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• November 22, 2006
• Object Lesson

Object Lesson: Right Angle

Thanks to designer Annie Costello Brown , it's hip to be square. By Loryn Hatch

There's a dualism inherent to Annie Costello Brown's current jewelry collection. Rugged and delicate, tough and whimsical, urban and organic—these opposing forces of style come together in the L.A.-based designer's geometrical flapper necklace, a versatile piece that embodies the collection's brilliant balancing act. Drawing her inspiration from the folk art of her parent's generation, the organic photo studies of Karl Blossfeldt, and the glamour of vintage costume jewelry, Costello interprets what she collects into her designs.

The result, she says, "is a merging of grounded mysticism and a refined edginess." Her flapper necklace is linked to the past by 60 inches of fine antique brass chain that can be doubled, tripled, or left to hang loosely. But it then steps into the present with its clean and uncomplicated brown and black triangles, rectangles, and circles each cut from full-grain Latigo leather. These minimalist shapes fashioned from earthy materials demonstrate Costello's proclivity for juxtaposing mediums while playing with the unexpected. In the end, she's crafted a cool, seasonless piece that works from every angle, regardless of your hip quotient.

Geometrical Flapper Necklace, $205, available exclusively at Des Kohan in Los Angeles, 671 Cloverdale, 323-857-0200 and at South Willard, 8038 West Third Street, 323-653-6153. For more information, go to www.anniecostellobrown.com

Thanks to designer Annie Costello Brown, it's hip to be square.