Vintage Jewelry, Modern Style: How to Wear Signed Designer Pieces Today

The useful part

How to bring signed designer pieces into a contemporary wardrobe without dressing for another era. Sculptural gold earrings can give a crisp white shirt and dark denim a polished finish. Sometimes, the most distinctive detail in an outfit is a piece of jewelry created decades before the clothes around it.

How it works

• Crafted in 18K yellow gold, they combine honeycomb-inspired openwork with deep blue sapphire accents.
• For dinner, the same earrings could accompany a simple silk blouse and wide-leg trousers.
• Museum's history of jewelry describes how designers have challenged conventions through non-precious materials, including plastics and textiles, since the 1960s.
• Try this type of earring with a white shirt and navy trousers.

What to take from it

Its proportions, materials and wearability deserve as much attention as its attribution. A geometric jewel could echo the lines of a tailored jacket. Rather than recreating the decade in which a piece was made, consider what its shape, color and proportions can bring to the clothes you already enjoy wearing.

Example or evidence

• Selected Cartier, David Webb, Chanel and Christian Dior pieces offer three different starting points for bringing that range into everyday dressing.
• When earrings have an intricate surface or a strong silhouette, uncomplicated clothing provides a useful backdrop.
• One example in DSF's Cartier jewelry collection is a pair of sapphire earrings dating to approximately the 1960s.
• The geometric construction gives the pair a distinctive outline without relying on dangling elements.

Details worth keeping

A vivid blue brooch can bring a personal touch to a tailored jacket. Wearing vintage jewelry does not require a vintage wardrobe. The sapphires connect with the darker clothing, while the gold adds warmth.

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