Weddings

Stacy London Came to Tiny Jewel Box to Talk About Why Charms Are In Again

Yep, charms are back, and 'What Not to Wear's' Stacy London told us why.

Photograph by Anthony Bolognese

Last night we spent the evening sipping cocktails and getting an exclusive look at the eclectic Have a Heart x Muse Pop Up collection of charitable charms. The traveling collection, which consists of 300 unique charms, from keyhole lockets to precious stone-covered bumble bees, made it’s way to the luxe family-run DC-based jewelry store, Tiny Jewel Box and we were oh-so excited to see the gems up close. The best part about the evening? Muse’s influential ambassador and celebrity stylist—I mean, who didn’t love the TLC makeover show What Not to Wear?—Stacy London was there to help promote the glitzy and philanthropic event. Out of the 300 charms, Stacy selected 60 jewels, that for each purchase, would benefit a meaningful charity to her, the Jed Foundation.

So, for more about the pop upit’s here in DC until February 14th!we chatted with Stacy to not only get the inside scoop about Have a Heart x Muse Pop Up collection, but also for a few of her expert styling tips just for brides-to-be. Check out our interview below for her take on the collection, the resurgence of popularity for charm bracelets, the charity she chose to support, style tips, and more. 

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Can you tell us a bit about the Have a Heart x Muse collection?

Stacy: “The Have a Heart x Muse collection is a collection of charms that are literal hearts (or things we associate with hearts) created by the roster of fine jewelry designers they represent. Muse chose three ambassadors, of which I’m one, to curate a collection for the charity of our choice [and] I chose the JED foundation. Each time one of our selected charms is bought, 10 percent of the purchase price is automatically donated to the charity. It’s a wonderful way to look good and do good simultaneously.”

How did you get involved with the Jed Foundation?

Stacy: “I’ve been involved with JED for several years now. [The charity was] started to serve universities and colleges who are woefully underprepared to handle the mental health issues facing college students and to help prevent suicide for college students, but it has grown from there. JED has evolved to include all kinds of mental health initiatives that include de-stigmatizing mental health issues. If we can’t shine a light on these issues, if we can’t discuss them openly without shame or blame, we can’t help anyone. JED has grown so dramatically, the work they do has just become so much more visible, particularly in the age of social media and bullying. Even to help them get the word out a little is an honor for me.”

Photograph courtesy of Jacqueline Tynes

Why do you think this nostalgic jewelry trend, the charm bracelet, is gaining popularity again? 

Stacy: “Like everything else in fashion, what comes around goes around and comes around againespecially in turbulent times, there is always a spike in nostalgic trends: something stable, something you can rely on, something you know. It’s a tradition to pass a charm bracelet down to your daughter or niece and keep adding on. It’s got a great deal of sentiment behind it. Charms are so much a part of our fashion history. They are like pearls. They’ll always come back. Or maybe they never leave, they are always in the top drawer waiting to be taken out.”

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Do you have a favorite charm from the collection?

Stacy: “Honestly, I want to collect all of them but I do love the sapphire dove, (pictured above) by Sylva & Cie. Even though it’s not an actual heart, it represents love, peace, and a kind of tranquility that’s at the center of what I think a lot of us are searching for.”

What are some expert styling tips for wearing charms?

Stacy: “Personally, I love more is more. You can’t wear too many charms. I say layer and layerchains AND charms. But, too many charms all on one chain will get bunched up without a ‘bale’ to separate them. That’s the ring that keeps charms hooked on a particular link in a chain so it isn’t loose. So wear charms on different length chains, but add bales to them. It really shows off all the charms and looks less messy and crowded on the neck and décolletage.”

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Are there any charms in the collection that you’d recommend for brides-to-be? Such as, wedding-day good luck charms, etc.

Stacy: “There isn’t a charm in the collection that isn’t perfect for a wedding-day good luck charm. You could kill two birds with one stone by getting something with blue.” Searching for your Something Blue? Check out these blue wedding ideas for inspiration

Do you prefer the charm necklace or charm bracelet?

Stacy: “I like the necklace. Really only because I talk way too much with my hands and I’m bound to break a charm bracelet in about 5 seconds flat.”

Heart x Muse Pop Up collection will be at the Tiny Jewel Box until February 14, (just in time for Valentine’s Day!) so go check it out before it’s gone! 

Tiny Jewel Box

1155 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036

 

 

jacqueline-tynes
Assistant Editor, Washingtonian Weddings

Jacqueline comes to Washingtonian with close to five years of digital content experience and SEO best practices. She previously was a senior editorial associate at WeddingWire, specializing in wedding fashion, and before that, an assistant at Vow Bride. Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, she now lives in Columbia Heights.