Technically, as mother to a new child who arrived in early September, Alison Chemla Chetrit, founder and designer of the New York–primarily based line Alison Lou, is understandably most likely feeling just a little drained, just a little overwhelmed, and all the opposite feelings first-time mothers expertise within the early days of getting into what the One Dangerous Mom podcast calls the “new child forest.”
The vibe of her newest assortment, Groovy, nevertheless, has fairly the other impact, so we will simply let her relaxation and inhale what she’s placing forth right here: a gazillion jewels throughout each class that collectively immerse you in that 1971 Coke industrial, with stops in London, a Grateful Lifeless live performance beneath the celebrities, and maybe even the imply streets of New York—all throughout the identical time interval.
“The ’70s had been a time of celebrating individuality and questioning conventional authority, and with the rise of disco and a brand new inventive outlook on vogue, there was a lot to be impressed by for this Groovy assortment,” Chetrit tells JCK. “I’ve at all times liked to create jewellery that comes with brilliant colours, utilizing enamel and funky, distinctive designs, and it was additionally the right assortment for me to introduce new strategies and supplies that we have now not executed earlier than, equivalent to pearls, opals, and painted by hand tie-dye enamel.”
About that tie-dye enamel: “I knew that I wished to include [a tie-dye effect] into the gathering. It took quite a lot of trial and error to make the tie-dye good. All of my high-quality jewellery is made in New York, and I’m able to work instantly with my enamel specialists to supervise the whole course of. Each bit is hand-painted and is actually a mini piece of artwork. No two items are precisely alike!”
You’ll observe relatively apparent nods to the basic Wes Wilson live performance posters of the late Sixties and early Seventies, and, along with tie-dye, the period’s most acquainted motifs (peace indicators, flower crowns, Alice in Wonderland mushrooms) are well-represented. For Chetrit, the idea of Groovy is broad and wildly tendriled, so I feel it helps that there are some clearly acknowledged “heroes” to floor and solidify the thought. A designer can’t simply soar on the hippie van and by no means look again to see if we’re alongside for the (magic carpet) trip.
I additionally spy parts of the Biba aesthetic; the London division retailer was an icon of the Swinging Sixties, well-known for a form of bohemian-meets–artwork deco vibe—very Twiggy—filtered by way of the lens of the period’s glamorous hedonism (see: Bohemian Rhapsody (2018); hear: “Killer Queen”).
The font Chetrit selected for the alphabet items within the Groovy assortment was a thought-about selection—Biba-ish with whispers of the Bradlees emblem, which is form of good: “I had beforehand drawn a bubble-letter font some time again that I wished to include however it didn’t really feel very ’70s. Then, whereas creating my temper board for this assortment, I noticed this cool, drippy font and I knew I may one way or the other mix features from that with my bubble letters. The alphabet is at all times laborious as a result of some letters want extra tweaking than others, however I’m actually in love with this font. The Stellar Letter items are a few of my favorites within the assortment.”
Mine, too. See these—and extra far-out favorites—under.
Peace Signal stud in 14k gold and enamel, $365
Peace & Love necklace in 14k gold and multicolor enamel with diamonds, $3,255
All You Want ring in 14k gold and painted by hand tie-dye enamel with diamonds (date is customizable with buy), $2,970
Trippy huggies in 14k gold and enamel, $1,895
Funky Coronary heart ring in 14k yellow gold, multicolor enamel, and opal, $2,575
Funky Flower necklace in 14k gold and clear pink enamel with opal, $3,775
Stellar Letter pearl drop earring in 14k gold with diamond, $1,450
Final Groovy necklace in enamel and 14k gold with freshwater pearls, assorted beads, diamonds, and gems, $12,970
Final Groovy ring in 14k gold and multicolor enamel with freshwater pearl, $3,805
Stellar Letter necklace in 14k gold and enamel with diamond, $1,075
Peace Out mini button studs in 14k gold and enamel with diamonds, $1,695
Prime: Trippiest yellow cocktail ring in 14k yellow gold, enamel, and lab-created yellow citrine, $2,575; Alison Lou
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