I went to a trunk show for Francesca Visconti the other day. The Italian designer is the mother of one of my closest friend’s so I’ve grown-up admiring her bold designs. Her celeb following is pretty impressive and includes everyone from Cameron Diaz to Carolina Herrera and her designs have retailed at the likes of Bergdorf Goodman. Visconti now lives in Milan and is working on opening her first shop in Gstaad, Switzerland while her daughter Flavia Masson runs the New York City showroom (Masson’s father is restaurateur Charles Masson the owner of La Grenouille — a must-stop for one of the poshest culinary experiences in NYC!). In addition to the couture line, Visconti has teamed with QVC (following in the footsteps of one of my fave costume jewelry designer — Kenneth Jay Lane!). I asked Flavia about the collaboration and she told me that “aesthetically, the QVC line is completely different from our fine jewelry line. The fine jewelry line uses many stones and is very colorful, whereas the QVC line is much more classic. It’s mostly gold pieces, sometimes with a few colorful accents. When you think of costume jewelry, you always think of over-the-top and opulent pieces. There are very few fashion jewelry lines that provide a classic and more ready-to-wear look. Our QVC line fills in that void. It evokes the classic Italian woman. It’s also a collection that transcends age, and it transcends trends. They are pieces that anybody could look wear and look great in, without breaking the bank!” For information on either line call the Francesca Visconti Showroom at 212.593.6106. Jump for more pics from the trunk show!
