Our office is dangerously close to the Opening Ceremony Ace Hotel location, and whenever I head home at a decent hour, I pop in to check out the wares (sorry, wallet). On one particular occasion, I saw a collection of designer jewelry that I’d never noticed before, and at that very moment, my obsession with Venessa Arizaga‘s line began.
I forced the poor sales girl to pull out every single Venessa Arizaga piece that the store had in stock even though it was clear that I was just window shopping so that I could examine them up close. It’s near impossible to appreciate every intricate detail, from the brightly colored threads and hand-woven finishes, to the hand-painted charms and shiny mixed metals.
A few weeks later, Venessa was kind enough to invite us into her home in Brooklyn that she shares with her husband, a photographer, and three cats one of which she rescued off of the Williamsburg Bridge. Tucked inside is her studio, and the collection of multi-cultural charms she’s amassed over the years is almost as impressive as her resume: She’s worked under Carolina Herrera and Zac Posen.
Click through the slideshow to take a peek inside Venessa’s space (just wait until you see her inspiration boards) and to learn all about the jewelry designer who is on the brink of hitting it big.
