A jewellery designer from Berkhamsted had her first big break after her work was seen on the red carpet at a London charity event.
Model of the moment Cara Delevingne wore Jacqueline Wharam’s black leather links mask and matching whip at the Elephant Family’s Animal Ball at Clarence House earlier this month.
Jacqueline, who operates her company TBL from her studio at home in Chesham Road, said: “I was absolutely thrilled, because it obviously caught her attention and she had a lot of fun with it.”
Jacqueline was one of many designers invited to create and submit a mask for the charity’s first fundraising ball – in aid of endangered animal species worldwide – and had the likes of Jerry Hall, Mario Testino and Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, on the guestlist.
She said: “The masks I submitted didn’t represent one animal in particular.
“The black mask represented the dark side, the threat of extinction, and the whip respresented whipping extinction into submission.”
Photos of Cara sporting the TBL mask and whip appeared in Hello, OK and Grazia magazines, as well as the Evening Standard.
Jacqueline says she has always been creative, studying fine are and architecture before making designer tassels to order.
The tassels’ braiding prompted her to think about expanding into making jewellery, and TBL was born.
Jacqueline uses leather, chains, and soft, fabric-based materials when making her pieces and says because each one is handmade, there are always slight variations.
The designer’s three teenage children are usually ambivalent about their mum’s venture, but the recent events have changed that.
She said: “I think they were secretly quite impressed.
“It’s certainly put me up a notch or two in their estimation!”
TBL accessories are available to buy at Luminous & Vogue on Berkhamsted’s Lower Kings Road.
To see more of Jacqueline’s designs, visit her website at www.tbl.me.uk.
