Jean Louis Scherrer vintage costume jewelry

Jean Louis Scherrer vintage costume jewelry

Born in 1936 in Paris, Jean Louis Scherrer graduated from the haute couture school (originally – Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne) in 1955. From that year on, Scherrer became an assistant at the Dior Fashion House, and was directly involved in the management until 1957. After the death of Christian Dior, the young designer continued his collaboration with Yves Saint Laurent, but left this brand in 1959.
In 1962, Jean-Louis opened his own fashion house, and in 1971 presented his first “Prêt-a-Porter” collection.
Like other haute couture houses, along with clothes and perfume, he designed costume jewelry which was an integral part of his collections. Noteworthy, he was one of the very few couturiers who personally prepared jewelry designs. According to art historians, it was not Yves Saint Laurent, but Scherrer who created most of Christian Dior’s mid-1950s jewelry designs.
Also, some of his jewelry was created at at Henkel & Grosse in Pforzheim, Germany (exclusive manufacturer of Dior jewelry). Traditionally marked with the initials “JLs” and “Paris”, or “Scherrer”, or “JL Scherrer” on oval base, these vintage pieces are highly collectible.

Scherrer’s creations were very popular in the 80s of the 20th century. He often used costume details borrowed from the culture of India, Russia, China, and other countries. In 1980 he received the “Dé d’Or award” in Paris for his Russian collection. Scherrer left his Fashion House in 1992, and it gradually fell into decay. French couture died in 2013, in a Parisian palliative care clinic after ten months of illness.

Jean Louis Scherrer vintage costume jewelry

He was a man of tragic fate, and his name was long tried to belittle, or even completely erase from the annals of the history of high fashion. Meanwhile, experts associate the return of the spirit of “sensual and defiant elegance of the Art Deco era” and “Gatsby-style” to the world of haute couture. He was a consistent advocate of the “Dior” concept of “uniting the arts”, which proclaimed the indestructible artistic unity of costume and jewelry accessory.