Presley Oldham, the designer known for his shimmering, colorful pearls and natural, organic shapes, is back this New York Fashion Week with a new high-jewelry range. The launch collection is just as gorgeous, yet abundantly more opulent, than what you’ve come to expect from Oldham, particularly those playful necklaces and bracelets you keep seeing on the city’s fashion glitterati.
Oldham had a bustling 2024. He was a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist and received a nomination for Emerging Designer of the Year at the 2024 CFDA Fashion Awards. “I had to take a moment to pause after all that and let it seep in and saturate,” said the designer over the phone earlier this week. “Fine jewelry had always been on my mind,” he said, particularly how to do it in his “own voice.” As consequential as the launch is from a business perspective, Oldham’s jewelry vernacular is craft-first and unassuming—not exactly an obvious match for the often fussy and over ornate world of haute joaillerie.
Oldham’s eye is meticulous and ingenious when it comes to mixing and matching pearls and stones and chains, but it’s also approachable and warm. It’s this what’s made him an if you know, you know favorite in the city’s fashion landscape. And, so it happens, it’s also what makes his new range desirable and aspirational. It’s high jewelry for those who want to—and can—partake, but who are perhaps less interested in the kind of in-your-face extravagance that’s often associated with that world. “I really wanted mine to feel elevated, but also relaxed and accessible,” Oldham said, “I get that it might not be accessible for everyone because of the price point, but I still want it to feel relatable and in line with my brand.”
The range includes some of Oldham’s best-selling styles—the aforementioned pearl concoctions—in 14K yellow and white gold. There are also a few one-of-a-kind pieces Oldham created using freshwater Baroque pearls Oldham sourced on a recent trip across China and Japan, which he said are of “a quality I’ve never been able to work with before.” Some styles incorporate diamond slices, rubies, and other kinds of pearls, and others are hand-cast pieces like earrings with pavé diamonds and multi-color gemstones, from tourmalines and sapphires to more rubies and diamonds. Earrings range from $450 to $1,500, bracelets from $750 to $2,000, and simple chain necklaces from $750 to $2,500. The more involved pieces run from $3,000 to $10,000.
Oldham is launching the collection with a lookbook created alongside the designer Mara Hoffman, in which they’ve photographed each other—with a special cameo from Hoffman’s son—wearing the pieces. “I want to reimagine how I’m interpreting the brand, and it’s really important to me to begin to grow the people I’m working with, both in terms of photographers and stylists and filmmakers,” Oldham, who often photographs his own campaigns on him and his partner, said. The two designers met over this past year and connected, which led to Oldham pitching this project to Hoffman.
“The moment I met Presley, I felt an instant connection and spark,” Hoffman said. “I love his work and deeply believe in his vision. After closing my brand, I’m in a playful and inspired chapter of my life where I get to collaborate on projects that feel meaningful with people I love,” she continued. “I also know firsthand how much dedication it takes to sustain a brand at this stage of a career, and I felt honored to stand beside him in that. Creating something together that carries both of our energies was so rewarding.”
The launch comes with good timing from Oldham—jewelry is having a moment at New York Fashion Week. There’s his presentation, happening today and tomorrow at the penthouse of the W New York, plus the debut runway show of his CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund classmates Soull and Dynasty Ogun of L’Enchanteur, who won the 2024 edition of the competition, and Bernard James and Don’t Let Disco’s Ashley Moubayed.
