Mary McFadden vintage costume jewelry
Mary McFadden vintage costume jewelry
Born October 1, 1938, in New York City, McFadden studied costume design at the Traphagen School of Fashion, graduating in 1956. She lived on Park Avenue in Manhattan and worked as director of public relations for Dior New York and was editor of South African Vogue in the 1960s and 1970s. From 1982 to 1983, she was president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Winner of numerous design and fashion awards, Mary McFadden has traveled extensively around the world. She founded her company, Mary McFadden Inc. in 1976. Inspired by the art of China, Africa, Greece and South America, Mary created original clothing designs from textiles picked up during her travels.
Noteworthy, in her early fashion shows the designer used jewelry created by well-known jewelry companies. However, in the late 1970s she began creating jewelry herself, marking it with her name. McFadden jewelry designs are highly original and inspired by the diversity of world cultures. Traditionally, her jewelry designs include Celtic, Etruscan, Pre-Columbian, Egyptian and African motifs. Along with gold-tone alloys, brass and art glass imitating natural stones, McFadden used gold plating and natural stones.
Extremely rare on the vintage jewelry market, Mary McFadden jewelry is highly sought after by collectors for its timeless design and exceptional craftsmanship.