In true Pomellato fashion, heritage meets high-voltage glamour in Collezione 1967—a dazzling new high jewellery collection that reimagines the Italian maison’s most distinctive codes through a contemporary lens. Think sculptural chains, sensuous silhouettes, and bursts of technicolour stones that chart the house’s evolution across three bold decades: the free-spirited ’70s, the audacious ’80s, and the chromatic excess of the ’90s. GRAZIA Singapore’s editor-in-chief Pakkee Tan speaks to Pomellato creative director Vincenzo Castaldo at the brand’s exclusive presentation in Paris during Haute Couture Week, where he shares how emotion, intuition and Milanese craftsmanship shaped this radiant love letter to Pomellato’s past, present and future.
Pakkee Tan (PK): What was the emotional anchor for your creative journey with this collection?
Vincenzo Castaldo (VC): It was a pivotal moment for us. We’re now on our sixth high jewellery collection, and though it still feels like a beginning, it also felt like the right time to draw inspiration from our heritage—specifically, the three decades that helped shape Pomellato’s identity: the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.
But this wasn’t a nostalgic exercise. Rather, it was about taking elements from the past and transforming them into something entirely new. We broke the collection down into three chapters, each one anchored by a defining characteristic from each decade.
In the ’70s, chains were central—our founder was deeply rooted in Milan’s goldsmith tradition, and that decade was about experimenting with chain-making. The ’80s brought an explosion of creativity. Milan was a hub for designers and artists. That energy pushed Pomellato to step outside its comfort zone, giving rise to sensual, rounded, feminine forms. And in the ’90s, colour arrived in full force. Joyful, expressive and bold.
PK: Chains are a strong presence in this collection. How did you approach designing them?
VC: We selected the most representative and transformable chains. For instance, one design features two distinct chains—one smaller, one slightly longer—that create a visually balanced interplay of volume. It’s a marriage of geometry and fluidity.
What’s key is preserving femininity. Even though chains can be seen as rigid or masculine, we introduce sensuality through movement and fluidity. The chains aren’t stiff; they move with the body. That’s what gives them their contemporary femininity.
PK: How do you select the stones for a collection? Do you have to “feel” them first?
VC: I don’t start with a set idea. Rather, I’m guided by instinct. When a colour moves me—when it feels right for Pomellato—I know. It’s like an artist choosing paint from a palette.
Sometimes, only at the end of a collection do I realise a recurring hue. With this one, there was a lot of green, purely by intuition. I discovered it only after everything was assembled. We also play with different stone cuts, like combining cabochons with faceted stones to explore light and texture in new ways.
PK: You blend utility and artistry beautifully in the new high jewellery collection. How do you balance that?
VC: Our philosophy is to respect tradition while challenging it. Combining two chains, for example, may not seem revolutionary, but when you understand their history—how each represents a different part of Pomellato’s story—it becomes powerful. It’s about balance: too much, and the piece loses elegance; too little, and it lacks impact.
PK: Transformability is a recurring theme. Why is it important to you?
VC: When possible, transformability gives new energy to a piece. It empowers the woman wearing it to express herself in different ways. It’s part of high jewellery tradition—to turn a brooch into a pendant, or a tiara into a necklace. At Pomellato, it adds playfulness and modern versatility.
One example is the zigzag chain from the ’80s—very iconic for us. We reinterpreted it by integrating colourful gems into a Riviera-style collier, something we hadn’t done before. The key is to stretch elements from the past just enough to evolve them without losing their identity. That tension is essential to the creative process.
We also introduced the drop chain—entirely handmade, impossibly delicate to recreate by machine—which can be styled in many ways: long like a pendant, wrapped around the neck, or worn asymmetrically. It’s all about fluidity and femininity.
PK: What legacy or emotion do you hope lingers with the wearer?
VC: Thirty years from now, I hope someone will be able to look at a piece from this collection and say: “That’s a Pomellato piece.” That’s the emotion I want to leave behind—something bold, feminine, sensual and timeless.
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