January 2, 2013 |
For me, the 1970s are unavoidably viewed through a daft 1990s pop lens. Circular, I’d imagine, and most probably holographic.
I’d like to blame Top of the Pops, and the renaissance I witnessed as a child glued to every dry-ice-filled performance. The kind I’m now addicted to finding on YouTube. In both sound and style, a host of acts had a go, from Lenny Kravitz to the B-52’s and arguably even REM with their anthem of free love Shiny Happy People. Madonna was in on this referencing – well, duh! – but in a different kind of way. Taking a dance-orientated cue from New York’s platform-shoed club kids, with the likes of Deeper and Deeper. Children of the decade, whose nostalgia married psychedelia with Hanna-Barbera ’toons and a revved-up funk. Spitting out the likes of Deee-Lite – an achingly cool three-piece (at least to a four-year-old with a penchant for bright spandex and flicky hair) that are best remembered for their spiralling house anthem Groove is in the Heart.
Imagine my excitement, then, to find myself on my first (worth-bragging-about) press trip at the Gramercy Park Hotel, New York. Just a stone’s throw from the now-defunct Limelight, which once sat at the epicentre of this clubbing throwback. And by invitation of Cartier, who happened to be presenting the opportunity of a proper history lesson above their Fifth Avenue Mansion, with the opening of their exhibition Cartier & Aldo Cipullo, New York in the 70s, which is dedicated to the work of a young and handsome Italian who frequented the blueprint for Manhattan nightlife – Studio 54. The man who was responsible not only for the iconic Love bracelet, but also the recently re-launched Juste Un Clou.
Appearing like an enormous masonry nail turned on a lathe to fit the wrist, this avant-garde object, at its original launch, marked an expansion in the brand’s contemporary gold collections, and a sudden desire to reflect the youthful, carefree spirit of the day. Something that its current incarnations, now available in yellow, white and pink gold, with optional diamond inlays, have managed to retain. Daringly modern, even to this day, it’s plain to see why Cipullo’s designs, alongside a high-profile clique that included Andy Warhol, Debbie Harry and Gene Simmons, caused such fawning from the press. A combination that allowed him to transcend the role of designer to become a celebrity in his own right.
Celebrity, according to Pierre Rainero, Cartier’s image, style and heritage director, is deeply rooted in the brand’s US presence, “going back to Hollywood in the very beginning – in the 1920s”, with actors and actresses becoming counterpart ambassadors to the kings, queens and tsars who have long worn Cartier in Europe. Feeling rather regal myself, while being guided through virgin press trip territory by Mama Silvia, Cartier’s most fabulous PR, I managed to allot some time between champagne sipping, jewellery gawping and the slightly misjudged planning of a 1970s-esque evening look (comprising dinner jacket and Christopher Shannon pompom shirt) to further discuss the exhibition and the deeper history of Cartier in the USA.
VINCENT LEVY: “We’re in New York in celebration of the 1970s, but I want to start by going back a little further. How did Cartier first establish itself here?”
PIERRE RAINERO: “We were once further up Fifth Avenue and found this building in 1917. I’m not sure how familiar you are with the anecdote, but there was a lady called Mrs Plant, who regularly came to Cartier to admire three strings of pearls. This was noticed by Pierre Cartier, who knew of Mrs Plant’s mansion, where we now sit. During this time everyone was relocating closer to Central Park, and all the private mansions on Fifth were becoming stores. Pierre proposed an exchange, the necklace for the mansion, and that was that.”
VINCENT LEVY: “And with Cartier establishing itself in different territories, was there a different approach? Did each city develop different styles?”
PIERRE RAINERO: “In fact, Pierre was in charge of international openings. He travelled to many different countries, including Russia, which Cartier has visited since the winter season of 1904, and that’s how we became official supplier to the tsar. Anyway, after the father Alfred retired, the three brothers became the heads of the company and divided. Pierre was based in the US, Jacques in London, and Louis, the oldest brother, in Paris. Paris kept the lead in terms of creation, and the style was supposed to originate there, whether it was sent to London or New York, to have that Cartier style.”
VINCENT LEVY: “Being in the US, how did Cartier become involved with Hollywood? Was this a deliberate move?”
