When Danish silversmith Georg Jensen decided to rebrand itself as a luxury jeweler, it launched its new collection of diamond and gold jewelry in the neighborhood of the little gold man—at a private dinner at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, five days before the Oscars. The same evening, Nadia Swarovski hosted a catwalk jewelry show at the Ace Gallery in Beverly Hills. For jewelry houses hoping to make the kind of global splash that has meant big bucks for fashion designers who dress celebrities on the red carpet, all roads lead to Oscar week. Suites and dinners showcasing fine jewelry for scrutiny by celebrities, stylists, and press are proliferating around Los Angeles.“Over the last two or three years, more of the diamond jewelry brands have opted to open suites or take a room for private appointments, because more and more of these jewelry houses realize they have to brand themselves much the way fashion people have,” says Sally Morrison of the Diamond Information Center, which hosted one of Oscar week’s most high-profile suites, at the temporary L.A. version of the Soho House.
The official number of companies participating isn’t available, but Laurie Hudson, cofounder of Luxury Brand Group and former president and C.E.O. of Platinum Guild International, estimates that the number of suites that include jewelers has increased 75 percent over the past decade. “The jewelry industry is a bit of a newcomer to promoting for the red carpet,” says Hudson, who represented half a dozen boutique jewelry brands at the Stuart Weitzman Style Lounge at the Sofitel. “It used to be just Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Gucci. The jewelry industry is primarily operated by individuals, not big brands, not LVMH. We’re latecomers to some of the things the big brands are doing. But now everybody is understanding the mechanics and thinking, ‘Why not?’”
Major brands such as Harry Winston and Chanel court celebrities and stylists at their boutiques on Rodeo Drive. Georg Jensen opened a boutique there in June but still participated in a Golden Globes suite sponsored by W magazine at the Sunset Tower Hotel. The company also threw an Oscar-week dinner for 75 as part of its budding strategic partnership with stylists Estee Stanley and Cristina Ehrlich, who literally brought clients Jessica Biel and Elisha Cuthbert to the table. Event planner Isaac Joseph worked with floral stylist Holly Vesecky of HHV Florals to dress the table in white freesia, calla lilies, and peonies, accented with moss, mushrooms, and succulents and draped around Georg Jensen’s silver pillar candlesticks and geometric plates. Guests were invited to select pieces from a poolside display of the new Cave Collection adjacent to the dining room and wear them during dinner.
Crystal Carlton, U.S. marketing and public relations director for Georg Jensen, said playing host at off-site parties and suites is important to get celebrities “in front of our product. To get A-list people in front of our merchandise is something we’re challenged with all the time. If you can guarantee that in a suite, that’s what we’re looking to do.”
Swarovski took a different approach, with a fantasy-fueled event that bore closer resemblance to an art installation than a fashion show. For “Runway Rocks,” styled by Patricia Field, more than 20 fashion and costume designers such as Hussein Chalayan and Corto Moltedo created an array of highly unusual pieces heavily embellished with crystals. During the 20-minute show, models in masks, an Indian headdress, and even pasties stood motionless on a rotating circular platform beneath industrial metal trusses and splashes of brightly colored light. Celebrities sporting giant, crystal-covered curlicues at the neck may not be coming to a red carpet near you anytime soon, but Swarovski connected “Runway Rocks” to a different arm of the Hollywood machine, touting it as a homage to the art of costume design. The event also subtly featured Daniel Swarovski’s “red carpet collection” of tamer, crystal-covered evening purses in a side gallery en route to the main show.
This year, the biggest hub of activity remained the DIC’s “Celestial—A Diamond Affair 2007,” which matched celebrities with $50 million of jewels at events for companies like Fred Leighton, de Grisogono, and Simmons Jewelry Company. At a tea for Russell Simmons, the hip-hop entrepreneur announced his new Green Initiative collection of jewelry, certified not to come from conflict-ridden nations. (Jewelry reps of other companies say that despite the recent release of the film Blood Diamond, the subject of diamonds’ sources generally didn’t come up at the suites and events.) One of Simmons’ bracelets later made its red-carpet debut on the wrist of Oscar winner Forest Whitaker.
Many such Hollywood endings for jewelry companies begin at the suites. “This is the pulse of L.A. during awards season, where media and celebrities and stylists converge in one place,” Hudson says. “And a lot of international press take the pulse of L.A. and America by coming through here. It’s a convenient way to tell the story about jewelry and glamour for our clients.”
