“La La Land” Inspired
La La Land earrings
There’s nothing I love more than a movie AND a musical at the same time. La La Land became the movie musical of my dreams back when it first premiered in 2016. I went into the theater not knowing anything about the tone or plot of the movie, and I was blown away. Every detail ranging from the storyline, cinematography, color palette, choreography, and, of course, the musical score was incredible. I ended up watching the movie 3 times in theaters, and many more at home. I even surprised my best friend with a live orchestra performance of the movie for her birthday!
That being said, I think it’s obvious I love this movie. It’s whimsical without being too unrealistic/overbearing which felt like a breath of fresh air! Naturally, I wanted to honor this film through an earring design.
The way I decided on the design for my La La Land earrings has been the most interesting so far. I was having a sort of “writer’s block” the first few times I had sat down to come up with the design. I couldn't decide on anything at that point, and I was so frustrated that I decided to just lie down for a minute. I was lying down with my hands over my eyes when all of a sudden the exact design came to me. It felt like one of those moments in a cartoon when a lightbulb turns on right over the character’s head after a good idea! I immediately got up and created the earring before I forgot it.
My inspiration came directly from what, in my opinion, is the most iconic scene in the movie. It’s the clifftop tap dance scene between Mia and Sebastian set to “A Lovely Night” after they formally meet at the pool party. The scene is beautiful for so many reasons, but my favorite part is the colors. The dreamy purple LA skies combined with Mia’s yellow dress have been living in my mind for years. So I chose to represent this scene with a lavender crystal and gold wire as an ode to the color palette.
I used the gold wire to wrap the lavender crystal from the top to the bottom. The wrapping reminds me of the actual dance in the scene. It feels like twirls, and there were plenty of those going on. Although this particular scene serves as my inspiration, the most significant aspect of the design is based on the overall story. I felt it was important to keep the design as short as I could. Most of my designs are long and dangly, but I didn’t think that would be right for these. Instead I chose to not have any twists or loops that may add the length of the earring. I ended up creating a small triangle stemming from the wire and used a small jump ring to connect the earring to the gold stud (which was also chosen to reduce length).
My main message through the design is that there can be a lot of beauty in short, just like Mia and Sebastian’s love story. They don’t end up together, but it’s because of their connection that they both were able to achieve their dreams. I know most people hate that ending, but I think it was a wonderful message and the best way to close their story. Sometimes a love story may not last, but it doesn't mean it has to be any less fulfilling.
The song that accompanies the earrings: “Mia and Sebastian’s Theme”