PIERRE RAINERO: “I think there’s a specific electricity for the Americans in a house with such history. Cartier became known for the sales of pieces once owned by famous kings and queens. The earrings of Marie Antoinette, the green emeralds of Catherine the Great – we became a bridge between the old world and the new. At the end of the 1950s, when it was still the Cartier family, we realised the increasing influence of Hollywood and, for example, [the Cartier designer] Al Durante would meet with Marilyn Monroe here, and we’d do pieces on special order for her just for movies and events. The electricity of these pieces is that they were contemporary, but created with the image of an established institution. And I think that’s also why the creations of Aldo were so successful at the time. Because Cartier produces them there’s that kind of emotion.”
VINCENT LEVY: “And of all the Hollywood figures who showcased Aldo’s Cartier designs, did he develop any specific muses?”
PIERRE RAINERO: “The only thing that we know from his brother is that Aldo was very sensitive to the fact that Elizabeth Taylor, for instance, wore the Love bracelet. When he discovered her wearing itthe film X, Y and Zee he went to see it five times in a row.”
VINCENT LEVY: “And how does the modern Clou wearer differ from the one of the 1970s?”
PIERRE RAINERO: “I think, basically, the customers don’t differ from one generation to the next, but people do live differently. Of course, the way people live changes, but what seduces them is always the same thing. It’s a question of aesthetics, of course – it’s a question of beauty. It has to be beautiful, but at the same time, people have to figure out how they can live with those pieces.”
VINCENT LEVY: “I was wondering how you balance that, as the Clou was a very contemporary design – do you find people are looking for a timelessness when acquiring jewelry? Especially at a certain price point?”
PIERRE RAINERO: “Timelessness is another dimension of the challenge. I think it’s more based on the rigour with which you work on shapes, volumes, colours, and so forth. There are some items, which despite their routes in a specific period, you find strong in other periods, too, and I think this is because you are strong enough to keep your own principles.”
VINCENT LEVY: “A certain integrity?”
PIERRE RAINERO: “Yes, integrity, it’s a question of this – I agree with you – and your style, even if you know that those objects will be suitable for that period, and, in fact, that’s the way to recognise strong design or not. Look at the Trinity ring, for instance, created in 1924, and people think that it’s been created just now. Look also at the watches. Or something like the Tank watch, which I feel is very, very modern, because there’s a purity.”
VINCENT LEVY: “And Aldo himself enjoyed the pairing of both contemporary and older pieces?”
PIERRE RAINERO: “Yes, he believed that modernity is in fact about mixing, and I think that that was very exciting for him at Cartier, accepting that, okay, the mission was to bring something new, something exciting and modern in a way, but without forgetting what was the style and the tradition.”
VINCENT LEVY: “And in terms of acquiring the relaunched Clou, I believe it’ll initially be available in a very select way?”
PIERRE RAINERO: “Yes, to begin with, as in fact the piece is not easy to produce, despite appearing so simple.”
VINCENT LEVY: “And originally there was a larger nail collection. Are there any plans to re-release these pieces?”
PIERRE RAINERO: “Yes, of course, we’ve already had many requests, I think because the shape is very strong and it can be adapted in many different ways to wear it. In particular, there are the cuff links… I’m dreaming of a pair!”
VINCENT LEVY: “And your archives are so important at Cartier. I was wondering how the revival of Aldo’s work might influence the design of new pieces? For your current designers?”
PIERRE RAINERO: “You know, it’s difficult to answer because we are always influenced by our archive, and I think for the current designers in Paris now, the Cipullo creations are not unknown, there’s already a familiarity, and at the same time, we try to not become obsessed by repeating things, we are more interested in creating new things, with the preoccupation to cultivate our own style, so that’s the challenge every time we create something. At the same time, you should be able to say, oh this is new, but it’s very Cartier, too.”
VINCENT LEVY: “And the archive and background knowledge this provides enables this?”
PIERRE RAINERO: “Exactly. It provides a frame, but they are not something we copy. Or by exception, there is the occasion where we reproduce something.”
VINCENT LEVY: “Which is celebrating a piece of history?”
PIERRE RAINERO: “Yes, by exception.”
by Vincent Levy
