From fashion to beauty to home decor, 2023 is officially the era of the bow.
Bows and ribbons have been big all year, in part thanks to the rise of ‘balletcore’, ‘coquette-core’, ‘regency-core’ and plenty of other current aesthetic trends that rely heavily on feminine elements, of which the bow is the cherry on top.
On the runways the likes of Valentino, Erdem, Balmain, Carolina Herrera, Simone Rocha, Sandy Liang and plenty more besides, played up the luxe, yet playful fun of the bow.
While we often think of them as an unnecessary decorative adornment, bows have a rich history that dates back thousands of years. From simple utilitarian uses like tying a bundle to be carried with string, to adorning the clothing of royalty, or at religious ceremonies, there’s always been something about a lovely looped knot. A gift is all the more special when concealed beneath wrapping paper with a satin bow.
So the arrival of Meadowlark’s new delicately tied jewellery versions, part of a new collection called ‘Wonderland’, feels perfectly timed for the arrival of the season of fun and frivolity, not to mention gifting.
“Wonderland is an evolution of recent designs and is full of romance,” says Meadowlark’s creative director Claire Hammon. “We wanted to capture a fizzy and magical feeling,”
The Kiwi brand is known for it’s high-end, fashion-forward jewellery offering and Hammon says the bows are just one element of an exploration of playful surprise and contrast.
A selection of bows adorn fingers – including a showstopping pavé set diamond bow ring and pendant – ears and necks, but the rest of the collection, which drops into stores and online through October, November and January 2024 touches on other aspects of human emotion and experience. Fluid form and ‘bubbly’ modern shapes are used to create tangible expressions of feelings like elation, wonder, calm and melting adoration.
The inclusion of glossy hand-worked glass – a new medium for the brand – in pieces soon to drop, contrasts with the primness of pearls and uniformity of metal.
“So often, the work we are most proud of comes from opposing ideas or aesthetics rubbing up against one another,” says Hammon. “That’s what we’re designing for, that frisson.”
The first part of the collection, including a range of bow pieces, is available now.
