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Photo by Laura Marlow
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Courtesy of Laura Marlow
The necklace Marlow designed for Talley
Courtesy of Laura Marlow
André Leon Talley and Laura Marlow
St. Louisan Laura Marlow’s custom jewelry designs recently caught the attention of André Leon Talley. The former Vogue editor commissioned several pieces from Marlow this summer, which he has proudly worn.
Laura Marlow first met Talley in June. Talley was in town for the opening of Saint Louis Art Museum's "Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear" exhibit. He saw pictures of her work and met with her to discuss creating a custom necklace. “He loves big chunky pieces and a mix of shapes and sizes," Marlow says. "He wanted statement elements that are unique."
“He mentioned he wanted something African inspired," she adds. "I actually get a lot of my inspiration from Africa and other exotic places around the world." Materials incorporated into the designs for Talley include Tibetan trading beads, Chinese jade, carved wood, cultured freshwater pearls, turquoise, and agate strung on suede cord.
Laura created her first custom necklace for Talley in less than 24 hours. He put it on right away and wore it for his lecture at the Saint Louis Art Museum. Talley admired Marlow’s design so much that he called the following day to request more pieces from her. Marlow has created four pieces for Talley already.
The necklaces were designed to be layered together, but they also work as individual pieces. Talley expressed excitement over his new pieces as well as their packaging. “He loved the pouch I custom created for him to keep the jewelry in,” says Marlow.
Marlow has sold her handmade pieces in boutiques in seven states and three countries.
