STUDIO VISIT: George & Laurel

I have a great trouble expressing the profound love and admiration I have for these two intelligent, fashionable, down right bitchin' ladies. Style bloggers and fashion mavens, Dani + Blair of The Smoking Nuns are my creative soul mates. They match their irreverent style to a truly unique perspective in a way that takes you to the deep end in a sometimes shallow industry. Their unapologetic approach to design mixed with their savvy nature has spawned their jewelry line dubbed George & Laurel. Get your hands on a piece of the goods by supporting them on their Kickstarter campaign! 

I've sat down with them over brunch-tails many times and I'm excited to share a little of what ladies who lunch gab about and give you a preview of the new collection! 

d- We are in the works to launch our jewelry line George & Laurel. Very excited! A love child eight years in the making. 

d- My inspiration usually comes from personalities. I imagine a kind of woman and her energy, and then attempt to convey that feeling through a collection. Part character study, part fantasy. 

b- My inspiration changes all of the time.  I’m very lucky that I am in the industry and come across new designs and materials every day.  I find one piece that I love and immediately imagine an entire collection around it.  I can get carried away a lot so Dani balances me out and brings me back to center.

d- Confident, bold, elegant, . . . at ease. 

b- For me, I want them to feel that they own that piece.   That they redefine the piece from what we had originally envisioned it with the way that they style it from day to day.  I want to be inspired by our customers just as we hope to inspire them.

d- All ages. And Iris Apfel. That would be the ultimate blessing.

b- Anyone who lives outside of the trends and what media dictates as fashionable.  People with their own vision and style.  Women that aren’t afraid to shock people and aren’t afraid of ending up on Fashion Police once in awhile.

 b- I started collecting unique pieces of jewelry that I would find at flea markets.  Often they would look a bit dated to me so I began restructuring them to make them more current.  I would be up until midnight soldering in my little apartment and my passion for the genre has grown exponentially since then. 

d- Blair’s love and infatuation with jewelry has definitely influenced my intrigue and appreciation for the art of jewelry. It’s also an artform that has longevity, allowing for George & Laurel to develop naturally over time and fine tuning our skills.

d- Layering. I can’t get enough of seeing different combinations of necklaces, bangles, and rings together. Not all combinations work, but when executed well it’s the pinnacle of style. 

b- I was really into Egyptian this year.  The gaudiness, the splendor, the armor-like quality of it.  Dani gave me an amazing  Egyptian Kenneth Jay Lane (one of my all time favorite jewelry designers) piece that may be my all time favorite gift.  And if you couldn’t tell by looking at our latest George & Laurel collection, I can’t get enough of matte finishes.  There is something so fresh and new about it.  Something irreverent about covering a sparkling stone with a dull paint for a new interpretation of the standard look.

Keep up with these rad ladies here: 

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