Most people are sentimental about something, whether it is a place, a person, an object. I get nostalgic about most things and clothes are no exception. For most of my life the wardrobes of the women in my family have been a source of inspiration and were instrumental in developing my keen interest in fashion and clothes from a young age. I am quite fascinated by the relationship we have to our clothing and how a piece of fabric can embody so much. I am more often than not wearing or using something inherited. Today I sit here wearing an old denim shirt of my mothers and my grandmother’s deco silver cuff. It may sound silly to some but it is these little things that make me happy.
Last month I was invited to write an article about an object that I loved for Qvest magazine. It could be anything - a new gadget or a piece from a current collection, a place, or something old and meaningful to me. Obviously I opted for the latter. Below I have posted the article I wrote about my Grandmother’s cocktail rings that I inherited 2 years ago when she passed away. It is a bit weird writing publicly about something so personal but at the same time I really enjoyed the process. For me clothes and jewellery are about so much more than fashion; they are about history, memory, culture, family, beauty and more than anything about enjoyment.
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My grandmother’s cocktail rings
Usually, when a girl inherits jewellery from the Grande Dames of her family they come in the form of silver, gold, jewels and diamonds. I am lucky enough to have acquired some of these from my grandmother’s collection but the pieces that hold the most value for me sentimentally, are her 1970s plastic cocktail rings. My grandmother had an inimitable style; she was always the chicest woman in the room, even when she was the oldest. With cropped silver hair, silk shirts and tunics in vibrant colours and bold accessories, she turned heads wherever she went. She was a true creative, in her work as a painter, in her hobby of designing clothes and in the way she led her life – always to the fullest with the most positive outlook. She was an inspiration to me with her vivacity and generosity but also significantly with her style.
For me her cocktail rings embody all the things I loved about my grandmother. As a young child in the 80s I remember playing with the contents of her jewellery box and what captivated me the most was these little cubist rings. Smooth to the touch, and super light, they seemed more like toys than jewels. One had various hues of purple running through it, different colours and shapes appearing like a kaleidoscope when you held it up to the light. The other a rich blue and bright orange; a combination that shouldn’t work, but in a plastic ring somehow does. The rings were pretty and fun and I loved them, but thanks to the gentle white lies of my grandmother they also signified something magical.
If I was sick, bumped my knee or any of the common ailments of little tykes, my grandmother would use her ‘magic rings’ to make me better. If my head hurt then she would gently rub my forehead with one of the rings and magically, it would make the pain disappear. Cuts and bruises, scrapes and aches, all got the magic ring treatment. It was the most stylish of placebos and of course it worked every time.
My grandmother passed away two years ago and I inherited many of her clothes, accessories and jewellery. I wear a lot of them and am often complimented on her pieces. I always say they were hers and people are astonished that my eighty year old granny was so chic. In my work as a stylist I always take a large kit bag of accessories on shoots; scarves, hats, belts and jewellery, many of which were hers. As well as using many of these objects I have used her magic rings in several of my shoots. I love the combination of working with designer clothes, vintage pieces and then objects which have meaning to me personally. I only use things when they will enhance the picture, never out of pure sentiment. But when they do fit perfectly, it not only completes the look, but it feels very special. Being a stylist is very much about having a unique point of view, a personal style to your work and a recognisable aesthetic. These are all things I work hard to achieve and I feel it is the small things, like my magic rings, that help me along the way.
