Fashion Week Is Coming!

There's no getting away with the fact that you are wishing your life away in the jewellery business, just like fashion, you have to always think at least six months ahead. But this notion is in my designer DNA to begin with, as I actually started my career twenty five years ago toeing the line between fashion and jewellery, designing catwalk jewellery for the designers of the day in both America and the UK, Ben de Lisi, Rifat Ozbek and Bruce Oldfield.

Just this morning, as I was having to think of designs for summer 2011 and then got all confused because I need to be thinking about Autumn/Winter 2010 as well, I found myself contemplating those days.

It used to be the case that we would have to stay up all night finishing off pieces for the catwalk. You know, boring thankless tasks like gluing, polishing, polishing, polishing. It brings to mind the time when I was busy doing just that when who should come up to my studio but David Bowie, my hero at that time. I remember being absolutely mortified that I had to meet him with polish all over my face. He had come up to not to see me of course, but my studio-mate, Tom Binns, who had been collaborating on a video with the legend. Then I'd party all night and start all over again.

Twenty five years later, the party's still not over, it just no longer goes on all night. Though the ornate, statement pieces of mine which walked the catwalk then would probably never be recognisable to you as the Dinny Hall you know today...