by Erika Dykstra
When Orange County native Katie Costello made herself a necklace out of precious metals and beads for a night on the town, it turned into a golden Hollywood opportunity, and the fledgling designer's creation not only scored a home run with "The O.C." star Mischa Barton but also other Hollywood notables.
Costello, 26, a sales clerk at the Malibu fashion hot spot Planet Blue, longed for a flapper-inspired necklace long enough to layer in two but couldn't find what she was looking for in stores. Having been creative since her Mission Viejo, Calif. childhood, Costello headed to a crafts store and fashioned the necklace of her dreams-a classic yet simple double-strand affair combining gold chain and delicate freshwater pearls. "I've always been into accessories and I just got inspired,"explains the designer.
When Planet Blue colleagues and customers started asking where she'd gotten her jewelry, Costello decided to make a couple more samples, just in case. That batch sold out, as did the next one. Then, Mischa Barton walked into the store-Planet Blue is a favorite of "The O.C." costume team-and the TV star scooped up a bronze-pearled variation (white and pink pearls are also available) and, to Costello's amazement, Barton immediately wore it on thepaparazzi-filled red carpet at the Teen Choice Awards.
Soon, pictures of Costello's creation were splashed nationwide and the necklace was in hot demand. With magazines calling the designer and stars such as Britney Spears and Lisa Rinna snatching up the $140 accessory, and with sales going well at eight boutiques in Southern California and one in Vegas, Costello can hardly believe her luck. "I never, never expected this response!" she says. "Girls are still calling the store, asking for what Mischa wore. So I'm thanking her by naming the necklace, ‘The Mischa.'"
And for those of you who love Costello's gold-and-pearl double-wrap necklace, but don't have the cash, you can create this chic style! All you need is two basic, not-overly-decorated necklaces culled from your own jewelry box to create a vintage effect. For the best match, pick two silver chains, or two gold ones, and make sure each is of a slightly different length so they can both be seen around your neck. Katie also advises using no more than two necklaces at a time so you don't look overdone. "The layered [jewelry] look is really in, but just make sure to keep it simple," she concludes.
Katie Costello's jewelry is available at locations including Planet Blue in Malibu, California, (310) 317-9975, Belle Gray in Sherman Oaks, California, (818) 789-4021 and Trio in Newport Coast, California, (949) 497-9003. |
