Although he’s been
designing jewelry for 20 years – and sold in prestigious outlets like the MoMA
gift shop since the early 90s – Alexis Bittar seems to be enjoying a resurgence
as of late. That’s not to say that
his jewelry has ever been out of favor (far from it), but these days, it seems as
though you can’t go to the movies, turn on the TV or flip through a magazine
without seeing at least one of the Brooklyn native’s instantly identifiable –
some might even say iconic - baubles.
Look, there’s an Alexis Bittar Lucite ring in the latest Estee Lauder campaign! And isn’t that a Bittar
necklace on the runway at Tuleh and Michael Kors? And there
he is on Time Out’s website, genially offering viewers a behind-the-scenes peek
at the making of his hand-carved collection.
Yet despite the recent
media blitz, Bittar has never been one to rest on his laurels. He opened a second shop on New York’s
bustling Bleecker Street earlier this year, began selling limited edition archival pieces on his website a few weeks ago and, earlier this month, hosted a private
press preview at Soho House in the Meatpacking District to debut his spring
2009 collection, which consists of three lines: Lucite, Elements and Miss Havisham.
“Miss Havisham is coming
on its third year,” said the charmingly low-key designer while walking The
Fashion Informer through the range, pointing out a molten-looking silver cuff
and a clear, hand-sculpted bubble cuff and necklace with a brass ball floating
inside. “Normally it’s super
sculptural, sharp, with a kind of Grace Jones 30s/80s vibe, and we’re still
keeping that feeling. But I brought in this liquid feeling metal to soften it,
because I want to keep growing this collection. And then I brought in clear for
the first time to add another dimension to the line.”
Elements, on the other
hand, still hews to the more delicate side of the street, but Bittar has added
a few chunkier pieces for spring, including a cinched quartz shard necklace in
crystal or wood, with a center stone that appears to be laced into the metal
(the same technique is used, to great effect, on a turquoise and gold cuff).
And the now-infamous Lou Lou statement cuffs (the ones that appeared on the
cover of French Vogue and are named for Parisienne style icon and YSL muse Loulou de la Felaise), have been joined by the equally statement-making glass
Waterfall collar (with hundreds of bead droplets soldered onto a mesh backing)
and a series of surrealist Floral pieces with delicate gold hands floating amid
a bouquet of white blossoms.
“I wanted to get more
size and volume for this line, because I feel like it’s needed,” explained the
genial jeweler.
His iconic Lucite line,
meanwhile, had been updated with all manner of fanciful pieces, including
adorable parrot brooches, tribal- and psychedelic fur-print
bangles, colorful Swarovski-studded and mirrored cubist cuffs, ginormous
celestial “pearl” necklaces and earrings, and a gorgeous necklace of woven Lucite
petals, which manages, like many of Bittar's best designs, to be both delicate and bold.
And in a nod to Bittar’s
favorite decade, he’s offering up a super cute ice cream social pin (featuring
a melting silver dome on a mint green Lucite cone), ‘80s wave pins, and Risky
Business brooches (think:
gold-lensed Lucite sunglasses).
“I’m obsessed!” admitted
the designer with a delighted laugh.
So are we, Alexis. So are
we.
Alexis Bittar will be holding a sample sale of
past season’s merchandise on Friday, December 5th and Saturday,
December 6th from 9:30am-7pm at 153 East 60th Street in
New York. All jewelry will be up
to 70 percent off retail and range from $20-$200. Cash and credit cards
accepted.
Photos courtesy Alexis
Bittar