Pamela Love Fall 2012

The New York native Pamela Love has blown away any critiques of her jewellery range once again, with a noticeably different appeal about her collection. Presented on models with smudged eyeshadow across their face and tough, thick brown overalls the lovely ladies were presented as metal smiths themselves which helped to create a really strong and rooted background story about the collection. It's missing all the skulls and gore, as well as crystals that I've come to know and love about jewellery from Pamela Love, but I still admire it for its strong ethnic appeal and folk art interpretation. 

The stand out pieces that are new and exciting in terms of the Pamela Love jewellery family are the large statement collar necklaces featuring large geometric shapes and inlaid turquoise pieces. What's wonderful about this large statement collar necklace shown above is that as the design narrows, two chains are used to secure the piece making it more of a bib necklace than a true metal collar. I've always been drawn to the suggestive and sexual nature of a collar necklace but had my doubts about the comfort of wearing one as well as putting it on for the evening bu with the simple use of chains and a necklace clasp, it appears Pamela Love has come to my salvation.

 

Although industrialism was at the heart of the runway show with an ominous boiler room pipe centre piece at the back of the stage, I can't help but notice that hammered pieces of copper jewellery with semi-precious stones is missing a grittiness in their own design. Instead I am reminded of the Mayan and Aztec influence and pyramids as well as the sound of pan flutes playing in the air- the gorgeous and intricate design of this necklace in its tiered design of multiple panels would certainly be something to be proud of it were a part of your wardrobe. I'm sure it would earn quite a lot of attention when worn in attendance at a fashion runway event with fashion bloggers abound and maybe a vintage shirt just to mix things up a bit.

 

I must admit that the minimalist and strong sense of creation about the collection really does create a lot of open space to present the earrings, necklaces and bracelets of the collection of the model. I can imagine the large collar necklaces being draped over a black shirt during the daytime with cut off denim shorts and at night worn with a dress featuring a sexy dart down the side to show off the legs. As much as I admire the new direction Pamela Love has taken and the understanding of her collector like habits for trinkets and pieces of silver I do wish there was a more religious and dark grunge aesthetic style about the pieces. Give me skulls and bird talons brushed in oxidised silver anyday.

Another Mayan/ Aztec/ tribal favourite when it comes to an approach with jewellery is the combination of turquoise and red stones in warrior like designs and shapes such as the daring and dangling conical earrings. I love the dedication and small puzzle like pieces of all of the necklaces, especially the dual tiered effect of these two necklaces to match the earrings. I would never be daring enough to try these pieces on for myself, I haven't been inspired by a lot of these necklaces in an artifact-like fashion but more vintage clothing and second hand recycling. I'm sure they could feature well in an editorial piece for models travelling around on sure footed donkeys and lead by Sherpas for Fall/ Winter collections in Peru.

Small hints of the Pamela Love I came to know, love and adore are apparent in the use of darkening around the turquoise stones of the collar necklace as well as the stunning ear cuffs shown right featuring dangling chains. I've been toying with the idea of getting an ear cuff myself since I don't want any more piercings but I don't think the Pamela Love range is quite what I'm after, you have to really love the tribal and Aztec pattern to commit to it so thoroughly. The silver and oxidised patterns on the long dangling panel earrings is really something though and for someone who has small lobes I could easily swing for a pair of those and a good pair of thick vintage glasses.

As if it wasn't enough to include impressive pieces of turquoise in the design of their statement necklaces for the Pamela Love Fall 2012 collection, there's even geometric designs of triangular and angular lines in the turquoise pieces themselves. These types of necklaces are the toast of the collection for me, but it would require someone with a long neck as well as beautiful stature to really wear the piece and have a fierce and determined look about them. The focus of the models to deliver a look and stare of cold and steely determination is really something that has evolved the Pamela Love collection and

I was surprised to see a runway show from the brand. I suppose when you work in a studio in New York there are big things expected of you and you need to deliver things in big and bold, exciting and ingenuitive ways. While this collection may not have been my favourite of all her collections so far, I have great faith in Pamela Love and her ability to deliver stunning jewellery in a creative manner as well as improving her designs to impress the masses of fashion hungry girls, such as myself.

Kester Black Thick as Thieves

Kester Black or rather, the designer of Kester Black, New Zealander Anna Ross has been gracious enough to bless us with another collection from her jewellery label in the spirit of silver, recognisable patterns and words as well as raw crystal. There's a more teenage and best friends appeal in this collection, which I was a little affronted and let down by but I do rather like the use of unusual crystal glimmering in colours for each cut surface. This collection, presumably for 2012 in the Spring/ Summer season has a greater focus for silver as well as clean white enamel and pure, semi-precious stones such as pearls and crystal.

