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• June 13, 2008
• The Goods

Tough Girl: Annie Costello Brown's Latest Bejeweled Badness

By Nicole Schlomann

Annie Costello Brown is no stranger to badass jewelry—her last collection had us panting over geometric leather-disk necklaces and slightly-goth chain bracelets, with enchanting moon and star shapes mixed in for good measure. Now she's gone all soft on us—in a good way. Her latest line stays true to her love for leather, but she's paired the biker look with good-girl pearls and sparkly crystals—and the result is nothing short of magical.

While some pieces follow Brown's original aesthetic—tribal fringe necklaces, anyone?—others feature soft gray and black leather strips woven between jumbo, luminous pearls, creating a look that's pretty yet adventurous. "I wanted to use my signature material, leather, with a traditionally conservative, almost banal type of material—round faux pearls," Brown says in reference to one of our favorite pieces, a leather and pearl cuff bracelet. One necklace uses three strands of twisted black leather and cloudy pearls finished off with a sweet bow at the neck, while another combines fringe and chains with faceted glass beads. Though the necklaces' signature gems may suggest innocence, Brown insists the contrary. "I think the mix of leather snaked between the pearls makes the necklace sensual to wear." Being bad never looked so good.





Layered Pearl and Leather Bracelet, $195, available at Des Kohan, 671 Cloverdale, Los Angeles; 323-857-0200. For more information, go to www.anniecostellobrown.com.

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