Escapism was the theme of the evening at the Los Angeles celebration of jewelry brand Missoma’s collaboration with designer Harris Reed on Wednesday. Guests including Zumi Rosow, Maurice Harris, Aly & AJ Michalka, Everett Williams, Langley Fox and Grace Johnson, Yves Tumor, Miranda July, and Arianne Phillips gathered at the historic Houdini Estate in Laurel Canyon. The labyrinthine property had been transformed into a gothic banquet for the event, complete with flickering taper candles and bowls of fruit evocative of 17th-century still-life paintings.
Probably best known as the designer who put Harry Styles in a dress, Reed made headlines again last month thanks to the show-stopping gown and feathered headdress he created for model Iman for the Met Gala. The collection for Missoma—the British demi-fine and fine jewelry brand that counts Bella and Gigi Hadid, Dua Lipa, Megan Markle, and Kate Middleton among its fans—marks Reed’s first foray into jewelry and a continuation of his signature gothic-meets-baroque romantic aesthetic. “For me, it’s a collection about having fun and just being a bit more, you know, not afraid,” said Reed of the enamel signet rings, Georgian era style hand charms, pearl adorned serpent ear cuffs, and lockets inspired by London’s Royal Opera House. “Like anything I do, I’m creating a narrative, creating an identity, creating a different perception of yourself and how you want to be viewed. Something a little bit different because there is a sea of sameness out there.”
For Reed, a native Angeleno, the event felt like a homecoming. “While London is at the forefront of my design, L.A. has definitely informed my mentality,” he explained. “It’s been fun to see people wearing the pieces here because it’s very different. It’s more jeans and a t-shirt with a couple of pieces layered on.” Reed, on the other hand, sported a red sequin Dries Van Noten suit, fingerless crystal gloves he had designed for Gucci, and a more is more profusion of rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.
The evening closed out with a performance by Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter Moses Sumney, who wore a suit and veil from the recent spring 2022 Harris Reed Found demi-couture collection. The set took place beneath a perfect half moon-a magical finale of which Houdini would undoubtedly have approved.
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