For the past five years, New York-Southampton jewelry designer Jennifer Miller and
Paris-based fashion designer Susan Sutherland of Style Paris have brought their stylish collections to Palm Beach.
"We've built up a pretty loyal clientele here over that time," said Miller, while
setting up for her trunk show of jewelry, most of which features faux stones, on the second level of Mary Mahoney, 351 Worth Ave., Palm Beach, FL
Miller has several hundred pieces on display at the combined Style Paris women's ready-to-wear and Jennifer
Miller Jewelry show and sale, which runs today through Saturday.
"Women know they can buy a trendy piece from me and not feel like they've dropped the mother lode,"
Miller said. Her jewelry ranges from $125 to $3,000. But $3,000 buys a high-jewelry-look faux
diamond necklace that, if the stones were real, would cost well over seven figures, said Miller.
The jeweler has emphasized color in her current crop of designs.
"Jewelry has never been so colorful," she said, showing several
semiprecious bead necklaces in bright orange and red,
lime green and other tropical tones, ranging from $850 to $1,500.
"You might think everybody is tired of beads, but colors and combinations of
colors make them look very fresh," said Miller, who has been designing
and selling her jewelry for 15 years.
Also important, and in demand, Miller said, are chandelier-style earrings,
big chunky cocktail rings and thick wrist cuffs, most priced between $125 and $500.
"Women in Palm Beach share a love for mixing the real and the fake pieces with
their counterparts in Beverly Hills, Southampton and Manhattan," she said.
"They love the idea of jewelry as an item of fashion — not everything
they wear has to be the real thing."
Across the sales floor, Sutherland was busily putting together the temporary
boutique for the display of her spring collection of day and evening clothes.
Sutherland has more than 500 pieces on hand, ranging from $80 for an Italian
stretch-cotton camisole top to $1,700 for a silk-cashmere blazer.
"I think women have come to appreciate fine, fine fabrics, which is what
I'm especially stressing this season," said Sutherland, who has scheduled
Style Paris showing with Miller in several U.S. cities over the next two
months, with the Mahoney trunk show their first stop.
Sutherland. features cotton tweeds, lightweight wool crepes, a soft Loro Piana
cashmere-silk blend, washed Shantung silks, silk chiffons, laces and organza. She is also is
keen on a "techno" fabric that can be packed without fear of wrinkling.
"A number of Palm Beach clients love the techno suits, which are great for
those who travel a great deal," said Sutherland, who has given her usually more
structured jackets a slightly softer silhouette.
Most of the Style Paris offerings share what Sutherland calls "a flowy, sexy, femininity with a touch or two of asymmetry."
Sutherland also has designed a longer-length jacket for the season. "It has a
bit of a trapeze shape to it for a more swingy look that I think is just very fresh,"
she said. "It's also figure-flattering," said the designer, who has been creating her
Style Paris line for seven years.
Many of her clothes are offered in soft pink, light lime green, pale blue and lilac or, on the brighter side, a red-orange tone.
"I also find steely grays to be very chic and a wonderful alternative to black,"
Sutherland said. "They have a toned-down quality that's much softer to the eye.
"Black is timeless and classic," Sutherland said, "But steely gray may just be my new black."
Source: © 2004, The Palm Beach Daily News. http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/
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