Wardrobe Wishlist: Marquis & Camus

As a jewelry maker myself (albeit an amateur one at this point), I try not to buy too many accessories. I tell myself, "Bethany, you could make something similar for less if you only put your mind to it and by some miracle found hours of extra time on your hands." And yet, there are some accessory artistes whose unique talent I could never touch. Take Marquis & Camus, for instance. Actually, take them for more than instance. Take them for everything. I love them that much.

From what I've seen, Marquis & Camus was the first line to come up with the whole lackadaisical rockin' chain link meets Victorian romance look that is now cropping up all over Etsy and the like. While imitators are certainly flattering the original duo, no one can quite get it right, in my opinion.

Check it out: We've all seen working-to-be-eclectic pieces similar to the one below. But what's different about this Marquis & Camus necklace is that it doesn't look as if it's working-to-be anything. It already has the look DOWN. It really does seem as if someone reached into a Victorian treasure box, tossed a handful of this and that against the wall, sprinkled it with magic, and then BAM! Beautiful.


And then there are the more "refined" collections, featuring at-first-look-feminine chokers like the following:



"Oh, how pretty. How very Kirsten Dunst in Marie Antoinette," you might think. But then there's something a little rough around the edges about this piece that one just can't place...something tongue-in-cheek, something almost raucous...and yet, that something is beneath the surface enough to not overshadow the fact that yes, this item is pretty. Pretty, indeed.

I think what we all try to achieve when it comes to personal style is looking as if we just hatched from an egg wearing a fabulous outfit that perfectly expresses the person we really are. That kind of fashionable, remarkable, exquisite ease is what I see when I look at pieces from Marquis & Camus.

Wow. I must really sound like a nut. But admit it: You're one, too.