Jewelry Designer Alexis Bittar will be in Chicago at Nordstrom Michigan Avenue tomorrow, Saturday April 4th, along with a trunk show of his fabulous jewelry. You may have seen his new spring ad campaign featuring the 93 year-old Iris Apfel and the 19 year-old Tavi Gevinson, further proving the fact that his jewelry is right for women of all ages. He recently celebrated 25 years of working with Lucite with a huge art event during New York Fashion Week, and has been busy designing jewelry for the past two Hunger Games films. I met Alexis Bittar at Nordstrom in 2008 and a lot has certainly happened since then. Second City Style was there when he opened his Bucktown boutique in 2011 and now he has a shop on Oak Street as well.
I asked Alexis Bittar what he learned about women in Chicago. “Women in Chicago have a thirst for fashion and art. People generally think of Chicago as a conservative city, but I find that people in Chicago embrace art more than most cities.”
We do love to wear our artwork, too, and Alexis Bittar makes it easy. Look at this amazing spring collection cuff. For inspiration for spring and all his collections he said, “I look at historical references, especially antiques. Nature is also endlessly inspiring. I try not to look at jewelry, but look at the latest collections on the runways and see what made an impact and what was missing. I try to get that energy and embody it in jewelry.”
With so many choices, how do you select a piece of his jewelry? “You first need to love whatever you’re wearing, so choose something you actually love.” the designer said. “I think every woman should always have a few staples – a large cocktail ring, a unique necklace that you can easily throw on and change your look, and finally a strong statement cuff that exudes confidence, style and power.”
Shop Alexis Bittar at Nordstrom and at AlexisBittar.com
– Carol Calacci
Photos: Alexis Bittar
