Boucheron ‘More Is More’ High Jewelry Collection Inspired by Memphis Movement Design

Boucheron’s ‘More Is More’ Collection Give A Shoutout to Memphis Design

The names of key jewelry pieces in Boucheron’s latest Carte Blanche collection tell the story: ‘Pull Me Hoodie Tassels’, ‘Just An Illusion Necklace’, ‘Solve Me Necklace’, and ‘I Got your Back hair jewel’. Boucheron’s Instagram brings these names to life.

Boucheron’s annual Carte Blanche collection is to inspire creative director Claire Choisne’s design imagination to run wild without fear or constrictions.

Hoodie tassels high jewelry are inventive as is. But to create hoodie tassels ends that transform into earrings takes unfettered creativity to another level, no?

Boucheron’s ‘More Is More’ high jewelry collection soars into the Memphis Movement for inspiration, photographed here by Mel Bles [IG].

If you associate the Memphis Design Group, a groundbreaking design movement that emerged in Italy in the 1980s with furniture and home accessories design and not jewelry, you are correct.

Led by a group of young designers, including Ettore Sottsass and Alessandro Mendini, this avant-garde movement was born out of a rejection of minimalism and modernism and its emphasis on function and practicality.

The Artistry of Everyday Memphis-Style Living

The Memphis designers believed the exact opposite, that art should be integrated into everyday life. Taking inspiration from a wide array of sources, such as Art Deco, Pop Art, and Kitsch, Memphis designers brought a sense of playfulness, whimsy, and even a touch of irony to their creations.

AOC’s research says that there was only one "official" Memphis Group jewelry collection. In 1985 Los Angeles based Memphis designer Peter Shire first worked with Acme Studio producing a group of 12 metal and enamel brooches called, "Melrose Emblematic".

In 1986 Memphis designed over 100 pieces of jewelry for Acme Studio. Included in the collection are designs by Acme co-founder Adrian Olobuenaga.

Just as the Memphis Movement sought to bring art into the experience of everyday living, Boucheron’s new Carte Blanche collection waves adieu to the days high jewelry was reserved for black-tie galas.

What Does Louis Vuitton’s New Speedy Bag Have in Common with Boucheron’s ‘In the Pocket’?

Consider the approach that Pharrell Williams has taken in his revitalization of the Louis Vuitton Speedy Bag.

There are an incalculable number of technology-related changes to the selling of the Speedy bag. But the new colors and the blatant use of real gold option, how the new Speedy sags in shape with special new leather that mimics loved luxury with longevity — this is all very Memphis design in its thinking.

The new Speedy has a “broken in’ visual vibe and an ad campaign that stars a pregnant Rihanna only reinforces its everyday Memphis Design vibe.

There’s a parallel between Pharrell’s preferred new slouchy shape for Speedy and Boucheron’s ‘In the Pocket’.

The Boucheron ‘More Is More’ jewelled pocket is crafted in diamonds and onyx that affixes to clothing via magnets strong enough to hold your iPhone.

Amazing, right? There’s more. That pocket was created with creases just like the one on your pants vs. a strapless purple mini dress, so that it folds in layers when you sit down.

Memphis design is not for snobs or aristocrats — unless they have a wild streak. And neither is this new collection of Boucheron’s Carte Blanche high jewelry.