What’s a fashion-loving New York girl to do when she finds herself transplanted to the ultra-casual Bay Area? For Cow Hollow jewelry designer April Reno, a move West meant bringing her East Coast style along for the journey, not leaving it behind.
“That’s one thing I refuse to lose. I will still walk up and down the hills in my four-inch heels,” Reno says of her allegiance to Big Apple fashion even in her stiletto-threatening new home.
After relocating to the Bay Area in mid-2009, Reno soon began working on plans for her line. Launched in February, Reno’s debut jewelry collection ($125-$275) features statement pieces that mix vintage glam with a touch of Upper East Side opulence. You’ll instantly want to be arm in arm with Reno’s heavy metal cuffs punctuated by quartz glass stones, while dramatic pendants livened with chain fringe and metalwork are as good for the girl in a tee are they are for a lady stepping out in an LBD.
If you notice an Art Deco and architectural influence in some of the pieces, it’s no accident. Reno was schooled in decades’ past from an early age.
“My parents are antique dealers, and they used to force me to go to antiques shows, flea markets and antiques stores. So it was either, learn about the different eras and what my parents were collecting or sit in the car,” laughs Reno.
Reno may have her mother and father to thank these days, but SF Indie Fashion readers can thank flash-sale site Left of Trend. The site’s April Reno flash sale is on through Monday and offers deep discounts on this local designer’s latest pieces.
Photography courtesy April Reno
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