Laura Biagotti ( 1943 – 2017)
Bretzel
Milano, 1980
on original plate, unworn
Laura Biagiotti was one of the most famous Italian fashion designers, known for her extraordinary creations. She was born in Rome in 1943 and studied archaeology before turning to fashion. She began her career as an assistant to her mother, who ran a tailor’s workshop, and designed her first own collection in 1972. Since then she has left her mark on the world of fashion with her elegant and feminine style, often inspired by Roman culture and art.
Laura Biagiotti was a pioneer in many fields. She was the first Italian designer to hold a fashion show in China in 1988. She was also the first designer to receive the Prix Femmes d’Europe, in 2001, for her contribution to promoting women’s participation in the development of Europe. She was best known for her use of cashmere. She made cashmere a luxurious and versatile material for women’s fashion and experimented with different colors, patterns and shapes. She created iconic garments such as the v-neck cashmere sweater, the belted cashmere coat, and the cashmere suit with pants or skirt.
Apart from her luxurious cashmere wear, Biagotti also designed perfumes, jewelry, accessories and home textiles under her brand name.
About Vintage Costume Jewelry:
Costume jewelry– also known as Fashion Jewelry– was especially made popular in the mid-20th century. While their materials were less precious than real gold and diamonds, using glass stones, semi-precicious stones and lead and brass, many big fashion houses and designers produced highly complex pieces of jewelry that stand for craftmanship that today can only be found in so-called Haute Joaillerie. Most famously, Coco Chanel popularized the use of “faux jewelry”, bringing costume jewelry to life with gold and faux pearls. Chanel's designs drew from various historical styles, including Byzantine and Renaissance influences, often featuring crosses and intricate metalwork. Her collaboration with glassmakers, such as the Gripoix family (Maison Gripoix), introduced richly colored glass beads and simulated gemstones, which added depth to her creations without the high cost of traditional precious stones.
Elsa Schiaparelli– Chanel’s lifelong rival– brought surrealist influences into costume jewelry design, famously collaborating with Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau. She created the House of Schiaparelli in Paris in 1927, celebrating Surrealism and eccentric fashions. Her collections were famous for unconventional and artistic themes like the human body, insects, or trompe-l'œil, and for the use of bright colors like her "shocking pink". While Schiaparelli had to close her avant-garde business in the late 1950s and was forgotten for decades, her designs have recently been rediscovered and are celebrated for their bold design.
In many instances, high-end custome jewelry has achieved a "collectible" status and increased value over time. Today, there is a substantial secondary market for vintage fashion jewelry. The main collecting market is for 'signed pieces', which have the maker's mark, usually stamped on the reverse. Amongst the most sought after are Miriam Haskell, Sherman, Coro, Butler and Wilson, Crown Trifari, and Sphinx.
The term signed however is an invention that only reached European production in the late 1950s- when American buyers started to ask for authentification to distinguish high class designers from mass-produced pieces, while in Europe all costume jewelry had been issued by the fashion houses themselves and hence remained somewhat exclusive from the start.
Laura Biagotti ( 1943 – 2017)
Bretzel
Milano, 1980
on original plate, unworn
Laura Biagiotti was one of the most famous Italian fashion designers, known for her extraordinary creations. She was born in Rome in 1943 and studied archaeology before turning to fashion. She began her career as an assistant to her mother, who ran a tailor’s workshop, and designed her first own collection in 1972. Since then she has left her mark on the world of fashion with her elegant and feminine style, often inspired by Roman culture and art.
Laura Biagiotti was a pioneer in many fields. She was the first Italian designer to hold a fashion show in China in 1988. She was also the first designer to receive the Prix Femmes d’Europe, in 2001, for her contribution to promoting women’s participation in the development of Europe. She was best known for her use of cashmere. She made cashmere a luxurious and versatile material for women’s fashion and experimented with different colors, patterns and shapes. She created iconic garments such as the v-neck cashmere sweater, the belted cashmere coat, and the cashmere suit with pants or skirt.
Apart from her luxurious cashmere wear, Biagotti also designed perfumes, jewelry, accessories and home textiles under her brand name.
About Vintage Costume Jewelry:
Costume jewelry– also known as Fashion Jewelry– was especially made popular in the mid-20th century. While their materials were less precious than real gold and diamonds, using glass stones, semi-precicious stones and lead and brass, many big fashion houses and designers produced highly complex pieces of jewelry that stand for craftmanship that today can only be found in so-called Haute Joaillerie. Most famously, Coco Chanel popularized the use of “faux jewelry”, bringing costume jewelry to life with gold and faux pearls. Chanel's designs drew from various historical styles, including Byzantine and Renaissance influences, often featuring crosses and intricate metalwork. Her collaboration with glassmakers, such as the Gripoix family (Maison Gripoix), introduced richly colored glass beads and simulated gemstones, which added depth to her creations without the high cost of traditional precious stones.
Elsa Schiaparelli– Chanel’s lifelong rival– brought surrealist influences into costume jewelry design, famously collaborating with Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau. She created the House of Schiaparelli in Paris in 1927, celebrating Surrealism and eccentric fashions. Her collections were famous for unconventional and artistic themes like the human body, insects, or trompe-l'œil, and for the use of bright colors like her "shocking pink". While Schiaparelli had to close her avant-garde business in the late 1950s and was forgotten for decades, her designs have recently been rediscovered and are celebrated for their bold design.
In many instances, high-end custome jewelry has achieved a "collectible" status and increased value over time. Today, there is a substantial secondary market for vintage fashion jewelry. The main collecting market is for 'signed pieces', which have the maker's mark, usually stamped on the reverse. Amongst the most sought after are Miriam Haskell, Sherman, Coro, Butler and Wilson, Crown Trifari, and Sphinx.
The term signed however is an invention that only reached European production in the late 1950s- when American buyers started to ask for authentification to distinguish high class designers from mass-produced pieces, while in Europe all costume jewelry had been issued by the fashion houses themselves and hence remained somewhat exclusive from the start.
