Abbey Lee Kershaw, Dree Hemingway, Jamie Bochert… ManiaMania’s campaign cast lineup reads like a who’s who of the industry’s coolest. For its new collection Babylon, which takes its cues from lost film and fallen empires, they’ve swiped another of Marc Jacobs’ muses – Ruby Jean Wilson.
The campaign has Wilson delving into the mien of Theda Bara, the controversial femme fatale you probably don’t remember from lost silent films such as 1917’s Cleopatra. ManiaMania links creation and transformation of Bara’s character to mythical phenomena such as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but in an ancillary way, it’s fitting for their casting choice. Last season, Ruby caused quite the buzz by reincarnating herself as controversial screen icon Edie Sedgwick.
The jewelry lookbook features morbid and exotic stills alongside shots of Ruby playing a silent film star in between costumes. It gives an intimate quality to a collection that’s otherwise pretty bold. Even the delicate pieces like the double-layered ring adorned with tiny crystals are joined with chains to suggest bondage undertones. Otherwise, there are vampirish chokers, giant biker rings with Egyptian scarabs and claws encasing quartz stones.
Get the full, slightly creepy effect over on ManiaMania’s website by way of some accompanying GIFs.
Images: ManiaMania
