As the accessories industry grows on the daily, it’s hard to syphon through who will be added to your season’s collection. Will it be a year of vintage designer pieces? Pearls and diamonds only? Will you venture to the more exotic side of life and see who’s sporting the most innovative uses of vegan and non-vegan ideas? Or will you support your local neighborhood designers? I’m not here to tell you what pieces you should by, I’m just here to steer you in a new direction.
That’s why I love fellow Houstonian, Gina Cartwright and her brand Charmed Circle. A warm and goal driven woman, Gina took her personal theory of what jewelry should do, and created a collection to showcase. Each piece in her line is characteristic of the person wearing it. From the ultra-modern girl to the quote loving jewelry queen to the classic lady that loves the outlandish, it’s overflowing with cool takes on what’s been seen and new takes the extraordinary.
Recently, I had the opportunity to meet Gina at Henri Bendel were she talked to us about how she got started, why jewelry and what’s next for Charmed Circle.
Do you have a history in beauty or fashion?
Yes, in addition to designing jewelry, I own my own boutique in Houston, Cakewalk Style Shop. Fashion has always been a major part of my life. I even worked in fashion as an account executive for several denim lines in NY including Guess Jeans and Girbaud, but that was a million years ago!
How did you come up with Charmed Circle?
The definition of the words “charmed circle” means an influential or exclusive group. This was the basis for my very first look book. A modern Babe Paley was my inspiration. I thought of what her friends would wear and styled the jewelry around the inspiration of her charmed circle.
What’s your inspiration for this collection?
The initial inspiration for the collection was my mom’s beautiful oversized charm bracelet. It was a collection of big solid gold charms embellished with stones that she collected over her travels; each one had such detail and told a story. I wanted to make a modern version of those charms in silver. Each charm has a lot of personal history behind it. I made the time capsule charm to carry around a shrunken copy of a letter that my father hand wrote to me about the day I was born.
Are there any limited edition pieces?
Not at the moment
Are there any collaborations with other brands, shows during fashion week or celebrities in the works?
Recently Charmed Circle has been spotted on celebs such as Gwen Stefanie and Alessandra Ambrosio.
What 3 Spring accessories trends are you looking forward to seeing?
Three big accessories trends for spring: 1) chunky metal chains 2) black and white 3) printed leather. You heard it here first!