Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry
Lane's design career blossomed under the patronage of Diana
Vreeland, the legendary fashion editor of Harper's
Bazaar who became editor in chief of Vogue
magazine in 1963.
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| Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry |
His high-impact designs spoke to Vreeland and she featured
them in Vogue, where they had similar appeal to the fashionable women of the
time. Lane's bold and brilliant work attracted an elite clientele, including
Elizabeth Taylor, the Duchess of Windsor, and Jackie Kennedy.
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| Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry |
Wealth was not necessarily
an issue, however, as Lane's prices have always been accessible to most.
Taking inspiration from the
Renaissance and Egypt as well as Roman, Oriental, Asian, and Medieval styles,
Lane favored the bright, the bold, and the colorful.
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| Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry |
His work played on many of
the trends of the time, especially the interest in Asian and Oriental mysticism
and religion. Preferred figural motifs include gods and goddesses, snakes,
dancers, and religious figures such as the Buddhiu.
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| Kenneth Jay Lane Jewelry |
Pieces were innovatively designed and well made using good
quality materials. Gilt base-metal pieces with intricate ethnic designs were
encrusted with faux cabochons emulating semi-precious stones. Maharajah-style
earrings, pins, and pendants were huge and pendulous and all his designs spoke
of Lane's interest in Asian imagery.
However, Lane did not draw solely on
ethnic sources for his designs: the "Big Cats" pins from the 1960s
were inspired by the "Panther" pieces Carder's Jeanne Toussaint had
designed for the Duchess of Windsor a decade earlier.
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