Jewellery's New Surreal Appeal Echoes The Strangeness Of Our Times

Where better to start than Schiaparelli, whose own founder's rise coincided with the art movement? Elsa Schiaparelli collaborated with artists such as Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dalí to create provocative designs that reimagined the human body and challenged typical notions of adornment In his latest role, he has discovered jewellery as the link between his contemporary designs and the maison's heritage Mobile-like earrings spelling Elsa Schiaparelli's initials in golden metal and motifs such as keyholes, long-lashed eyes shedding pearl-tears and trompe-l'œil watch dials pay homage to the brand's founder and her collaborative work with the Surrealists.

Elsa's surprising get-ups led Roseberry to reconsider the use of bijoux in his own collections; at Schiaparelli, gems now adorn much more than just wrists, necks and ears The brand's archive in Austria is home to one of the couturier's brooches, and it led the design team to research Surrealist iconography Perhaps in reaction to the times we live in - a yearning to evade reality by escaping into the unconscious - Surrealism has once more come to the fore as inspiration to independent designers and large jewellery houses.

"It's an evasion from reality", says designer Delfina Delettrez. . Source