Annelise Michelson: sculptural jewellery

Annelise Michelson already has renowned success in the fashion world amongst the likes of Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Alexa Chung. Her latest collection is certain to be as successful as its predecessors. 

Annelise trained at the Chambre Syndicale de la haute Couture in Paris, where she was born and raised. She started out working in fashion design, for companies such as Vanessa Bruno, Paul & Joe and Hermès. But the seductive qualities of jewellery and the intimacy of it, how it takes on such personal meaning to every woman who wears it, ultimately appealed to her more. The sensuality of wearing a bold metal bracelet or one of Annelise’s carnivore earcuffs, how they hug the skin, is matched by the process of their creation. Although she was trained to sketch, Annelise feels her way through each piece, moulding, sculpting and hand-stitching to create collections that live in her mind for months and years like obsessions before they are produced. 

Annelise’s first break came when a collaborator of Carine Roitfield, then the editor of Vogue Paris, commissioned her a group of accessories and statement jewellery. She elaborated this into her Carnivore collection, with bracelets, earcuffs, necklaces and rings to be worn on all the joints of the finger. It was an instant hit with the fashion press and influential woman like Rihanna, Alexa Chung and Lady Gaga. Subsequent collections have continued to emphasise the relation to the body, often with a hint of danger. “Wearing one piece at a time, you can speak softly; combining many together makes you a warrior,” says Annelise. 

Annelise’s latest collection is called Dechainee. It features a statement choker, cuff, ring and earring in silver and gold; Dechainee is an immediate icon. “I don’t want to make women look pretty and harmless,” stated Annelise. “Women are sexy, desirable and complex. I want to give them weapons.” With her bold and sculptural jewellery, Annelise does just that.

For autumn/winter 2014 Annelise has revisited the chain, inspired by her very first collection (the Marie Antoinette chain in 2010). Dechainee, a term that in French means cutting loose in a big way but also toys with the idea of chains, is the second chapter of this style and sees the deconstruction of oversized links, broken and contorted in a bold and contemporary way. Inspired in equal parts by the work of Helmut Newton and the jewellery Annelise’s mother sported back in the eighties, Annelise said: “I wanted something highly contemporary, slightly punk, but also timeless.”

Don’t get too excited, the collection isn’t out just yet but as soon as we hit October make sure you head over to Annelise’s website.

Jenny Rodgers

To view the full collection visit here