{{short description|American jewelry designer}} {{Infobox person | name = Alexis Kirk | image = Alexis Kirk, 1970.jpg | image_size = | caption = Kirk in 1970 wearing a necklace of his own design. | birth_date = {{birth date|1936|12|29|df=y}} | birth_place = Los Angeles | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2010|05|17|1936|12|29}} | death_place = New York City | death_cause = | other_names = | known_for = Jewelry and fashion accessory design | education = Harvard University, Rhode Island School of Design | employer = | occupation = | title = | spouse = Hope Sands (1971-1973, divorced) | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }}
'''Alexis Kirk''' (29 December 1936 – 17 May 2010) was an American jewelry designer who also designed clothing and fashion accessories.
==Early life== Kirk, although born in Los Angeles, and brought up in New England, self-identified as Armenian.<ref name=el>{{cite news|last=Lambert|first=Eleanor|title=Ethnic Theme Monopolises Front Seat in Fashion|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2506&dat=19700919&id=45lIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vgkNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4164,4626742|accessdate=29 November 2012|newspaper=The News and Courier|date=19 September 1970|archive-date=6 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506060453/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2506&dat=19700919&id=45lIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vgkNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4164,4626742|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=christy>{{cite news|last=Christy|first=Marian|title=Kirk Goes Futuristic for Fashion|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19731112&id=SJghAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NJoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5165,1591961|accessdate=29 November 2012|newspaper=Reading Eagle|date=12 November 1973}}</ref> His father, Paul Kirk, was an artist for Walt Disney, and his grandfather, Charles Vemyan, worked as a glass craftsman for René Lalique.<ref name=christy/> Some of Alexis's grandfather's jewelry is reportedly preserved in the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.<ref name=el/>
Alexis Kirk studied art under Walter Gropius at Harvard University,<ref name=christy/> and also attended the Rhode Island School of Design before becoming a lecturer in painting, sculpture and music at the University of Tennessee.<ref name=el/>
==Jewelry== Alexis Kirk's first design, which he personally wore, was a collar of Islamic glass beads and assorted charms, typical of his early work which featured amulets and symbols drawn from cultures and religions around the world, including the hamsa, Indian Paisley motifs, and Chinese fish.<ref name=el/> Kirk was very superstitious, with a strong interest in the occult and spirituality, which was reflected in his work.<ref name=el/><ref name=beaver>{{cite news|last=Christy|first=Marian|title=Jewelry has Occult Theme|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2002&dat=19711103&id=TmslAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LLMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1054,870657|accessdate=29 November 2012|newspaper=The Beaver County Times|date=3 November 1971}}</ref> He started out with a small studio in Newport, Tennessee, selling jewelry to clients such as the Senator's wife.<ref name=beaver/> This led to a contract to design a budget-priced line of jewelry for the Hattie Carnegie company, which was a commercial failure.<ref name=beaver/> Following this, Kirk decided to move to New York to set up business there.<ref name=beaver/>
His first jewelry collection won him a Coty American Fashion Critics' Award.<ref name=el/><ref name=beaver/><ref>[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3468302679.html The 1970s: Fashion: Awards]</ref> The following year in 1971,<ref name=med>{{cite news|title=Medieval Costume Intrigues Alexis Kirk|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=p4tLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KiQNAAAAIBAJ&pg=7158,620053&dq=alexis-kirk&hl=en|accessdate=29 November 2012|newspaper=The Press-Courier|date=3 August 1971}}</ref> he diversified into clothing design, designing garments as a backdrop to his jewelry.<ref name=beaver/> His first fashion collection was based upon medieval designs, with tunics over hooded metallic bodystockings suggesting chainmail.<ref name=med/>
