Elsa Peretti recently passed away, on March 18, 2021, at age 80. She has been an enormous inspiration to me in my life and work. This episode is my paean to her—and to some of the brilliant things she made in her lifetime.

I begin by discussing Elsa’s famous Bottle necklace. Next I explore her work with the fashion designer Halston, for whom she was a muse, friend, and model, as well as a designer—she created an iconic fragrance bottle and some jewelry for him. After that, I get into her multifaceted design work with Tiffany & Co., including her Open Heart necklace, Bone cuffs, terracotta Bone candlestick holders, and Fishbowl vessel, in addition to her experiences in the late 1970s Studio 54 scene. I also talk about her long-standing collaboration with the photographer Hiro, who created images that, when I looked at them in Vogue magazine in my youth, just made me ache for their beauty.

I finish the episode on Elsa’s gold mesh bra for Tiffany—maybe my favorite Elsa design of all—which Zoë Kravitz wore to the Vanity Fair Oscars party in 2019. Elsa famously said, “Style is to be simple. I like to push myself to achieve excellence and eliminate all excess detail.” This episode is a celebration of that ethos.

In Memory of Elsa Peretti (1940–2021)

Subscribe:    / kateyoung  
Follow me:   / kateyoung  
Get in touch: [email protected]

Produced by The Slowdown (http://www.slowdown.tv)

Theme music: Cate Le Bon (http://www.catelebon.com)

Credits:
Tiffany & Co.: https://www.tiffany.com/jewelry/shop/...

References (by order of appearance):
“Elsa Peretti in a ‘Bunny’ Costume” (1975), Helmut Newton
Antoni Guadí, Architect
Salvador Dalí, Artist
Charles James, Fashion Designer
Giorgio di Sant' Angelo, Fashion Designer
Joe Eula, Fashion Illustrator
“Halston” (2019):    • Halston Trailer #1 (2019) | Movieclip...  
"Elsa Peretti: Fifteen of My Fifty with Tiffany" (1990):    • Elsa Peretti - Fifteen of My Fifty wi...  
Halston, Fashion Designer
Constantin Brâncuși, Artist
Carine Roitfeld, Fashion Editor
Selena Gomez, Actress and Singer
Henry Moore, Artist
“Wonder Woman 1984” (2020)
Margot Robbie, Actress
Hiro, Photographer
Laila Gohar, Food Artist
Zoë Kravitz, Actress (Styled by Andrew Mukamal)

What I'm wearing
Lemaire white shirt
https://shop-links.co/173870753138048...
Bottega Veneta jean
https://shop-links.co/173870758502854...
Elsa ring
https://shop-links.co/173870761800676...
Elsa snake necklace
https://shop-links.co/173870765473882...