Beyond the Runway: Fantasy, Not Fake

Costume jewellery has become a byword for cheap baubles that mimic the real thing, however costume jewellery is quite the opposite – it is jewellery so fantastical that it could never be made in gold and diamonds.

Vivienne Westwood’s deft use of the genre in her catwalk collections ranged from homages to the artist Gustav Klimt as earrings, to Queen Elizabeth’s crown wrought in base metal and crystals. From the earliest Schiaparelli scarab beetle buttons to the house’s contemporary catwalk jewels including a golden baby suckling at the breast, to Shaun Leane’s seminal creations for Alexander McQueen, this talk will explore costume jewellery’s most memorable moments on catwalk, stage, and screen.

Annabel Davidson is a jewellery editor, writer, stylist, and author who has been editing the jewellery issue of Vanity Fair for the past decade, and writes for publications like the New York Times, British Vogue, the Financial Times, and the Telegraph. She has authored a book on beloved British brand David Morris and contributed to an upcoming book on heritage Brazilian tourmaline company Cruzeiro Mine. She now lives and works in Tāmaki Makaurau after 20 years abroad.

Photo credit: Annabel Davidson: Tasaki Portrait 2024. Photo by Annabel Davidson.