Donna Karan Spring 2005
Alexander McQueen Fall 2000

Donna Karan fall 2003 courtesy of Style.com

Don't get me wrong is a response to a comment made to my blogpost on the DUT Fashion show. I received a comment from one the designers involved, saying that they felt that the point of the show was to showcase their craftsmanship as fashion designers and not have people commenting on "How nice those Foschini earrings are". I totally understand this point. Only i think my point was misunderstood.

My comments where in regards to the lack of collaborations between fashion designers and jewellery designers. I didn't see much jewellery that has been specifically designed for the fashion show. Having a collaboration between disciplines would serve to enhance the fashion designer's craftsmanship. Such examples can be found in the collaborations between Alexander McQueen and Shaun Leane, Donna Karan and Robert Lee Morris. Being able to combine the characteristics of the metal with those of fabric is not any easy thing and when successful looks like the above examples.

This does not mean that one can not use jewellery in a less integrated way then the above. Donna Karan used jewellery by Robert Lee Morris in her Spring2005 fashion show that already existed Using jewellery pieces that already exist can work as well.

Jewellery and fashion are now integral parts of each other. On the street you don't see one without the other. The collaborations can be natural and wouldn't take away from the either. So to the fashion designer who commented (somehow I lost your comment), if you want the experience of working with a jewellery designer, please let me know. I would like that.