This article is published in issue 43 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until October 22, 2024.
The storms hitting Paris make the view even more spectacular. On the top floor of a building in the western area of the city, every window overlooks a postcard panorama: here is the Grand Palais, there the Eiffel Tower, further away the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, the obelisk of Concordia. Valerie Messika check out the latest details of his fashion show-event, dedicated not to clothes but to pieces of haute joaillerie. After 20 years, the creative head of the maison that bears her surname has not stopped shaking up the closed environment of the jewelery shop, with innovative design, moving elements, star ambassadors and extraordinary diamonds. From a first boutique on rue Saint Honoré, it arrived at ninety addresses around the worldincluding the Parisian one at 13 Rue de la Paix, right next to Cartier.
Although she is not the only daughter of an artist to have launched herself into the business (her father André is a famous diamond trader), her success is unique and has been well received by the other brands, as she herself acknowledges with a hint of mischief: «I am a very humble person, but we must not deny the evidence. I know we are under observation, because we have a market, distribution, customers. In short, we have a voice”, he says, while looking at a gold and diamond necklace. «Honestly, we hadn’t foreseen any of this, we didn’t have a precise plan: behind the launch of Messika there was a lot of love, timing and a certain amount of luck», explains the creative, who now works with her husband. «He is the opposite of me, both in character and skills. There is a lot of respect between us but we also often argue”, jokes the creator of collections with global success, as Move And Glam’Azone.
Does Valérie Messika have magical powers? Maybe: as the time for the parade approaches, the rain stops. In front of a historic department store in the Opera district, customers, journalists and celebrities begin to arrive. Inside, you sip champagne while passing three photocalls. Cardi B, Natalia Vodianova, Isabelle Adjani, Nina Dobrev, Cole Sprouse, Heidi Klumthe new one friend of the brand Elisabetta Canalis: everyone is really here to discover the second chapter of the high jewelery collection Midnight Sun II. Paris Jackson and Taylor Hill parade on the glittering catwalk.
Eva Herzigovawho for the occasion shows off a necklace studded with 232 stones for a total of over 129 carats, is a divine vision in a black dress, which sparks applause from the audience. Before and after her, there is an emerald-cut diamond that shines like the sun, an amazing fear with more than ten thousand gems. And then, turquoises, lapis lazuli, gray and colored pearls that add magic to this crazy collection.
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The inspiration? «I have always loved the Eighties, those of the parties, whether they were in Paris or New York, in which different worlds mixed together. That dimension of the night that reveals another side of us. The idea», explains Valérie Messika, «of an impossible midnight sun». But also of a different relationship with precious objects: in addition to necklaces, earrings and bracelets, there are anklets, jewels to wear in the hair, diamonds that shine in the middle of the forehead. Some models also take to the catwalk, underlining the way in which masculine and feminine merge and reinvent themselves: «I think that jewels have no gender. First of all because times have changed but also because I am influenced by my travels, both in Asia where men traditionally wear jewellery, and in the United States where rappers have imposed a style”, says the designer, commenting on her fourth fashion show. The first was organized with Kate Moss in the park of the Ritz hotel, at the end of the pandemic: «I don’t like to show jewels under a display case. Fashion has always inspired me and Kate is an icon. The fashion show seemed like a natural choice to me, even if, looking back on it now, it was decidedly risky.”
Today, Messika’s event is one of the most anticipated of the Parisian fashion weekthanks to that mix of audacity and delicacy, and its spirit that is both rock and sophisticated. Nonetheless, the designer remains down to earth: «I’ve been lucky, in life it’s all a question of timing. I knew how to surround myself with the right people at the right time. It’s like surfing: when the wave arrives, you wonder whether to take it or not. We rode it. And so we have done every year, improving more and more.”
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Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
