Fashion in the 1940s was distinctive, vibrant and glamorous. Women brought elegance and style to their everyday outfits and donned big and showy costume jewelry to finish their look for evening when cocktail parties were THE way to entertain.
Between WWI and WWII, the fashion houses of Chanel, Dior and Schiaparelli dominated the world of fashion design, but it was Elsa Schiaparelli who was the most innovative and experimental. She dazzled the fashion world with costume jewelry designs of large scale and materials made expressly for her collections by companies such as Daniel Swarovski.
“Schiaparelli believed jewelry was of critical importance to fashion,” explains historian and designer Shelley Cooper. “She would readily pair an 18th century look like this necklace with modern 1920s fashion.”
The Floral a Filigree Collar from Sweet Romance features layers of teardrop and round filigree beads alternating between molded coraline coral accent stations attached to a heavy cable chain. These necklaces were meant to be dramatic and showy, and this same retro style lives on in the designs of Shelley Cooper.
Sweet Romance Jewelry Manufacturing is an American design house and manufacturer producing the jewelry lines of Sweet Romance and Ollipop. CEO Shelley Copper is an artist, designer and historian who weaves history, beauty and imagination into jewelry designs which radiate the authenticity and spirit of many eras of fashion history. Her lines are sold to retailers and wholesalers worldwide as well as through the online jewelry boutique at sweetromanceonline.com and shelleycooper.com.