Monday, April 19, 2010

Yarborough's Kinks in Jewelry

fashion review by Shardae Jobson

Now, I have a real penchant for whimsical jewelry. Anything a little kooky, colorful, boxy, dangly, and replicas of objects, and of cartoons and animals always catch my eye. I can appreciate a gorgeous piece of jewelry, compliments of Tiffany's and David Yurman, for a distance, but the undeniable personality that jewelry like the recently discovered Yarborough is what makes wearing superfluous adornments all the more fun, and freeing, to display.

In the latest issue of Nylon magazine, featuring Zoe Saldana on the cover, on their Private Icons page, where they highlight a usually uncommon character or public figure for fashion inspiration, was the daughter from the movie, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Amy Szallinki. By using the scene where Amy and her siblings are swimming in a pool of milk and cereal, looking a bunch of Polly Pockets, Nylon chose clothes and accessories that would be perfect to execute a Szallinki-esque outfit. While most items were reasonably priced (excluding that dSquared bodysuit for $1,175, though it's super hot), the one accessory that caught my eye and heart-strings for all things effervescent was a ring that atop its band was a bowl of soggy cereal and a spoon the side. I know it sounds weird, but it's adorable as you can see in the picture below. In the credits on the page, it says the ring was by Yarborough and while the price is a bit steep at $200, I was enamored.

I headed over to Yarborough's official site and saw that it was made and named after the artist who used to work as book editor. Looking for a different kind of inspiration and use of work ethic, she began creating jewelry in her East Village studio out of nontraditional materials like yarn, ribbon, and of everyday images we've been acquainted with, such as a bowl of cereal. Elizabeth Yarborough's influences range from her grandmother's belongings to fashion design legend Elsa Schiaparelli. Her collections are small as she's been pushing her creative muscle for three years so far, and her finger food set of rings ranging from dessert to entrees is definitely were most appealing. The rings are made with great care and even contain a sense of humor for they are cute and are miniature versions of some of our favorites including ice cream and a cherry pie, they almost look the Japanese trinkets made by the company Re-Ment (but you'll be lampooned a bit less for buying a Yarborough ring than a small replica of a blender machine).





Yarborough also makes jewelry inspired by nature and history, ethereal pieces with a touchstone of modernized twist. There are necklaces with a clunk of what looks like the broken piece of a China or 19th century design plate as the main charm, and others with feather chains, colorful beads and yarn rings, some with a weaved center, and horses imprinted on a smooth brown surface, it looks like frozen chocolate minus the crinkly thin white lines of ice.

Yarborough makes some fantastic works of art, and while the book editing job may have been a bit more lucrative, it's great to see someone follow their heart in an artistic direction. We wouldn't have that new, fun accessories to obsess over. You can find similar pieces in your local shops that specialize in amusing, glam pieces for a large fraction of what Dorfman sells for, like in Boston there's Dajuli Sparkles which has some awesome headbands, tiaras, and hair clips, but they especially excel in earrings and rings. Still...it like I may be forking over $200 soon. Thanks a lot, Nylon...

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