Styling

Shooting a jewellery supplement each year at The Economist is not without its challenges.  A handful of top drawer magazines lust after the same unique, pioneering jewels we see at Couture Paris and in the studios of the foremost jewellery artists so getting ones hands on the right pieces can be a little nerve wrecking.

I went into Bulgari to choose a selection of diamond encrusted Serpenti’s for the cover of our special and then I asked fashion supremo Desiree Mattsson to shoot them which she did beautifully on a model but as the shoot was drawing to a close in walked Zeus and everyone lost it literally as he regally waited for his owner.

Even hardened security guards bent down to have a cuddle and suddenly Zeus was bedecked in diamonds and posing nonchalantly for the camera.  No hair and makeup could have made him more glam and I was impressed by his quizzical good humour.  Sadly, the supplement along with our print edition bit the dust as Covid claimed it’s casualties but I’ll always remember Zeus, under the spotlight giving us his best side.

Jewellery Bulgari Serpenti necklace and Cartier Panther earring.

Creative Team Stylist: Melanie Grant, Photographer: Desiree Mattson, Post Production: Ruben Kristiansen.

Photographed for 1843 magazine at The Economist in January 2021.

Styling

David Newton, who shot this shoe for me is a master of the accessory and so when I was dreaming up the kind of shoe Racheal would have worn in Blade Runner (the 1980’s Neo-noir Science Fiction movie) he was naturally the man I turned to.

The shoe had to have enough character to be chosen by a human clone possessed of arch glamour in a futuristic world where style is everything.  I called it in from Hermes and was delighted with the shot for it’s simplicity and bare beauty.  David does understatement very well.

Shoe Tonight satin blue pump, Hermes

Creative Team Stylist: Melanie Grant, Photographer: David Newton.

Photographed for 1843 magazine at The Economist in March 2019.

Stylist / Art Direction

Denim is everywhere these days, even on our furniture and as the world gets more and more informal, our fabrics have evolved with us.  We regularly shoot beautiful, functional objects to open the Style and Design sections of the magazine and I loved this composition by Caroline Leeming who made a disparate combination of pieces work together like some kind of art installation.

Creative Team Stylist: Melanie Grant, Photographer: Caroline Leeming

Photographed for 1843 Magazine at The Economist in July 2019.

Styling / Art Direction

Natural pearls at one time were the most valuable jewel on earth, financing whole military campaigns and adorning queens.  Today, cultured pearls (grown on farms in captivity) are big business and the myriad of configurations seen in jewellery are breath taking.  Nearly every high jeweller has a pearl piece and these one off jewels sometimes drape the entire body as seen here.

This shoot was a logistical nightmare because we had pieces coming in from India, France and Germany as well as from Bond Street in London.  Ernesto, our hair guru built a series of magnificent sculptures which balanced precariously atop the models head while we pinned layer after layer of pearls to her body.  Julie Jacobs also got the makeup just right and photographers Sandrine and Michael built a set which acted as a canvas for the jewels.

Jewellery Platinum and 18k gold earrings with white diamonds and natural white Keshi peals, Bina Goenka, POA.

Shoulder brooch with diamonds and cultured Akoya pearls, Mikimoto, POA

Ring in 18k white gold, black rhodium, diamonds and golden South Sea pearls, Annoushka, £19,400

Pink Conch pearls, spinels, white gold and copper earrings, Hemmerle, POA

Freshwater pearl necklace, Melanie Georgacopoulos for Tasaki, £5,430

Comète necklace in 18k white gold, diamondsand pearls, Chanel High Jewellery, POA

Chevaux de Neptune necklace with diamonds, sapphires and white cultured pearls set in white gold, Van Cleef & Arpels, POA

Necklace in 18k white and black gold with diamonds and South Sea and Tahitian pearls, Yoko London, POA

Creative Team Stylist: Melanie Grant, Photographer: Sandrine Dulermo & Michael Labica, Hair: Ernesto Montenovo, Makeup: Julie Jacobs, Nails: Julia Wren, Model: Genesis at Select.

