27-03-2025
I designed Meghan's £2.5k heart pendant – these are the style rules I swear by
Want to know how to spot a London girl in Miami? Look for the one cooing over knitwear (jumpers being far more useful back home than bikinis). 'Look how fun this is!' says Sophie Lis, holding her just-procured Sabal tie-dye cashmere cardigan up to her laptop camera.
Lis, 41, is the jewellery designer whose Magic Leaf hoops and Love pendant have been worn by Sienna Miller and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. This week she's traded Notting Hill for Florida to attend a jewellery conference, and the brightness of her surroundings has recalibrated her palette. 'I think it's the sun. It's the only time I wear colour.'
Still, today she is wearing a more typical outfit of sleek, neutral separates: a vintage Saint Laurent blazer, black J Crew T-shirt, Khaite jeans and a Saint Laurent belt. She's a smart shopper who mixes Alex Eagle tailoring, Galvan coats and Raey knits with Cos T-shirts and luxury resale gems – most recently, a pair of The Row zip-up boots from Vestiaire Collective. 'I'd been looking for them for ages and finally found them. It can take time, but it's worth it.'
Lis adores a surprise high street hit, too, such as the white Reiss tuxedo that admirers mistake for Max Mara. Black and white are a theme – she 'never' wears colour in London. 'Getting dressed up for me would be a great pair of leather shorts, fantastic tailoring or, at most, sequins,' she says.
'But jewellery is always the thing that I'm going to have more fun with,' she adds, before running me through her six different earrings (' I like to mismatch ' the stacks of three on each side); necklaces (her Compass pendant 'symbolises guidance and direction, which is nice when you're travelling'); bracelets (three prototypes of diamond tennis bracelets worn on the same wrist as yellow-gold Cartier Love and Juste un Clou bangles); and rings.
There's memory and meaning in every item. 'Special pieces of jewellery should tell stories. Everything I design has a symbolic reference to help someone bond with it. And then hopefully enjoy wearing it even more.'
The most meaningful pieces in her daily jewel-drobe are two rings spelling out her daughters' initials in Morse code, with each dot or dash indicated by a brilliant-cut round or baguette diamond – like a stealth but equally personal alternative to the name necklaces so many mothers wear. Octavia, aged seven, and Lupita, four, know exactly which is which. 'They love to try 'their' ring on.''
Lis recalls a 'totally idyllic childhood riding horses and surrounded by animals' in rural Oxfordshire. But jewellery also entered the frame early; she remembers being entranced by her grandmother's diamond cluster ring. She started her business in 2016 after struggling to find jewellery at a sweet-spot price point for her wedding. Now, the Fallen Star hoop earrings (£460) she designed for her big day are her bestsellers, and have been worn by Claire Foy, Princess Eugenie and Romeo Beckham.
Seeing high-profile fans in her designs is always exciting, but she finds another type of jewellery-spotting even more gratifying. 'The real 'wow' moment is when I see strangers wearing them out in their everyday lives,' Lis says, 'loving them as much as I do.'
Sophie Lis's five rules for personal style
Don't be afraid to mismatch your earrings. It's an easy way to add interest around the face, which is never a bad thing
Find clever ways to buy the best-quality pieces you can. Set up alerts on resale sites to help you shop smarter – you never know what you might find
A matching set like a tuxedo or co-ord takes the stress out of putting an outfit together and looks super-chic. Then you can have fun with the accessories
Try to choose natural fabrics over man-made. I think they look and feel better, and they're better for the environment
Raid your husband's wardrobe and you'll have a second set of clothes for free. I love to wear my husband's oversized jumpers and sports tops
Shop her style