I've never really payed a lot of attention to commemorative jewellery for platonic friendships- it's all very elementary school age and juvenile, but if you are that way inclined then at the very least you could buy a metal you can clean after tarnishing. These 'Forever Friends' rings come with a flat face and fancy scripted writing fit for two people, may as a parting gift and a memento/ reminder to keep in contact with one another. My mother and her best friend, whom I refer to fondly as my Aunt have been friends since high school in Malaysia despite my mother now living in Australia and my Auntie Gwen living in Vancouver.

My second favourite piece in the collection and favourite necklace is this piece above, known affectionately as the 'Northern Lights Flower Necklace' in the shape of a folded tulip made of silver and a pollen centre of a crystal. I have seen this affect achieved with Dichrotic glass, but even if this is a lower grade quality type of crystal quartz I am still drawn to the mysticism of this piece as well as the pure white and blue tones of the stone. When worn and seen from afar it can look like a rather simple pendant but when inspected more closely with gentle fingertips it's prepossessing nature can be discovered by any person.

My first choice of piece in the Thick as Thieves collection by Kester Black is of course an ornate ring with thick silver band and face inscribed detail and another crystal of unusual colour at the centre. It reminds me so much of cheap movie affects and lasers shot from the foreheads of fortune tellers and psychics- it must be the strong floral petal and claw setting around this jewel. I would love to see more fine detail in the inscribed shoulder detail on the ring and the lines brought out by the use of oxidation to highlight the design.

My personal preference of the Northern Lights Flower Necklace over the Pearl Flower Necklace is more to do with my love for the quirky, weird and unusual. I have a pearl necklace and bracelet gifted to my for my eighteenth birthday from my boyfriend's mother. It's a nice combination, the silver and the pearl but still I admire the twinkling of the crystal stone held in the petals of an open flower and should you be desperate enough, it's a secret place for you to put your chewed gum- thought I would personally discourage this and scowl at anyone eager to attempt such a manoeuvre.

We've seen nuggets of stone before which chose to imitate raw crystal and stone alike from Kester Black but this collection has a more polished and bubbly effect to it. Many of the necklaces whether they be long or or small little chunks have been named 'Mother Earth' in reference to the life giving nature and beauty of out planet (some speculation from myself). It's not really the Kester Black style that I've come to know and love- I adore the roughness and edge of raw crystal and oddly cut stones instead with oil slick colours bouncing off the edges od her pieces.

Pamela Love Jewellery

I've kept the name of Pamela Love under my little directory of cool, grungy, Gothic inspired silver jewellery for about two, nearly three years now and it's time I shared just a few of her pieces with you! Previously, I had written about the collaboration with Pamela Love as well as opening Ceremony as inspired by the movie (based on children's book) Where the Wild Things Are. It seems that she's also had another collaboration with Opening Ceremony featuring beaded skull necklaces on dangling silver chains which you can see by scrolling further down but here are some of the golden oldies and her newer pieces.

  

Above is a mock raw crystal necklace in decadent grungy silver and matched with silver nail polish. It would make a hell of a knuckle-duster; I myself favour wearing heavy set rings in case of a scuffle and fight in which I can find a weapon to defend myself with readily. I've never needed to resort to those measures though...

In a guest blog appearance for the Opening Ceremony website,Pamela Love showed off some of her inspiration and trinkets collected from the duration of her life including a friendly looking snake charm carved in wood. Perhaps that was inspiration for this coiled snake around a thick and chunky piece of amethyst coloured quartz? Well I just love it and the tinted colour as the stone gets darker towards the bottom of the gem and I do like snake motifs but I am rather picky and pretentious about their execution. They can't look too skinny or fat and they mustn't look threatening is my criteria- I also prefer that they have a  friendly smile.

This style of necklace has been much imitated in online stores far and wide on Etsy but I do love the design of sharp little daggers offered by Pamela Love in her collaborating with Opening Ceremony in a range of colours. My taste in fashion and jewellery is wide, varied and undisciplined and this is one of the few tribal looking pieces I am attracted, but who could say no to those little grinning teeth and big empty eye sockets? These necklaces make a great statement piece when worn below a coloured shirt buttoned up all the way.

 

The silver cross necklace that seemingly ensnares your finger in a small cage has been a favourite among fashion bloggers and has been sold through quite a few popular online stores in the past including Net-A-Porter. It's one of the rings that really mesmerised me and drew me into the collection as well as Pamela Love's other large chunky silver rings. I still have a soft spot for them after so many weeks and months- they hold a little bit of nostalgia for me I guess in that sense.
 

