Enter the surreally glamorous world of Sonia Petroff

From seventies sequin sensations at Halpern and Gucci, to off the shoulder eighties realness at Saint Laurent – glamour has been making a slow yet welcome return to the world of fashion over the past few years. In a time where our faith in pretty much all of our institutions has been lost – the escapist, therapeutic powers of some serious glitz cannot be underestimated.

If there was ever the perfect moment to reawaken a brand steeped in decadence – this would surely be it, and that’s exactly what Maria Leoni-Sceti has in mind with her revival of Sonia Petroff. Founded by her husband’s aunt in the early 1960s – the costume jewellery and accessories brand comes with a dazzling array of one-off designs and a fascinating history.

Born into an aristocratic family in Bulgaria, Sonia Petroff lived an early life of cultivated privilege. During the war her family were forced to flee – first to Switzerland and Romania, then to Argentina – leaving everything behind them. In the early 1950s Sonia began designing costume jewellery as a way to make a living of her own in Buenos Aires, eventually relocating to Rome during the peak of La Dolce Vita.

Her uniquely glamorous creations caught the attention of fashion houses including Valentino, Nina Ricci and Balmain who enlisted her as a private designer. Inspired by the flora and fauna of her adopted Italy, Sonia’s pieces combine the beauty of nature with an artful, surrealist take on opulence. During the 1960s and 1970s her signature statement belts adorned many an evening gown amongst Europe’s glitterati and graced the covers of countless magazines.

Like Madeleine Vionnet, Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli who went before her, Sonia was fiercely independent and eternally curious – choosing a life of travel and building her own brand over settling down, going against so many of the expectations placed on her as a woman during her era.

After she passed away in 2015, Maria uncovered a vast treasure trove of designs in her house in Rome – from unsold jewels and belts, to prototypes and photograph albums. From here, she set about reawakening the brand – a painstaking task which has involved cataloguing an immense archive of pieces over the past few years.

Featuring jewelled seahorse and dragonfish belts, Swarovski lobster earrings and surreally chic parrot embellished bags – the resulting capsule collections are a joyful, chic and contemporary update on Sonia’s original designs.

We caught up with Maria to find out more about Sonia’s unique story and the many ways in which she was a woman ahead of her time.

Hi Maria, why did you feel this was the right moment to bring the Sonia Petroff brand back?

It was truly an aligning of the stars for three reasons:

1) Personally, this came at a time when I was ready and energised to re-engage with the business and fashion world.

2) The richness and immense breadth of Sonia’s pieces was a treasure trove to discover (I inherited her vintage collection of over 800 pieces along with her photo albums, personal diaries and sketchbooks all too amazing to ignore.

3) I have always like to reinterpret and amplify in fashion and in style what I considered beautiful. Having such a vast amount of options in front of me with Sonia’s pieces just spoke to me and built on what I love to do. Having chosen and created the first capsules, the enthusiasm which came not only from friends and family, but from professionals… journalists and people in the fashion industry was such so encouraging. Also, it’s incredible that no one is doing beautiful jewelled belts as an accessory anymore and it would be amazing to have Sonia Petroff be the brand who brings them back to life.

Tell us some of the fascinating stories you learned about Sonia along the way?

I think one of the best stories is from the 1950s when she was still in her twenties. Her family had to flee Bulgaria when the government fell to Communism and they had to leave everything behind. I have a typewritten letter from her mother explaining that any funds they had needed to go to her brother so he could secure an education and good job, instead, advising her to stop “flirting around in the South of France” and to settle down and marry one of the dukes (apparently more than one was courting her) 😉 Which she refused to do. She didn’t get married until her mid 40s, had no children and became financially independent by designing and selling her creations. She was truly an independent, modern woman well ahead of her time.

She was a very modern woman with a very individual vision – how do you think she would’ve felt about the landscape of fashion and social media today?

I think social media would have fascinated her and she would have been in the forefront of it all. Not having children or a family of her own, her life was her creativity and her social life. She was extremely social and this can be seen from her photo albums and scrapbooks. As to the landscape of fashion, she would have easily adapted to what is happening now, as she did for over 40 years, as her career as a creative designer spanned four decades – from the early 50s to the late 80s.

What was your process behind creating and selecting the pieces for the capsule?

We chose eight vintage pieces (six of which are belts) which I personally love and thought others would too, to recreate on the design of the originals.  The belts were just modernised slightly to be more size friendly and are adjustable so they can be worn at the waist or on the hips, depending on the desired look.

From these eight vintage pieces, I wanted to create new pieces, two to three variations of each to have a full capsule collection. For example, from one belt buckle design we made a pair of earrings and a ring, from another we made a necklace and a bracelet and so on. I have a wonderful creative in Florence who has worked in high fashion for 15+ years who helped me to make the ideas become reality.

What are some of the standout pieces you found in Sonia’s archive?

There is the most beautiful 1970s gold necklace which fastens high around the neck, with a cascade of medallions which look like they are attached by oversized gold safety pins. It is exquisite. There is also a beautiful blue, twisted silk cord belt with the buckle being made of a pair of gold griffin head, fanning around each head are several stones of varying shades of blue which is stunning.

Did you introduce any new designs or motifs?

We designed all the capsule collection jewellery which has a contemporary edge, but are mainly based on the vintage design, usually the buckles. We also introduced new colour variations, making one buckle in a silver version, and introducing new belt colours. The motif we introduced was the lobster we have as our logo. It is based on one bent, corroded buckle we found at the bottom of a box was in the shape of a lobster which we immediately loved. We found it so original, slightly ironic, chic, timeless .. everything that represents us as brand.

What’s the best piece of wisdom you can share from Sonia?

I think Sonia would share the message, “be true to yourself”, not to conform to what everyone else thinks you should be doing or how you should be living, especially if you are a woman. Sonia and I were the two internationals of the family, who inherently liked, respected and understood each other. This would also be the message I would like to give to others, especially women.

Is this the right moment for glamour of this kind to return?

Absolutely. The beauty of my flamboyant belts is that can add glamour to any outfit 24/7. The very same belt looks amazing with a simple white t-shirt and a pair of jeans, adds a touch of elegance in a suit worn in an office, as looking amazing paired with a silk evening dress in the evening. This is true elegance and glamour.

How can you see the brand evolving and growing in the future? 

I would like Sonia Petroff to be the brand to revive the fashion belt as a major accessory. Today, belts are worn either to be just functional or as a statement with the letter of a logo. I would like Sonia Petroff to be the one to make the jewelled belts a vital part of every elegant wardrobe. The brand of course extends to jewellery, handbags and fashion pieces well beyond just belts and I would welcome collaborations or creative partnerships with other brands who would share the same vision and style.

Thanks Maria!

Discover the full Sonia Petroff collection online and follow the brand on Instagram for more inspiration