—Irene Lacher
Posted 02.26.07
Photos: Donato Sardella/Wire Image (George Jensen), Lisa Rose/John Paschal International (Swarovski)
The official number of companies participating isn’t available, but Laurie Hudson, cofounder of Luxury Brand Group and former president and C.E.O. of Platinum Guild International, estimates that the number of suites that include jewelers has increased 75 percent over the past decade. “The jewelry industry is a bit of a newcomer to promoting for the red carpet,” says Hudson, who represented half a dozen boutique jewelry brands at the Stuart Weitzman Style Lounge at the Sofitel. “It used to be just Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Gucci. The jewelry industry is primarily operated by individuals, not big brands, not LVMH. We’re latecomers to some of the things the big brands are doing. But now everybody is understanding the mechanics and thinking, ‘Why not?’”
Major brands such as Harry Winston and Chanel court celebrities and stylists at their boutiques on Rodeo Drive. Georg Jensen opened a boutique there in June but still participated in a Golden Globes suite sponsored by W magazine at the Sunset Tower Hotel. The company also threw an Oscar-week dinner for 75 as part of its budding strategic partnership with stylists Estee Stanley and Cristina Ehrlich, who literally brought clients Jessica Biel and Elisha Cuthbert to the table. Event planner Isaac Joseph worked with floral stylist Holly Vesecky of HHV Florals to dress the table in white freesia, calla lilies, and peonies, accented with moss, mushrooms, and succulents and draped around Georg Jensen’s silver pillar candlesticks and geometric plates. Guests were invited to select pieces from a poolside display of the new Cave Collection adjacent to the dining room and wear them during dinner.
Crystal Carlton, U.S. marketing and public relations director for Georg Jensen, said playing host at off-site parties and suites is important to get celebrities “in front of our product. To get A-list people in front of our merchandise is something we’re challenged with all the time. If you can guarantee that in a suite, that’s what we’re looking to do.”
Swarovski took a different approach, with a fantasy-fueled event that bore closer resemblance to an art installation than a fashion show. For “Runway Rocks,” styled by Patricia Field, more than 20 fashion and costume designers such as Hussein Chalayan and Corto Moltedo created an array of highly unusual pieces heavily embellished with crystals. During the 20-minute show, models in masks, an Indian headdress, and even pasties stood motionless on a rotating circular platform beneath industrial metal trusses and splashes of brightly colored light. Celebrities sporting giant, crystal-covered curlicues at the neck may not be coming to a red carpet near you anytime soon, but Swarovski connected “Runway Rocks” to a different arm of the Hollywood machine, touting it as a homage to the art of costume design. The event also subtly featured Daniel Swarovski’s “red carpet collection” of tamer, crystal-covered evening purses in a side gallery en route to the main show.
This year, the biggest hub of activity remained the DIC’s “Celestial—A Diamond Affair 2007,” which matched celebrities with $50 million of jewels at events for companies like Fred Leighton, de Grisogono, and Simmons Jewelry Company. At a tea for Russell Simmons, the hip-hop entrepreneur announced his new Green Initiative collection of jewelry, certified not to come from conflict-ridden nations. (Jewelry reps of other companies say that despite the recent release of the film Blood Diamond, the subject of diamonds’ sources generally didn’t come up at the suites and events.) One of Simmons’ bracelets later made its red-carpet debut on the wrist of Oscar winner Forest Whitaker.
Many such Hollywood endings for jewelry companies begin at the suites. “This is the pulse of L.A. during awards season, where media and celebrities and stylists converge in one place,” Hudson says. “And a lot of international press take the pulse of L.A. and America by coming through here. It’s a convenient way to tell the story about jewelry and glamour for our clients.”
—Irene Lacher
Posted 02.26.07
Photos: Donato Sardella/Wire Image (George Jensen), Lisa Rose/John Paschal International (Swarovski)
The George Jensen dinner for 75 celebrated the brand's newfound partnership with Estee Stanley and Cristina Ehrlich.
The centerpieces at the dinner consisted of white freesia, calla lilies, and peonies, accented with moss, mushrooms, and succulents, draped around Georg Jensen's silver pillar candlesticks and geometric plates.
Patricia Field styled Swarovski's "Runway Rocks" fashion show, which featured over-the-top crystal-encrusted designs from more than 20 fashion and costume designers.
The 20-minute fantasy-fueled show bore closer resemblance to an art installation than a fashion show.
In a side gallery en route to the fashion show, guests such as Grey's Anatomy's Kate Walsh checked out Daniel Swarovksi's "red carpet collection" of evening purses.
Swarovski crystals were used throughout Ace Gallery as decor accents.
