When Paris high jewellery house Van Cleef & Arpels opened its first boutique in 1906, on Place Vendôme, one of its first orders was neither a pearl necklace nor a diamond ring. Rather, it was a jewel designed to adorn the home: a scale model of the New York socialite Eugene Higgins’ Varuna yacht, crafted in gold, silver, jasper, ebony and enamel. What made it particularly unique, however, was its modern functionality – it was fitted with an electric bell pusher to call the butler.
By the 1930s, Van Cleef & Arpels’ precious approach to technology elevated women’s wants with the marvellous minaudière, a rare 1935 version of which is photographed here. This tin box-inspired purse was engineered in gold, lacquer and gemstones to contain mirrors, face powders, a cigarette lighter, a lipstick holder, a tiny watch and, in this case, a pair of folding diamond-set spectacles.
This story is from the April 2023 edition of Wallpaper.
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This story is from the April 2023 edition of Wallpaper.
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Role Models - Elmgreen & Dragset's subversive take on the classical form at Paris' Musée d'Orsay explores contemporary masculinities in a heteronormative world
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Marcio Kogan has been prolific since setting up his namesake studio in São Paulo in 1978 (it was renamed Studio MK27 at the turn of the century). The 72-year-old architect has since become synonymous with contemporary Brazilian chic, offering a sumptuous blend of raw, textured materials; clean geometric forms; effortless functionality; vernacular design features; and a deep knowledge and appreciation of the rich, tropical modernist architecture legacy of his home country.
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