Clare Waight Keller, who stepped into the global spotlight in 2018 as the name behind Meghan Markle’s wedding dress, has unveiled her latest creative undertaking: a new jewelry line in collaboration with Reformation (a.k.a. Ref), the Los Angeles–based online fashion and accessories brand.
The British designer was a relative unknown before she made the Duchess of Sussex’s wedding gown, though the fashion cognoscenti are well familiar with Waight Keller’s impressive career as the creative force at marquee design houses like Pringle of Scotland, Chloe, and, most notably, Givenchy.
Now her talents are about to be appreciated on an even wider scale: Just last month, Waight Keller was appointed creative director of Uniqlo, the Japanese apparel brand.
But we’re obviously here for the jewelry, most of all. So let’s start with a little about Ref, for some context. Beloved by fashionable celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Kendall Jenner, Emma Stone, and Kaia Gerber, Ref is defined by an eco-chic slant (the company is “climate-neutral” for now but aiming for climate=positive by 2025).
Clearly, Ref has found a way to balance vintage-inspired, fashion-forward designs with a commitment to environmentally sound production and business practices, from using deadstock and innovative eco-fabrics to tracking the environmental impact of every product. On Instagram, where the brand has more than 2 million followers, people also cite Ref’s quality and size-inclusivity as part of the appeal.
The Clare Waight Keller collab pieces are made, fittingly, from recycled metals (specifically recycled 24k gold vermeil and sterling silver) and deadstock semiprecious stones.
Officially, the collection is inspired by Paris in the 1920s—to animate this idea, Ref and Waight Keller produced this charming film starring Dree Hemingway (great-granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, daughter of Mariel), who also models the jewelry in the marketing and advertising imagery.
In the film, Dree wears a sparkling beaded dress that somehow manages to straddle the past and present. She might even be a kind of latter-day Brett Ashley—from the seminal Hemingway novel The Sun Also Rises—reimagined as a charismatic and self-assured beauty enjoying a night out in the here and now (and meeting a writer named Ernest).
Which may be why the collection generally presents as modern.
Bold mariner link chains—including one that takes the form of a belt—and wide, almost triangular cuffs balance a wonderful mix of earrings: Carefully angled hoops, swingy lily of the valley danglers dripping pearls, and buckle drops are among the styles on offer, many of them well-suited to a soiree in Paris or elsewhere.
Referring to the earrings, Waight Keller told British Vogue: “The ones I made for Ref have a delicate, more feminine sort of floral shape with a chandelier drop. And on the other hand, you have the more bold and modern pieces with a tubular and clean-lined aesthetic. I was able to encompass both sorts of approaches and personalities for the way I like to see jewelry.”
To complement the Clare Waight Keller jewelry line, Ref has dropped an 11-piece clothing collection focused on evening gowns and separates. Of course we can’t all be latter-day Bretts, but these jewels will definitely do their part.
Top: Dree Hemingway wears the Coco mariner chain, $298, in the Clare Waight Jewelry collection for Reformation.
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