A Girl's Dream: J.Crew + Fenton / Fallon
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 at 12:47 PM 
When the first lady appeared on the December cover of Glamour magazine, wearing a red Jason Wu dress and a statement necklace adorned with jewels and bows, we were all intrigued by the same question: who made that gorgeous necklace? The answer proved to be designer Dana Lorenz for her line Fenton. The designer was as delighted to see her necklace on the first lady as we were, unaware that it had made its way into Mrs. O's jewelry collection.
Behind the scenes, Jenna Lyons of J.Crew and Dana Lorenz had met at a dinner party a few months before. A great fan of the Fenton and Fallon lines, Jenna Lyons made plans to meet at Dana Lorenz's new store in downtown Manhattan’s Freeman Alley to discuss a possible collaboration. As they looked through the Fenton and Fallon look books, there was a necklace that caught Jenna Lyon's eye. J.Crew made plans to produce the necklace with slight modifications. It was a fortuitous, though unexpected, twist, when just three days after plans for the collaboration were set, the first lady wore the same Fenton necklace on the cover of Glamour. Though on track to release the necklace for Spring 2010, J.Crew decided to push production forward after seeing the response that the necklace received (in part, by comments from many of you!).
The Carrington crystal bow necklace, designed by J.Crew in collaboration with Fenton / Fallon, features crystals and glass stones, silk ribbons dyed by hand (available in ivory or grey/green), and unplated chains. "There is a certain handwriting that J.Crew has, and Dana's pieces have a bit more edge," Jenna Lyons said. "Mixed with J.Crew clothes, there is a nice contrast." I asked Jenna how she might style the piece. "This is a statement necklace - no question," she replied. She recommends pairing the necklace with a classic jewel neck t-shirt, black blazer and jeans, or even a chambray shirt buttoned up to the top.
These pieces are the first look at what will be a continuing collaboration between J.Crew and Fenton / Fallon. The next pieces, set to debut in April, May and June, will feature the chains, studs and rock crystals that Dana Lorenz's work has become known for. Jenna Lyons said the gals at J.Crew are "madly obsessed" with the pieces. If these first necklaces are any indication, we will be too.
The Carrington crystal bow necklaces are available at J.Crew stores for $295. They'll be available online at JCrew.com beginning December 30. We'll follow up with a post when they are!
UPDATE: You can now order the FENTON-FALLON for J.Crew Carrington crystal bow necklace on J.Crew.com, here. We have heard rave reviews from readers who have seen the necklace in-store!
Images courtesy J.Crew
FENTON-FALLON for J.Crew, J.Crew
Reader Comments (18)
love the cream one. beautiful.
So pretty!
Beautiful. Lord, why am I so broke? LOL!
I love this necklace!!! I'm going to hope for J.Crew gift cards from Santa!!!
I love this piece of jewellry but sadly we don't have J Crew in the UK. Oh well !
Those necklaces are quite gorgeous. They're certainly different from the "strand of pearls" conservatism you might think is associated with First Ladies! I can't wait to see future products of this collaboration.
Gorgeous! I want one!
I love these necklaces. They are perfect replacement for the "strand of pearls" that first ladies have had to wear to convey gravitas and class. The stones combined with the metal have this regal look about them while the bows convey playfulness and youth--they perfectly represent the image Mrs O want to convey of seriousness and youth. It really is her! I've never seen jewelry like this before and I'm glad Mrs O is expanding everyone's horizons.
I love the way that Mrs. O is introducing very feminine touches to the mainstream American woman.
The necklaces are so pretty. They have actually taken the 'classy' look to another level of femininity. The tri-colored rows of links connected to the crystals and bows are sheer magnifique'....and I'm not french (smile).
I absolutely adore these necklaces! I must admit that at first I was taken aback by the price tag and was not sure that it would be a smart purchase. Don't get me wrong, I love costume jewelry and have plenty. I cannot say that I've ever paid this much for a single item. But when I thought of the mileage I'd get out of it and all of the plain outfits that it could punch up, it seems like a good investment. So I'm putting this on my wish list for my birthday in January. I appreciate this collaboration with J.Crew. Hurray for us fashionistas! Now this is HAPPY SHOPPING!!!
I got a jewellery making kit for Christmas. This will be one of my first projects!
It's funny but I did not like this necklace on the cover of Glamour with the red dress but I love the grey-toned version shown here. I also agree with the designer's suggestions of how to wear it. On the cover of Glamour I felt that it completed with the dress both with the red color and shiny fabric and with the neckline of the dress.
For years I have been using ribbon of various types to tie pearl strands together. It started with a longer pearl strand - I doubled it and tied lovely ribbon through the loops. This made a shorter double strand. Wore the bow in the back (leaving longer streamers) or moved it to the side front, similar to this necklace. Velvet and satin ribbons worked best. Grosgrain is very striking, too, but the bow tends to work loose.
Not as ornate or dramaticas this Fenton piece, but a very pretty look that anyone can do with a strand of good pearls or some bargain pearls. Try it!
Yes kbarch I had a bit of that myself. I loved it anyway because hell, the lady could work a black plastic bin liner and look great in it, but I think for myself I would have put it with something deeper necked or scooped or something. They really are beautiful though aren't they?
Scarf and jewellry in one. Perfect to wear on a plain dress. I love it.
Amazing combination of jewellry and fabric - would make a simple
dress absolutely stunning. J Crew and Fenton/Fallon, to this I say
Masterpiece.
It's not in my price range, but, I bought 5 december Glamour
magazines as gifts for the ladies in my family. They called
to say they can't get over the beautiful red dress and necklace
Mrs. O wears so beautifully. I had to buy book covers for them too (smile),
it's a keeper.
HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVERYONE!
I bought the gray version and it arrived today. It's stunning. This is well made, substantial piece of jewelry. You can remove the bows which gives the necklace a completely different look. It is pricey but it is such a statement necklace that it is worth it. I can see wearing it now with woolens and in summer with a black or gray lbd.