Supermodel and social media sensation Gigi Hadid is a magnet for headlines, whether she’s cheering on friend Serena Williams at the U.S. Open, swiping a bottle of rosé from the Brandon Maxwell runway, or walking the Prabal Gurung, Michael Kors, and Oscar de la Renta shows with sister Bella.
Her presence at New York Fashion Week has been vibrant and colorful, but at yesterday’s Messika Paris press preview on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, she was nowhere to be seen—and it didn’t matter. Why? Rings, earrings, and necklaces from her new jewelry collection with the maison welcomed us into her world of glamour and sparkle with all of the elegance and none of the hoopla.
Last year we reported on the inaugural Messika by Gigi Hadid collaboration, which allowed Hadid to play within the parameters of an established Messika Paris design code—that of Move, one of founder and designer Valérie Messika’s signature collections.
The 2.0 collaboration, called My Soul, was a fresh start, with Messika giving Hadid free rein to run with concepts. “She sent me three pages of mood board inspirations and from the first moment I saw them, I completely I understood her vision of the jewelry. It was Indian-influenced and bohemian chic, with a lot of hand bracelets, body chains, anklets, and dangling en pampille elements.”
The initial concepts had a cool California girl aesthetic that Messika had to translate through the lens of her very French high-jewelry world, always resplendent with the finest diamonds.
“I decided I would like something not so soft, more strongly symmetrical and geometric,” says Messika. The answer: Placing the round diamonds in neat square-shaped frames to add angles, edge, and order.
Messika by Gigi Hadid’s My Soul motif in close-up: This single earring is one of several pieces the customer can mix and match.
The My Soul collection drapes and dangles over the skin, collectively creating the look of a henna tattoo.
And for Messika, the focus on yellow gold was a departure from her usual design vocabulary. It was a change she embraced, even working with Hadid and famed fashion photographers Mert and Marcus to shoot a campaign with a golden, sun-drenched feel enhanced by Hadid’s honey-blond hair, glimmery jumpsuit, and the set’s amber-tinged lighting,
Messika by Gigi Hadid My Soul necklace with diamonds in 18k gold
Another challenge: Scaling back the size and dramatic impact of the jewels that define Maison Messika to create mix-and-match pieces, much tinier in comparison, with a more dainty and delicate feel.
Messika by Gigi Hadid My Soul hoop earrings with diamonds in 18k gold
“My Soul jewelry is meant to be stacked,” says Messika. “It’s cool when you stack it, the more pieces you’re wearing, the stronger the effect.”
Attractively priced from $1,590 to $7,360, the My Soul collection is designed to be worn in multiples, whether it’s jangly chain earrings in an ear stack or a jumble of rings.
Top: My Soul, the latest Messika by Gigi Hadid collection, arrives online and in select boutiques on Sept. 29. Its arrival will be accompanied by a campaign shot by Mert and Marcus.
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