His work, in addition to spiritual, occult, and ethnic influences, used materials such as exotic woods, pewter and plastic alongside more traditional metals and stones in silhouettes based upon organic human and animal forms.<ref name=christy/><ref>{{cite news|title=Accessories Hard To Ignore In Spring|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fKkfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=etYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1288,2071243&dq=alexis-kirk&hl=en|accessdate=29 November 2012|date=6 April 1984}}</ref> The Duchess of Windsor, who said "I am absolutely fascinated by fake jewellery[...]; I think it is so good", owned a number of pieces by Kirk made from cork, wood, feathers, faux lapis lazuli and gilt metal.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wallis Simpson 'cork and feather' jewellery auctioned|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/8793408/Wallis-Simpson-cork-and-feather-jewellery-auctioned.html|accessdate=29 November 2012|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=28 Sep 2011}}</ref> Kirk's work was always designed on a large scale, the designer favouring sculptural designs in striking shapes and materials which made a statement.<ref>{{cite news|last=De Santis|first=Florence|title=Big Jewelry Is Beautiful|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uhxQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PlUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6851,2144305&dq=alexis-kirk&hl=en|accessdate=29 November 2012|newspaper=Ludington Daily News|date=3 February 1986}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Oversized Jewelry Gets Favor . |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hVlaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mkwNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3811,3022521&dq=alexis-kirk&hl=en|accessdate=29 November 2012|newspaper=Waycross Journal-Herald|date=23 March 1985}}</ref>
Kirk continued designing through the 1980s, specialising in accessories and belts.<ref>{{cite news|title=INTIMATE PARTY OF WHO'S WHO IN DESIGNERS|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB0D7B322A8B3EA&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|accessdate=29 November 2012|newspaper=The Sacramento Bee|date=April 9, 1987|quote=Alexis Kirk, best known for his belt designs, wandered by the bar, looking for any reporter with a ready pencil.|archive-date=24 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200848/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB0D7B322A8B3EA&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Spring '86|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CqdDAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6q4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=1653,1517493&dq=alexis-kirk&hl=en|accessdate=29 November 2012|newspaper=Williamson Daily News|date=22 April 1986|pages=10}}</ref> In 1988 he received an award from the Dallas Fashion Awards.<ref>{{cite news|title=F!D 1984|newspaper=The Dallas Morning News|date=August 17, 1988|quote=Dallas Fashion Awards/American Style honors Ruth Scharf, Maggy London, Harve Benard, Alexis Kirk, Brenner...}}</ref>
His famous clients, alongside the Duchess of Windsor, included Cher and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.<ref name=christy/> Kirk's elephant themed designs, made since 1972, were worn during the 1980s by the wives of Republican leaders, Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush, although the designer was a registered Democrat.<ref name=elephant>{{cite news|last=Anderson|first=Susan Heller|title=New York Day by Day: Pachyderm Turns Political|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/09/nyregion/new-york-day-by-day-pachyderm-turns-political.html|accessdate=29 November 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 9, 1984}}</ref>
Before his death, Kirk was the owner of a retail organization called Dream Diamonds Online.<ref>[http://www.dream-diamonds.com/about-us.html Alexis Kirk - Biography] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20081202133725/http://www.dream-diamonds.com/about-us.html |date=2008-12-02 }}</ref>
==Personal life== Kirk married Hope Sands, a client's daughter, in 1971,<ref name=beaver/> with whom he had two daughters, Lisa and Alexia.<ref name=med/><ref name=death>{{cite web|title=Matter of Kirk 2011 NY Slip Op 51185(U) Decided on May 10, 2011 Surrogate's Court, New York County Glen, J.|url=http://law.justia.com/cases/new-york/other-courts/2011/2011-51185.html|publisher=New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431.|accessdate=29 November 2012}}</ref> They were divorced in 1973.<ref name=christy/> He died on 17 May 2010.
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1974|| ''Seizure'' || Arris || |}
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirk, Alexis}} Category:American jewelry designers Category:American fashion designers Category:1936 births Category:2010 deaths Category:People from Newport, Tennessee Category:Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni Category:Rhode Island School of Design alumni Category:American people of Armenian descent