Everything Old is New Again!

One time a sales lady in a high end store told me that if you are old enough to remember the first time a style came around, then you are too old to wear it the second time. I suppose that's true in some cases (like cut offs!), but not in all. The 70s and 80s are having a rebirth, from wild patterns, to peasant dresses to large jewelry. Remember culottes? They are back in 2022 as are jumpsuits and kaftans. Then, there are some things that never go out of style, for example, classic designs like Chanel or Hermes or pearls. And the famous words of Marilyn Monroe still ring true, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend!” My point is that maybe the best of all worlds is mixing the old and the new to make good ideas even better! A fresh, modern twist improves the original, broadens its uses and makes it new again. I have two illustrative stories to demonstrate.

First, earring jackets of the 70s and 80s were pretty much circles of stones that enveloped your studs or hoops, and they hung from the bottom of your studs. When I searched “jackets” in 2018 for my favorite diamond studs to wear at my son's wedding, all I saw was the same old and tired styles. So, I started drawing, and my interchangeable, modular designs, The Jax Collection by Michael-Alexis, was born. My improvement is what we call the J-Bar, and we have a patent pending on it. It allows a sparkly dangle to be hung on the post of a stud behind the earlobe and appear to float under the lobe and the stud. This design allows any style to be added to a stud. You can use all the studs you have in your own jewelry box and haven't worn for a while. It also has three holes to accommodate all the differing lobe sizes out there. The result is an innovation that made an old idea better using modern creativity, materials and styling.

Second, the design point of our line is that you can use your own jewelry mixed with ours and create an unending collection reflecting your style to suit any occasion. One of our favorite customers was recently invited to attend an event at Buckingham Palace. She chose to wear our Luna Pearl Dangles with her vintage Chanel studs! The result was stunning. It was a perfect example of old and new working together and an innovative design improving and creating endless possibilities.

“Classics” are classic for a reason. They are timeless and always beautiful. The younger generation, Gen Z, looks to the past for classic vintage clothing and jewelry to create their way of“recycling” for sustainability. In our post-pandemic world, new goods are harder to get and more expensive, so fashion lovers are going to pre-loved items, often choosing classic names and designs. Our line is by design made to enhance what's old, maybe even the items you already have in your jewelry box and provide variety and fun to your collections. That seems to be the name of the game now-a-days. And we are loving it!