 

Another heavy set ring featuring a cross that is a 'crowd favourite' as it were is this large and detailed beast with oxidised black top as well as detail on engraved scripture and shoulder motifs as well.The last time I saw this ring on eBay the seller was asking for close to $800 AUD, so if you happen to own this ring, or indeed, any of the jewellery pieces shown here or created by Pamela Love, count yourself a very lucky person. I bet modern day witches would be all over the silver goodness of her collection and the oxidised detail and style of her jewellery.

Believe it or not, but this silver ring above is my favourite ring from across all her collections and ranges. The moon phase ring, featuring a large rectangular tablet shaped face and four moon phases in engraved and oxidised finish to give off this black look. It too costs some few hundreds of dollars and has been one of the more rare rings to track down from Pamela Love so if I had the money and managed to sell, oh, say half of my wardrobe on eBay I may get this little beast of a ring right after I pop out and get myself an iPad. However all this is wishful thinking and with university orientation coming up I'm going to have to save money to pay for a small laptop for notes as well as keeping money aside for functions for first year students. The next few months will be busy and busier!

The final thick and juicy rectangular tablet shaped silver ring from Pamela Love that I adore is this sword ring- I actually like the detail and pattern on the band on this ring more than the moon ring but I still love the motif of the moon phases a bit more than the sword. It must be all my study of Literature, there are constant suggestions that the moon is feminine, soft, passive and is a representation of the night; whereas the sun represents the day and is supposedly active and masculine. Phoebe, Diana and Artemis are the goddess' of the moon and are named after woman so maybe as a creature of feminine whiles and grace I favour the moon as an unconscious decision?

The artist and jewellery designer Pamela Love has as of late, been favouring crystal's whether they be fake or metallic and I absolutely adore the trend but the structure of the rings seems a little dubious to me. The necklaces in the shape of a crescent moon and arch are gorgeous and so is the copper coloured metal used- very chic and unusual.

I still don't own a skull necklace by Pamela Love and I swear they've been in store for months now! Slack on my part, but maybe I've just been waiting for the perfect colour to come along, such as this bright cherry red shade of skulls as well as little daggers hanging out of their smiling craniums.

An Outsider look at Pamela Love

I find myself continuously back-flipping between glamorous vintage style jewellery and dark Gothic pieces made of silver and worn by creatures of the night. What's worse is that there's now the vintage and kitsch domestic inner  goddess longing to break free and buy everything possible on Etsy. One thing that seems to stay constant is my attraction towards this dark grunge style of jewellery from Pamela Love, as well as fangs necklace from Perks And Mini and now Bloodmilk Jewellery as well. As hard as I try to turn my back on witch-like jewellery, the harder it draws me back in with it's allure and I am not complaining at all. I love the crystal necklaces, silver crosses as well as bone motifs and Ouija board pointers.

Sometime later today I will begin to clean my room again and put some clothes back I took out for my outfit posts; I can't wait to move out of my old room and move into a more adult setting where I'll have crystal agate/ geode book ends as well as small glass bottles and Polaroids made of felt about the place. For such a creative release it should get both sides of my brain working since I'll be studying science for the next three years at least. I'll need the occasional creative workout too as well as logic. That's another reason I'm itching to join clubs at university and meed people who actually decorate/ want to live in a similar manner to myself.

The designer of Pamela Love knows just what's right to showoff her pieces to their best ability teaming them up with long locks of tangled hair tumbling down in large waves as well as black and white filtered effects for photography and grungy, old-worn shirts. Although the clothing is very basic and minimalist, the jewellery such as this heavy signet ring strung on a silver chain, the snake charm and earrings have a dark gypsy quality about them. I bet the pieces she creates would look so good with ear cuffs.

Here is my model hero, Alexa Chung pictured on the right with the designer of the silver jewellery range Pamela Love; at the back you can see some of the thicker set silver crosses from the range as well as dream catchers and cowboy boots. I love what Alexa is wearing (no real surprise, I always do) the pattern looks so good in the black and white filter and both the lovely ladies eyes are outlined by thick mascara too.

As well as crosses, claws and talons have also been recreated in silver for their jewellery range which looks great when layered upon another Pamela Love piece such as this cross? The snakeskin patterned blouse as well as purple streaks through the hair above ooze character and charisma and the tan skin peaking from the unbuttoned shirt is an interesting and surprising quirk as well.