Lifestyle // Women's
Ippolita’s Installations
The designer, Ippolita.
In Ippolita’s world, bangles, rings and necklaces – both gold and silver, wide and narrow, ornate and subdued – stack and layer in unison. Her harmonizing method of making contrasting designs both coexist and compliment is an art form that emanates from her background as a sculptor.
“All the time I have where I’m not working, I’m sculpting,” says Ippolita, who has committed her entire life to creating art and supporting art. “When I was nine, Henry Moore had a retrospective at Forte Belvedere in Florence. Seeing so many giant yet simple sculptures struck a chord.”
Ippolita's signature stack of bracelets on her wrist
Ippolita exhibited her most recent sculptures in October during Fashion’s Night Out in New York City. Like her jewelry these creations featured oblong geometric shapes and intricate handmade metal work. Unlike her wearable work that spans just inches in diameter, her sculptural installations stand 12 feet tall and the feature something her jewelry has yet to display — film.
“I find that my ideas are similar but not coincident,” Ippolita says comparing her yearly art exhibit where she swaps hand-cut gemstones and 18 karat gold for hand-blown glass and steel. “The same things you think about when you are doing one thing always inform a different process.”
Video: A behind-the-scenes look at Ippolita’s installation exhibit, Reliquary.
“Craft is so much a part of what I do in all my spheres of operation,” Ippolita says. “I find jewelry is interesting because its like sculpture in miniature.”
Ippolita, whose countless crafts include sculpture, modern dance and of course jewelry, is currently exploring yet another outlet for her creative energy – handbags.
“I’m going on Sunday to Italy to work on the prototypes,” Ippolita says of her handbag collection she plans to have ready for Fall 2012. “Yes, fabulous hardware. Not heavy in the Chloe lock sort of way, but really beautiful sculptural hardware.”
Shop Ippolita on NeimanMarcus.com and in Neiman Marcus stores. Earn InCircle bonus points on jewelry during the Be Jeweled Event.
