{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1814537"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1814537/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2026PN8978/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2026PN8978/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2026PN8978","copyright":"© Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2026PN8975","copyright":"© Victoria & Albert Museum","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1814537/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1814537","accessionNumber":"T.9-2026","objectType":"Charm","titles":[{"title":"The Red Right Hand","type":""}],"summaryDescription":"The Vampire’s Wife was founded in 2014 by former model Susie Cave (formerly Bick) and was named after an unfinished novel by her husband, the Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave. The couple worked closely together and each of the garments was given what Susie Cave described as ‘a naming ceremony’ in which Nick Cave would assign a title to the garment. Susie Cave explained that these names ‘give the wearer a whole fantasy’.   The brand, which operated from East Sussex, folded in 2024 but in its decade-long existence Cave’s designs became popular with many high-profile celebrity and royal clients -at 2018 royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for which three high-profile guests wore her designs. The brand’s designs became so ubiquitous at award ceremonies that The Vampire’s Wife was credited with popularising a more demure look on the red carpet. As Susie Cave explained in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, ‘The shape I gravitate towards is a strong silhouette that shows the power and glory of the female form without the need to show a whole lot of flesh.’    \r\n\nCave had a small team working with her locally in Sussex and was committed to working closely with UK and European fabric producers such as Pongees silk, Smedley’s, Stephen Walters, Libertys and Klaubert lace. The brand prided itself on maintaining a high standard of production and finish, resisting commercial pressure to outsource beyond Europe to reduce production costs when demand increased. Cave paid keen attention to detail at every stage of the design and production process. Early designs were created on a pattern block based on her own body shape. Cave has described the three key design features of a dress by The Vampire’s Wife: bust darts, shoulder pads and ‘baby lock’ (where the fabric is edged with a very narrow overlocking stitch to ensure lightness at the edge of the garment). Great attention was paid to the weight and nature of the fabrics to make sure that the outer and lining fabrics did not ‘fight’ with one another. Often, as in the Falconetti dress made of bespoke Pongees silk, the same expensive fabric was used for the outer dress and the lining to avoid this problem and to keep the garment lightweight. Great effort was made to keep the correct length of the signature three-quarter length sleeve just below the elbow when size grading. \r\n\r\nThe V&A  Fashion Collection has a small collection of jewellery designed by fashion houses including pieces by Yves Saint Laurent, Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gautier and Alexander McQueen. Historically the department collected only costume jewellery, made of less precious materials, however, in the 20th and 21st centuries, as fashion brands expanded their ranges to include jewellery collections, fashion-branded jewellery has been acquired in more precious materials. These bracelet charms are an example of a more recent trend in collaborations between fashion and jewellery brands. London based Annoushka Jewellery specialises in high-end charm bracelets and necklaces. The charms created in collaboration with Susie Cave each represent the titles of  famous songs by her husband Nick Cave- the V&A has charms representing  'Red Right Hand' (T.9-2026), which is a direct copy of Nick’s hand in rose gold; 'Mercy Seat' (T.8-2026) a miniature rendering of an electric chair in yellow gold with a diamond-embellished head clamp; and 'God’s House' (T.10-2026), which is a replica of the church in the woods in which Nick and Susie married, and opens to reveal a miniature version of the couple. The V&A has a small collection of charm bracelets ranging from a nickel-plated child’s charm bracelet from the 1980s (B.374-1997) to a 19th-century bracelet of gold with charms in gold and semi-precious stones (M.203-2007).  The popular appeal of highly personal and miniature charm bracelets has seen a resurgence in recent years through social media platforms such as Tik Tok. Vogue magazine named charm bracelets as one of the top seven bracelet trends of spring 2025. ","physicalDescription":"","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Cave, Susie","id":"AUTH412514"},"association":{"text":"Designer","id":"x36960"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Ducas, Annoushka","id":"AUTH412766"},"association":{"text":"designer","id":"AAT25190"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"The Vampire's Wife","id":"AUTH404397"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"gold","id":"AAT11021"},{"text":"ruby","id":"AAT11082"},{"text":"diamond","id":"AAT11084"}],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"","categories":[],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&F","id":"THES48601"},"images":["2026PN8978","2026PN8975"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"UpObjectStore","id":"THES393033"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"charm","id":"AAT211652"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"United Kingdom","id":"x29336"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"2022-2024","earliest":"2022-01-01","latest":"2024-12-31"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Annoushka Ducas","dimensions":[],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"The Vampire’s Wife was founded in 2014 by former model Susie Cave (formerly Bick) and was named after an unfinished novel by her husband, the Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave. The couple worked closely together and each of the garments was given what Susie Cave described as ‘a naming ceremony’ in which Nick Cave would assign a title to the garment. Susie Cave explained that these names ‘give the wearer a whole fantasy’.   The brand, which operated from East Sussex, folded in 2024 but in its decade-long existence Cave’s designs became popular with many high-profile celebrity and royal clients -at 2018 royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for which three high-profile guests wore her designs. The brand’s designs became so ubiquitous at award ceremonies that The Vampire’s Wife was credited with popularising a more demure look on the red carpet. As Susie Cave explained in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, ‘The shape I gravitate towards is a strong silhouette that shows the power and glory of the female form without the need to show a whole lot of flesh.’    \r\nCave had a small team working with her locally in Sussex and was committed to working closely with UK and European fabric producers such as Pongees silk, Smedley’s, Stephen Walters, Libertys and Klaubert lace. The brand prided itself on maintaining a high standard of production and finish, resisting commercial pressure to outsource beyond Europe to reduce production costs when demand increased. Cave paid keen attention to detail at every stage of the design and production process. Early designs were created on a pattern block based on her own body shape. Cave has described the three key design features of a dress by The Vampire’s Wife: bust darts, shoulder pads and ‘baby lock’ (where the fabric is edged with a very narrow overlocking stitch to ensure lightness at the edge of the garment). Great attention was paid to the weight and nature of the fabrics to make sure that the outer and lining fabrics did not ‘fight’ with one another. Often, as in the Falconetti dress made of bespoke Pongees silk, the same expensive fabric was used for the outer dress and the lining to avoid this problem and to keep the garment lightweight. Great effort was made to keep the correct length of the signature three-quarter length sleeve just below the elbow when size grading. \r\n","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Bracelet charm in the shape of a hand in pink gold with a ruby ring on one finger, 'The Red Right Hand', The Vampire's Wife and Annouska jewellery, 2020s","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"Designed by Susie Cave for her label The Vampire's Wife","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["T.9-2026"],"accessionNumberNum":"9","accessionNumberPrefix":"T","accessionYear":2026,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-04-21","recordCreationDate":"2026-01-08","availableToBook":false}}