Judith Leiber re-defined evening purses. Clutches that come in various cheeky forms – from penguins to french fries – are made with a metal shell encrusted by swarovski crystals and plated in silver or gold. In 2017, Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger joined the brand as co-owner, creative director and global brand ambassador. She has since relaunched their jewelry line, featuring rings, necklaces, and earrings featuring emoji pendants and dirty martinis, paying tribute to the brand’s iconic archive. The Judith Leiber Forte Beads Bracelet is equally inspired, with 30 semi-precious stone beads including Moonstone, Tiger’s Eye, and Rock Crystal.
I absolutely LOVED the design process with the Forte Beads. It is so clever, fun and user-friendly! It also allows the user to experiment and encourages creativity. It is also a fun activity to do with kids! The possibilities are endless and I designed many different versions until I came up with the one that was my absolute favorite! I found it quite therapeutic and relaxing!
I chose the colors that are most commonly used in our Judith Leiber crystal palettes which are Blacks, Silvers and Gold‘s. Of course, we offer many other color options among our designs, but I feel like this is our most popular core color palette with our Minaudieres.
These colors as well as the materials were chosen for their timeless elegance and neutral palette that can be worn both day and night with absolutely EVERYTHING! I also feel like the properties of the beads such as the tigers eye and rock crystal were also important to me.
I hope others will feel beautiful, safe and lucky when they wear the bracelet.
We are surrounded by colors everywhere but I would definitely say in our home there is a lot of Red White and Blue! My favorite color would probably be blue as there are so many different variations! I also really love Green as well!
I do not think there is a color that I have never worked with …however, I recently worked a lot more with purple which is a color that for some reason I tend to overlook.
My main sources of inspiration are people, places, art and nature. I am always browsing art and lifestyle books whenever and wherever I can get my hands on them and I am always tearing pages out of magazines!
My dream collaborations are always working with my friends, however I would love to collaborate with a larger brand like Dolce and Gabanna or Moschino. I love that both of these brands incorporate fantasy and whimsical design. I would really love to do a Hermes collaboration as well!!!!!
I love working in fashion! It is constantly changing and evolving and I think it is the most accessible form of self expression. Perhaps the worst part of the industry is the intense seasonal calendar and having to turn around collections back to back as soon as you finish them!
I am thrilled how the industry has evolved in such a positive way to embrace diversity of all sizes, ages and ethnicity. I also am proud of how the industry is trying to be more conscious of animal cruelty and minimizing our global footprint on our environment. I think online mobile shopping will continue to evolve but in a much more sophisticated way. I think we are just at the tip of the iceberg.
The most critical part of my daily routine is my mornings I never get out of bed until I remind myself how lucky and grateful I am for all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me, followed by several cups of strong coffee, a morning walk and I am good to go! The most critical part of my creative routine is to make sure I am relaxed and happy. If my mind is too stressed and distracted, I cannot be creative!
My husband Tommy is always the person I go to when I need to get back on track. He is my very best friend and always encourages, inspires and motivates me!
I have MANY pieces of jewelry! One is my engagement ring, another would be a diamond necklace with all of my children’s names on it, and another is a charm necklace by Chantecler that every summer I buy a new charm for it when I go to Capri! For me the jewelry is more about the memory or sentiment it invokes than the value!
The one thing in my home I could not live without would be my photographs and photo albums! They are my MOST special and prized possessions! They are irreplaceable and capture the most special memories and moments of time in my life.
My ideal vacation is in a bathing suit on a sunny remote beach or on our boat with my family and my favorite friends that make me laugh all the time!