-garde creations are like no other. Not bound by any constrictions, the jewellery is timeless as it does not fit into one particular style. 

In the mesmerising coffee table book, Gianfranco Ferré: Under Another Light. Jewels and Ornaments, over 100 colour photographs have been catalogued into a digestible slice of the glamorous world of couture jewellery. Art directed by Vogue Italia’s Luca Stoppini, it is perfect for jewellery and fashion lovers alike 

Order a copy here
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