Where a Jewelry Founder Shops for Vintage Cartier

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Nigora Tokhtabayeva, founder of the jewelry brand Tabayer, is a minimalist through and through, and it reflects in her closet and her brand. Her sculptural pieces draw inspiration from interior design. “I’m still evolving and learning,” she says of her interest in interior design. “My father was an architect, so he always tried to teach me. I love mixing vintage, classic, and modern.” She draws inspiration from Crosby Studios designer Harry Nuriev Her home is full of pieces like Art Deco flatware from Jean Despres, glassware from Louise Roe, and dinnerware from Dior.

Her approach to style is similar and her go-to looks are easy, consistent, and curated with the help of her stylist. She prioritizes minimalist and sustainable brands but also loves supporting up-and-coming brands. Some of her favorite brands are the Row, Meta Campania Collective, Gabriela Hearst, and Another Tomorrow. For jewelry, if she’s not accessorizing with bold but minimal pieces from her brand, she’s wearing vintage pieces that she’s collected from Hermès or Elsa Peretti.

Below, see where Tokhtabayeva got the pieces that made it into her curated wardrobe and home.

Photo: Nigora Tokhtabayeva

Everything on my nightstand is part of my ritual. I try to put on lotion before I go to bed, when I wake up I have a glass of water. When I’m trying to wind down with a book, I light a candle. These are essential pieces that I must have on my nightstand. I love the Beauty Sandwich oil and sometimes I put it on my hands. In the morning, I have a glass of water with lemon. I wash my face and use The Beauty Sandwich moisturizers and serums, he has an amazing spray.

I’ve learned scented candles aren’t good for your health, so I’ve been creating things on my own with no scent. It’s so easy and very cool. I have beautiful jars or pottery that my kids made and I just melt the wax down and it’s just really interesting and cute. Scent can give you a headache. I do love Laila Gohar’s candles from Gohar World. Her candles are one of a kind and you don’t want to light them up. She has these candles that look just like cookies, it’s a great gift and something you can have as an accessory.

Photo: Nigora Tokhtabayeva

My Akari lamp from the Noguchi Museum. Noguchi has played in a big role in my life and my career. Some of my collection is inspired by some of the Noguchi three-dimensional art. This lamp is very big and has a lot of volume. I love sweets and it reminds me of a marshmallow. I love the vintage ones, but I couldn’t find a vintage version of this lamp, so I bought this in the museum. It’s my favorite place; every time I’m in New York, I visit. I keep it in my office because it is quite dark, so the lamp is a great accessory.

Photo: Nigora Tokhtabayeva

My Cartier watch. I love layering watches, and I had a small version of the one with a leather strap. So I thought it would be nice to have it stacked with small Tabayer bangles. It’s becoming a popular watch and I ordered it a while ago. I collect vintage watches and jewelry from Elsa Peretti, Hermès. There are a lot of great options on Re-See and 1stdibs. I also have a few people who resell antique jewelry with some interesting pieces. At the moment, I’ve been looking for Hermès vintage necklaces, but it’s hard to find them. I was lucky to find one at the Antique trade show in Vegas. I spent so much time in the antiques because you can get lost in there — they have Cartier, Bulgari.

Photo: Nigora Tokhtabayeva

My Blazer from the Row is from Just One Eye. I fell in love the minute I walked in. That store is absolutely beautiful and it was a dream to partner with them. I love the ambiance, the store was so me, it was really well curated and everything was so chic. My stylist works closely with them and their sales associates. It’s a very easy, oversized silk blazer. It goes with everything and it’s great when you travel.

My feather stockings are from Dior. I got them in 2019 and then I got pregnant so i couldn’t wear them for quite a while because I was pregnant back to back. It’s a shoe connected to a stocking and they were the look, they were one of a kind. I was finally able to wear them this spring and had an amazing reaction walking up to the show. I wore it with the whole runway look but I could easily wear it with a silk skirt, anything black or simple because these stockings are statements and I don’t want to take the attention away from them.

Photo: Nigora Tokhtabayeva

Photo: Nigora Tokhtabayeva

It’s Jovoy Paris 1511. I met the founder in Paris, she has a beautiful apartment that she let us use in Champs-Élysées for our showroom. I was super inspired by her story. She’s very connected to astrology and every scent has a connection. I love to travel and I like the packaging, you get seven scents and they’re all very different. I like to use them in the evening if it’s a heavier or strong scent or a lighter scent in the day time, it also depends on the weather. It reminds me of my brother because he loved vanilla; so I try to have a little vanilla in every fragrance.

My Chanel bag from my mother. I don’t know the full story behind it, but my mother passed it along to me or I took it from her closet. I like the color of it, it can go with any color. I like a design that has longevity in it so it’s a special handbag for me. The beads are made of a special type of glass called Gripoix.

Photo: Nigora Tokhtabayeva

Photo: Nigora Tokhtabayeva

They’re comfortable and I travel a lot, and as a mom with five kids, it’s easy to go with jeans, pants, and blazers, so I love it. It’s also neutral. I’ve seen another brand and they have jellies for 95 euros — they’re amazing beach shoes. I love the Row because it’s so simple, chic, and minimal. I also love By Malene Birger, Tove, and Savette.

I’ve been trying out our Oera 04 collection. It’s the conclusion of the Oera collection with color pieces and natural stone. I wanted our existing customer to see how the motif could be stretched in different ways. We added natural, carved stone into very easy, stackable pieces like bangles and chokers, you can see the Noguchi influence.