Perennial Rule-Breaker Iris Apfel Designs Jewelry Collection with Bernardaud

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Framed by instantly recognizable round glasses, Iris Apfel’s keen eyes have always had a discerning vision. With decades of experience in interior design and an incomparable fashion sense, she’s become a living-legend known for her eccentric yet perfectly curated style. As one who isn’t afraid to accessorize, Apfel made the ideal partner for Bernardaud’s latest jewelry collection.

The luxury French porcelain company known for its fine dinnerware and artist collaborations has made a legacy of finding innovative ways to present the heritage craft of Limoges porcelain. At the head of Maison Bernardaud is Michel Bernardaud, who Apfel met on a visit to Paris several years ago. Since then, the pair have worked to bring the Be Bold Over jewelry collection together, with Bernardaud facilitating Apfel’s creative direction.

“We are a family business,” Bernardaud tells CR. “We have been around for 156 years, the same family, so we know the product. We know the challenges, so we do not put any barriers for the designers or the artists. We have to find the solution and preserve the integrity. We give them freeness and our duty is to execute what they want.”

For Apfel’s collection, that meant creating a line of necklaces, rings, earrings, and pins with strong geometric shapes and stand-out pieces like the Adam, a limited edition, oversized pendant necklace of a male figure with articulated limbs and a gold accent. From disc shaped pendants backed with leather to three-dimensional beads, the elegant accessories are versatile and bold. The smooth, substantial porcelain pieces are surprisingly light, making them ideal to layer á la Apfel. Unbound by any rules and unafraid to experiment, she lives by the mantra, “More is more and less is a bore.

Just as she approaches interior design, Apfel preserved the same sensibilities for her jewelry line. “Design principles are the same for whatever you do–for anything,” Apfel shares with CR. “For me, it’s the same sensibility, the same kind of rules or regulations or concepts.” With her singular style, however, Apfel is quick to deny any rules that she consistently follows. “No, you cant have steadfast rules, everything is different,” Apfel says. “That’s why everybody looks so uptight and everything is the same.”

She’s not a trend follower or setter, either. “People take a trend as a mandatory,” she muses. Instead, Apfel relies on her own instinct rather than any prescribed style, but recognizes how trends can drive fashion. “Some trends are very becoming to some people, and that’s wonderful,” Apfel says. “You really have to learn who you are to make the trend worthwhile.”

With Be Bold Over, Apfel is experimenting with an arena of design that is new to her. Prior to meeting Bernardaud, she didn’t know that jewelry made from porcelain was possible. Learning about the material has led to the creation of “whimsical and well designed” jewelry, and a collaboration that will continue for years to come. According to Apfel, more pieces are already in the works.

The Iris Apfel X Bernardaud Be Bold Over collection is now available at Bernardaud.com.

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createdAt:Mon, 16 Sep 2019 22:34:10 +0000
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