Kenneth Lane for Rosenfeld Circa 1960s
View Similar Items
Kenneth Lane for Rosenfeld Circa 1960s
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Height: 7.5 in (19.05 cm)Depth: 3 in (7.62 cm)Length: 8 in (20.32 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Cincinnati, OH
- Reference Number:1stDibs: AU140217254849
Kenneth Jay Lane
The father of so-called “fabulous fakes,” Kenneth Jay Lane was a spirited innovator within the jewelry industry, designing elegant and luxurious pieces without the use of real jewels. And while Lane aspired to create classic designs for earrings, bracelets and necklaces intended for everyday wear, his pieces caught the attention of celebrities, royalty and socialites.
From a young age, the Detroit, Michigan-born Lane was a lover of fashion. He studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and the University of Michigan. He pursued a design career in New York City, and a failed start in the art department of Vogue magazine led to a decade of designing shoes for the likes of Delman and Christian Dior.
Lane would occasionally develop shoe designs for friends he had in the fashion world such as Bill Blass and Arnold Scaasi. A show for the latter afforded him the opportunity to beautify shoes with rhinestones and create bangles and earrings to pair with the footwear — he found plastic bracelets at discount variety store and had them embellished by craftspeople at a shoe factory.
A love for costume jewelry design emerged thereafter. Lane created his own collection and admirers such as Jackie Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor showered him with praise. A pearl necklace he designed was worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In the early 1960s, ready-to-wear pioneer Hattie Carnegie purchased Lane’s jewelry line. Lane was given the position of design director for Carnegie but he soon changed course, moving instead into a small studio and pursuing his own path.
Lane worked with milk glass, gilded silver hardware, faux coral and other materials, and sold pendant necklaces, dangle earrings and modern bracelets to private customers. He was fond of renowned fine jewelry houses Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels and designers such as Jean Schlumberger, and cited having found inspiration in Egyptian and Indian jewelry over the years as well as Art Deco jewelry. Lane’s designs, which he called “faque” and “junque,” became well-known for their distinctive color combinations and clever characteristics such as embroidery. By the time he purchased a small jewelry factory in Providence, Rhode Island, where his accessories would be made during the 1960s, Lane had secured relationships with top Manhattan boutiques and his work had caught the attention of fashion magazines.
Directed by the filmmaker Gisèle Roman, a 2018 documentary about Lane’s life and work called Fabulously Fake: The Real Life of Kenneth Jay Lane features interviews with legendary fashion designers Carolina Herrera, Tory Burch and Diane von Furstenberg.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Kenneth Jay Lane brooches, rings and other accessories.
- MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA For H&M Black Leather GLOVE COIN PURSE BagBy Maiscon Martin MargiellaLocated in CAPELLE AAN DEN IJSSEL, ZHMaison Martin Margiela for H&M glove coin purse/bag in sleek black genuine leather. This piece is a limited edition from the 2012 collaboration between Maison Martin Margiela and H&M...Category
Early 2000s Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Chanel Orylag Triple Chain Flap BagBy ChanelLocated in London, GBA stylish and Chic Chanel Orylag flap bag from the Fall/Winter 2015 Act 1 Collection. The exterior of this bag features a navy orylag fur with antiqued s...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Chanel 2.55 Reissue Maxi Double Flap BagBy ChanelLocated in London, GBA Chic Chanel 2.55 Reissue Maxi Double Flap Handbag. The exterior of this reissue 2.55 is crafted in metallic champagne lambskin leather with signature diamond stitching and dark sil...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Evening Bags and Minaudières
- Chanel Purple Satin 2.55 Reissue Small 255 BagBy ChanelLocated in London, GBA lovely Chanel 2.55 Reissue small 255 double flap handbag. The exterior of this reissue 2.55 is crafted with purple satin crocodile embroidered stitchin...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Evening Bags and Minaudières
- CHANEL black satin bagBy ChanelLocated in Rubiera, RECHANEL evening bag Black diamond quilted satin bag, black jas beaded embroidery, finished in black leather, shoulder strap Golden chain with black leather, triangular flap with magne...Category
1990s Italian Evening Bags and Minaudières
$2,404 - Gianni Versace Mini Shoulder Bag with Camellia Flower Glass Beads Details 2000sBy Gianni VersaceLocated in AMSTERDAM, NLVersace mini shoulder b ag with camelia flower and glass beads detail from y2k 2000s. Designed by Donatella Versace in the early 2000s, this vintage Versa...Category
Early 2000s Italian Structured Shoulder Bags