Shades of Glamour: Wanyi Jiang
Shades of Glamour: An exploration of how different women interpret what “glamorous” looks and feels like to them, as told through the lens of Larkspur & Hawk’s Faded Opulence and Estrela collections. One woman’s interpretation of glamour might involve a night out in velvet and multiple layered necklaces while someone else feels most glamorous cooking dinner at home wearing an understated pair of earrings. This series explores the depth of that variety.
Our first installment features artist and creative director Wanyi Jiang, who chose to mix together Sancerre and Cognac pieces from our Faded Opulence Collection. Read on for Wanyi's perspective of glamour...
Tell us about your relationship with the word “glamorous.”
I think the idea of glamour used to be luxuriating in a fur coat with big rings and a gigantic hat riding on a carriage in the snow. Very old school, very old money. A lot of my ideas about glamour came from movies — think the lady who said "frost Yourself" in How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, or a bond girl in a slinky dress. But now I think of glamour as putting on makeup at home even when you have nowhere to go, just because it's meditative and creative. There's something glamorous about treating yourself well, about taking deep breaths, about being honest when you're having a hard time. Being free and unabashedly vulnerable is glamorous.
How — if at all — has your personal style changed over the last year, and how do you think that evolution will impact your style this fall and winter, particularly during the holidays?
I'm a lot more comfortable wearing clothes that make my eyes light up. I stopped following an aesthetic that I used to think had to be me all the time. The chicest women seem to always stick to their tried and true look: Birkin with the jeans and white shirt, Bianca Jagger with her 70s suits. But now I'm much more experimental and I don't stick to one era anymore. I really love prints now, and I finally understand how to wear them -- and the trick is to not to intellectualize it at all. I wear what looks good instinctually when I gaze upon it, and not what I *think* will look good because it's a tried and true formula. For the holidays, I love a big ol' scarf. I can't wait to wear that for days with a full face of makeup.
Tell us about the Larkspur & Hawk pieces you wore. How do they represent your personal style? What do they reveal about who you are?
At first I chose all yellow pieces because I always liked yellow stones. The color complements my skin's undertones. I also like that yellow is an optimistic color -- not that one needs to be optimistic all the time (I love an onyx stone too) but it color is directly correlated to mood and I find the brighter color I wear, the more cheerful I feel, especially when I'm not so cheerful. The burgundy piece is complementary to my hair color, and it was fun to mix it together. It reminded me of when Carrie (Bradshaw. I know, Pat Field knew what she was doing!) wore two different colored Manolos in the episode where she goes to LA. Yellow and Burgundy go well together. It's an unexpectedly fun combination.
What inspires your jewelry style?
Honestly I love Egyptian history and jewelry. Something about the gilded gold is so rich in story to me. Nothing too smooth and shiny — I prefer when it's a little imperfect. Thus I like gold over silver because I always think of what Nefertiti would wear. A lot to say about this film, but the movie The Ten Commandments really stuck with me as a kid. I just loved the colors. Now, I'm into a lot more dainty jewelry because I like that they are easy to sleep in (I'm LAZY!) and I'm more into pieces that will last forever vs costume jewelry. When you know it's made to last, you'll wear it more. My mom used to have a necklace made of real pearls. They were misshapen and I still think about that necklace to this day. I love imperfect shapes, and imperfect lives, and imperfection overall. That's also very glamorous.
Shop Wanyi's favorite Larkspur & Hawk pieces below!
Antoinette Girandole Earrings
$1,950.00
