Vivienne Tam was clear about one thing at the launch of her jewelry collaboration with TSL at Hakkasan New York on Wednesday, which brought out the likes of model Jessica Hart and Julie Macklowe: individuality is key. This goes beyond style to the Five Elements of Chinese cosmology, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and
This explained the omnipresence of shapes incorporated into her designs at the Vivienne Tam show earlier in the evening. The Observer learned that Earth, for example, is represented by a square. Okay, we’ve got it, so where does the jewelry come in?
“It’s about incorporating the colors of the jewelry with the clothes … the colors must work together in harmony … figuring out which dress is with which element,” Ms. Tam explained.
She was joined by Annie Yau, CEO of TSL, which, The Observer was informed, is the “Tiffany’s of China,” and one of the largest jewelers in the country.
Ms. Tam described her as the “perfect partner.”
Ms. Yau explained that her job involved “taking Vivienne’s concept and trying to make it work” as the pair recalled the chaos of the past few months, the short time in which they had to pull the collaboration off.
The result is a very personal collection, using wood, jade, gold, garnet and agate “to embolden the spirit and enhance energy.” (And it also looks rather damn good!)
