Every rocker has a cuddly side—after all, the Ramones did write some pretty sweet love songs, and even Ozzy Osborne can't seem to resist little fluffy dogs. Jewelry designer Wendy Nichol's fall collection taps into the softer side of punk, mashing up romantic iconography with the tougher edge of '80s rock trappings. Like her past three collections, Nichol developed her fall line around the materials that were inspiring her at the time. "I started off by thinking of what I'd want to wear for fall with my Steven Alan shirt, and from there I was drawn to pearls and fine Italian glove leather," she explains.

The end result is a witty nostalgia trip back to the days before Madonna copped a British accent. The black leather has been used to soften a brass cuff bracelet and to give a puffy heart-shaped pendant a cartoonishly gritty edge, while pearls have been looped into long strands and dotted with gunmetal pyramid studs. "I was also really inspired by my childhood quest to find that perfect bubblegum machine ring," adds Nichol. "I went to vending machines all over the city, and the rings in this collection came directly from the things I discovered."

In the end, however, Nichol's collection is ultimately inspired by Brooklyn, where she moved four years ago after a stint as an accessories buyer and product developer for Club Monaco. "I find most of my inspiration just by walking out my front door," she says. "My studio's in SoHo, and my eyes are constantly on everything that's happening in the city. I originally designed for a Lower East Side girl, but I feel like my jewelry has crossed over to the West Village. I see tons of women there wearing my pyramid stud earrings, and rocking out in my gold pieces."

We think the Material Girl would approve.

Wendy Nichol is available at Maxine, 12354 Ventura Boulevard, (818) 623-9900.

- Erin Magner

Similar Topics:accessories, fashion, spring 2008

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