It's not often that students get creative, really creative. They shop at Tesco, they buy clothes from Topshop, and when they want a drink, they'll have a beer. Most interestingly of all, the statement making jewellery that she wears is designed by none other than herself.
Oliphant discovered a love for jewellery-making at a young age fiddling around with friendship bracelets which helped cure her 'inability to sit still'. In summer 2008, she interned with Pamela Diem, founder and designer of the brand Little Miss Drama, and quickly learnt the craft of jewellery production. A year later, the girl who instinctively describes herself as 'bizarre' was going round utility stores across the Tri- State area finding materials that could help her make eye-catching pieces.
Oliphant senses 'a void within the jewellery market' which she aims to fill with 'the brute physicality of heavy chain' contrasted with 'the traditional idea of jewellery as decoration'. One might describe her jewellery as a neat dichotomy between functional and beautiful. This concept is grasped by her favourite necklace, 'Ambulance Chaser', which combines industrial chain with Swarovski crystals and freshwater pearls. Each piece is handmade by Isobel and treated with the highest marine quality spar-varnish to protect the metals used, ensuring the product remains intact and safe to wear.
The only pre-requisite that the designer encourages to become a customer is a sense of humour. Oliphant imagines the d'Andelot woman as one who likes to take risks and isn't afraid of standing out for her stylish originality. Oliphant adds that an appreciation for attention and detail is essential in order to value the unique highlights of each adornment.
The designer insists that she doesn't sketch, but rather lets a mental image build in her mind which she instantly transposes to her tools in her New York studio, allowing her idea to blossom in tune with the inspiration. Once she has made the piece in question, she looks at it, she touches it, and whatever name comes to mind is assigned to her design. She calls the process 'creative rather than logical'. It has given rise to astounding names such as 'It's Impolite to Stare' and 'I dropped Math in High School'.
The result is spectacular. Oliphant manages to produce'heavy' yet feminine accessories such as 'Like Butter', a long necklace which consists of double sided black velvet woven in and out of brass links. Her designs could be worn as alluringly rock-chic over a white t-shirt during the day, or as strikingly sophisticated decorating a fur jacket at night. With her modern take on classic ornaments, Oliphant achieves 'a one of a kind piece admired by women, (and some men), of all ages and circumstance'.
It's no coincidence that 'Dans de l'eau' is French for 'in the water'. Dive in d'Andelot and you'll splash everyone around you.
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