Photographed for 1843 Magazine at The Economist in December 2017.

Styling / Art Direction

Cuffs are open backed bracelets which most people save for best but I’m a great believer in getting your bottom drawer (as my grandma called it) out everyday just because it’s Tuesday and you can.  The big jewellery houses all do diamond cuffs and I decided to create a valley or river of diamonds which was hopefully flowing in my direction in terms of ownership.  I can dream…

Of course for the purposes of this shoot I had to visit a raft of Bond Street ateliers to try on said cuffs and then choose pieces that created harmony together, uniting differing styles.  The world of fine jewellery is a dangerous place and so having a budget of less than £30,000 is a relief in some ways because it takes you out of the running altogether.  I know one thing though, if I ever happened across a vast fortune I’d be blinged up to the eyeballs!

Jewellery “Champ de Blé” cuff in 18k white gold and diamonds, Chanel High Jewellery, POA.

6ct pear-shape diamond bangle with yellow diamond micro-set petals in 18k red and white gold, David Morris, POA.

Diamond cuff (49.8ct), Graff, POA.

“Mosaic” bangle with five Ashoka cut diamonds in 18k rose gold, Boodles, £55,200

“Lily” cluster bangle with diamonds (7.68ct) set in platinum, Harry Winston, POA.

“Out of Retirement” hinged bracelet in 18k gold with diamonds, Tiffany, £29,900

“Phenomena Glacier” seven-row bracelet with white diamonds and white gold, De Beers, POA

Creative Team Stylist: Melanie Grant, Photographer: Joel Stans.

Photographed for 1843 Magazine at The Economist in August 2017.

Styling

I’ve always enjoyed shooting both menswear and womenswear and on this shoot in New York I needed a few discreet but sophisticated watches to set off the granite colour palette and to contrast the wool of the jackets and coats we were interested in.  It was freezing and we had to be fast, asking the guards to deliver straight to the shoot as we moved around the city.

While the watches are more of a canvas for the fashion in this shoot, I really enjoyed calling them in as New York has some excellent watch stores to choose from.  I have to say, Bovet are always a favourite….

Watches 19 Thirty Dimier stainless-steel watch, Bovet, £16,800

Fleurier toric chronometre with red-gold case, Parmigiani, £14,800

Creative Team Watch Stylist: Melanie Grant, Fashion: Lee Holden, Photographer: Christopher Ferguson, Grooming: Matthew Tuozzoli, Model: Chris Brown at Ford Models, Assistant: Kevin Huner.

Photographed for 1843 Magazine at The Economist in October 2017.

Styling / Art Direction

In the history of the magazine we had never shot fragrance before so I decided to rectify that and with the help of Martin our Deputy Art Director who came up with the fabulous idea of outrageous names (being a fragrance aficionado himself having almost knocked me out at Frederic Malle with Oud at The Burlington Arcade) we took the plunge.

Tom Ford’s Fucking Fabulous was the star of the show but Love in Black by Creed and Reckless by Roja Dove were close runners up and David Newton, our photographer and beauty wizard gave us a clever twist by putting each name in lights. I’ve since become a fragrance convert and have spent time with a ‘nose’ or two to my delight.  Spicy and woody wins the day for me!

Fragrance Les Exclusifs de Chanel, Boy, Chanel, 75ml, £140/$187; 200ml, £250

Fucking Fabulous, Tom Ford, 50ml, £205

Love in Black, Creed, 75ml, £190/$250; 250ml, £340

Room 237, Bruno Fazzolari at Roullier White, 30ml, £85

L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme Or Encens, Issey Miyake, 100ml, £91

Reckless Pour Homme, Roja Parfums, 50ml, £375/$485

Photographed for 1843 Magazine at The Economist in August 2018.

