Western front: Magda Butrym’s rodeo-inspired catwalk jewels
There’s a rollicking sense of rodeo to Magda Butrym’s A/W 2018 offering, one that takes cues from the twinkling lights of Vegas, ‘pictures of Cher on vacation’, ‘Elvis walking down the street’, or people ‘dressed up having the time of their life.’ Among the bejewelled bodysuits, fringed capes and velvet suits in the collection, are a range of outré Eighties catwalk jewels: long lengths of pearls dangling from the ear or circling the ankle, earrings sparkling with kaleidoscopic gemstones and thick gold hoops.
‘I love documentary style images from parties,’ says the Polish designer of the free-spirited aesthetic embodied in her designs. This uninhibitedness is also evoked in a range of clip on catwalk jewels, including long strings of pearls which can be fixed onto pointed mules and cowboy boots at will. ‘I always look to capture an innate attitude in my designs. By making elements removable and mobile, wearers can explore different styling options,’ she adds. Here we highlight our favourite autumn accoutrements from Butrym’s collection...
Butrym shoots her lookbooks in and around Warsaw – ‘it’s not blatantly obvious but it adds something authentic and personal to the images. For A/W 2018, I shot at the city’s Philharmonic Concert Hall, which has a retro feel. I love the architecture of the space as well as the warm timber shades of the walls, which I thought complemented the colours of the collection beautifully.’ – Magda Butrym
Boot jewels in gold plated bronze with pearls and crystals. Polaroid photography: Tatiana & Karol
The designer delights in ‘experimenting with length and proportion; to observe what happens when I add a pearl onto an extended string, and explore the dynamic and flow of an individual accessory.’ – MB
Left, earrings in gold-plated silver with freshwater cultured pearls and crystals. Right, boot jewels in gold plated bronze with pearls and crystals.
‘For this earring design, I wanted to create something with more density and surface area, without it feeling flat or heavy. In the end I made the shape quite organic, and embellished it with pearls and crystals in four different textures and sizes. The spiral shape really leads the eye.’ – MB
Earrings in silver with pearls and crystals.
‘Pearls are so classic and balanced, sophisticated and visible but not too loud. Sometimes they can feel a bit too boring or bourgeois, and I really treasure the idea of creating something more expected using them.’ – MB
Left, earrings in rhodium-plated silver with anti-nickel allergenic crystal. Right, pearl anklets.