Although she runs a longtime jewelry and objets boutique in Greece, on the subject of imagining new collections, Greek jeweller Lito Karakostanoglou casts a large cultural web. However then she’s loved a worldwide profession, together with a stint in US promoting and research in sculpture and technical drawing in Paris. It was within the French capital that, throughout the 2000s, Lito began designing for style homes together with Jean-Paul Gaultier and Kenzo, earlier than lastly heading again to Athens to determine her eponymous jewelry home.
Athens designer Lito Karakostanoglou, sporting items from the ‘Paris 1925’ assortment
(Picture credit score: Courtesy, Lito Nice Jewelry)
Paris, nevertheless, continues to be a continuing draw, and it was throughout a current Vogue Week journey that Lito began to additional discover the town’s artwork deco heritage. ‘I went to the library, collected numerous photographs, purchased books, took footage, headed again to Greece and began listening to jazz,’ she remembers. ‘All these references put me so within the temper, that I began designing.’
The result’s ‘Paris 1925’, a set of jewels created in homage to the upcoming centenary of the town’s ‘Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes’, the exhibition that gave the artwork deco motion its identify. By softening the precise geometry and avant-garde froideur of the period’s graphic model, Lito’s assortment of dancing, tactile jewelry designs coupled with the designer’s all-round lightness of contact, units them free in a group shimmering with sensuality. Right here the jewelry designer singles out the pondering behind three key items:
‘I Put a Spell on You’ ring
The Lito Paris 1925 ‘I Put a Spell on You’ ring may be worn on a series
(Picture credit score: Cortesy, Lito Nice Jewelry)
‘This was the primary piece I designed for the gathering, whereas I listened to Nina Simone singing “I Put a Spell on You”. The ring feels deco, flamboyant, like holding a cigarette, and the amethyst on the centre, although easy and domed on the highest, is faceted beneath, so it got here with a geometry of its personal. I picked this stone up years in the past in Jaipur, and I’ve all the time been drawn to how mysterious it feels – deep purple, glowing, and nearly magical. There’s a hidden coral bead on the again, which I added to cease the ring tipping when worn, however it labored so properly with the general design that it has change into a part of the story. That coral, amethyst and the little diamonds all steadiness one another fantastically, I believe. Collectively, they make this ring really feel daring, elegant, and only a tiny bit theatrical.’
‘That’s my Want’ necklace
Lito Nice Jewelry draped gold ‘That is My Want’ necklace
(Picture credit score: Courtesy, Lito)
‘The inspiration for this piece got here from a classic early Twentieth-century necklace I discovered. It had 4 strands of gold chain, and I grew to become obsessive about capturing its artwork deco class. It made me consider Paul Poiret and the way he wasn’t simply designing garments however unbelievable interiors, too. Poiret’s use of material, the way in which he draped it so it flowed, actually struck me, and it is that fluidity that I needed to seize with this necklace. The way in which the chains fall make it really feel like liquid gold in opposition to the pores and skin as a result of they transfer with you, so it feels nearly alive. Then there are the main points – the ends of the strands are paved with diamonds in clear, faceted strains, which add a sort of artwork deco structure. I named it after Louis Armstrong singing “That’s My Want”.’
‘Fallin’ Love’ earrings
Lito Nice Jewelry jewelled tassel earrings
(Picture credit score: Courtesy, Lito)
‘Once I put on these earrings I wish to transfer however then, as a designer, I’m usually extra into the motion and quantity of a chunk than its construction. Right here, the earring tassels add a lightness and freedom – a way of dancing to the design. That is why I seemed for super-light chains with simply the correct amount of sparkle, iridescence and gleam. I’ve pared again the gold as a result of I do not need the heaviness. The gold is there merely as a body for the attractive rubies, sapphires and moonstones, and to not make the jewels “weighty”. The “Fallin Love” earrings are designed to really feel in tune together with your pores and skin. So many jazz songs speak about falling in love, and that is the sensation I needed to seize.’
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