Styling / Art Direction

I’ll never understand the allure of demi-fine.  That’s the kind of jewellery that is so whisper-thin you have to wear a multitude of pieces just to see them and even then they catch the light in an understated way.  No, I revel in the big and the bold.  Knuckle dusters with massive stones and hunks of gold that draw the eye mercilessly and make no apology for the fact that someone went to a lot of trouble to put them together using insane materials.

For this shoot I asked prop stylist Lou Blackshaw to build me a paper sculpture that felt like a modern monument to glamour.  A tree of treasure if you will that we could perch jewels on at odd angles and shoot in a stark, almost monolithic way but which would still act like a canvas and not overpower the gems.  She arrived carrying an enormous box and out of it sprang this beauty.  Joel, a still life specialist shot it from a low angle so that it towered menacingly and I have to say this is one of my favourite ring shots of the last few years.

Jewellery Severine green tourmaline ring in yellow gold, Cassandra Goad, £3,980

Flying Saucer garnet and tourmaline ring in 18k yellow gold, Tessa Packard, £3,000

Luna Piccolissima ring with diamond and fire enamel in 18k gold, Frey Wille, £2,317

The Flower ring with a pear-shaped tanzanite and tsavorites set in a gold beaded surround, Elizabeth Gage, £12,400

Spike gold ring with rubies set in 18k yellow gold, Hannah Martin, £3,000

Green amethyst ring in 18k yellow gold, Kiki McDonagh, £3,500

Creative Team Stylist: Melanie Grant, Photographer: Joel Stans, Prop Stylist: Lou Blackshaw.

Photographed for 1843 Magazine at The Economist in April 2018.

Styling

When the NED, a 5 star hotel and member’s club re-opened a couple of years ago in London, it had a spectacular vault in the basement.  Midlands Bank had been the previous owner and I remember going to a delightful lunch hosted by jewellers Garrard in that vault which gave me the germ of an idea regarding a fashion shoot.  Stylist Olivia called in the clothes and I concentrated on the jewellery with a stunning eleven-line diamond necklace from De Beers being the guest of honour.

White diamonds used to be frowned on in the day because they were originally thought to come alive by candle light but I’m no fan of saving things for best and in this shoot I like the fact that the models are wearing heavy duty jewels for breakfast.

Jewellery Arpeggia eleven-line diamond necklace, De Beers, POA

Pirouette bracelet with diamonds set in 18k white gold, David Morris, POA

Fashion Black stretch-wool tuxedo jacket, Ralph Lauren Collection, £1,870

Creative Team Jewellery Stylist: Melanie Grant, Fashion Stylist: Olivia Pomp, Photographer: Matthew Donaldson, Hair: Tim Crespin, Makeup: Ruby Hammer, Model: Dione Tabbers at Models 1, Assistants: Alice Fisher and Felicity Gray.

Photographed for 1843 magazine at The Economist in November 2017.

Styling / Art Direction

I first saw this necklace in Switzerland in a suite entirely swathed in red silk and velvet, in a hotel by the water somewhere in Basel.  It trembled as I walked towards it because many of its leaves and fruits were set on miniature springs in a system called ‘en tremblant’ and it made my mouth water.  There were other shoutier pieces but this delicate one off with it’s yellow sapphires, tsavorite garnets and diamonds called my name.

Months later in a studio in London, we carved perspex around our model Lucy Evans to follow the shape of the fruit and I marvelled at how a fashion brand could get this good this quickly at high jewellery.  I guess that’s what happens when you have the resources to assemble a crack team of dedicated creatives!

Jewellery lemon necklace with yellow sapphires, emeralds, tsavorites and diamonds in white and yellow gold by Dolce & Gabbana.

Creative Team Stylist: Melanie Grant, Photographer: Jon Gorrigan, Makeup: Dani Guinsberg using Marc Jacobs beauty, Hair: Elvire Roux, Nails: Liga Tukman, Model: Lucy Evans at Milk, Assistant: Lara Ferri.

Photographed for 1843 magazine at The Economist in January 2020.