Butler & Wilson
From humble beginnings selling vintage jewelry on a market stall
in
London, Butler & Wilson has become the name that puts the glitter
into glitterati. Beloved of stars and favored by young royalty, the
company brought vintage sparkle to the bling generation.
from
humble beginnings selling vintage jewelry on a market stall
When their stall in the antiques market on London's King's Road proved successful, Nicky Butler and Simon Wilson opened a shop on the nearby Fulham Road in 1972. Unable to keep up with demand for their hand-picked vintage finds, they designed their first collection of costume jewelry, based on their period treasures.
Butler & Wilson |
Able to call on their experience in handling antique Georgian, Victorian, Art Nouveau, and particularly Art Deco jewelry, the designers had a strong pedigree, and have re-interpreted vintage designs for the modern market for the last 40 years.
Their influences are taken from vintage, Oriental, and Indian designs. The company's blend of traditional and modern styles consequently have exceptional global appeal.
Butler & Wilson |
Whimsy
plays a strong part in Butler & Wilson's designs: teddy bears,
champagne glasses, hands, spiders, bows, crowns, and monkeys all
feature in the company's work. The striking black-and-white
rhinestone-set dancing couple, with the lady wearing a fringed,
swinging dress, and the articulated diamante lizard that clambered up
Princess Diana's lapel in Canada are both iconic pieces and much
reproduced.
Butler & Wilson |
The
power-dressing couture of the 1980s demanded bold, showy jewelry and
Butler & Wilson obliged with classics of the era such as huge
jeweled bib necklaces and diamante pins. Celebrities including Jerry
Hall and Bianca Jagger modeled for the firm, snapped by photographers
like David Bailey. Butler & Wilson's admirers include Madonna
and Kylie Minogue.
Butler & Wilson |
Demand
for Butler & Wilson's Christmas jewelry pieces, taking the form
of a wide range of festive subjects, from Santa to reindeer, has gone
from strength to strength. Featuring pave-set rhinestones, their
colors are bold and primary, and the figures are charming.
Early
designs in particular have become highly collectable, notably the
teddy bear, spider, and lizard pins. As 1980s fashion makes a
resurgence, prices are likely to rise. Pieces may be signed "B&W."
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