Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/460267
photography Courtesy of Whiting & Davis Since the 1930s, local company Whiting & Davis has been supplying the gold and silver mesh that puts the glitter in the glitterati, like screen siren Gloria Stuart. M ichael Jack son wore it on t he shou lders of h is d ist i nct ive red leat her jacket in t he "Beat It " v ideo; Rebecca Rom ijn modeled it on t he cover of Sports Illustrated 's sw i msu it ed it ion; a nd more t ha n a few f i rst lad ies have f launted it on t heir a r ms. Gold a nd silver mesh by W hit ing & Dav is has stood t he test of t ime. The litt le compa ny t hat could st a r ted humbly nea r At t leboro in 1876 a s a silversm it hing business ca lled Wade Dav is a nd Compa ny, producing decorat ive st ickpins, bracelet s, a nd ea r r ings and helping to turn that small town into the onetime "jewelr y capital of the world." But it wasn't until the young Charles W hiting was hired as an ent r y-level a ssist a nt i n 18 92 t hat t he compa ny h it it s st r ide. W h it i ng would rise through the ranks, eventually becoming a co-owner and devel- oping the technolog y to weave chain mail into clothing and accessories. Holly wood soon ca me k nock ing, order ing Glor ia Stua r t's custom mesh d ress i n t he 193 0 s, E l i zabet h Taylor's Cleopat ra -i nspi red col lect ion i n the '60s, and the mesh fashions worn by the stars who shook up the dance f loor at Studio 54 in the '70s. Now, nearly 140 years later, the company is relaunching it s stor ied collect ion of bracelet s, neck laces, a nd ea r r ings. "It 's not ever y day you come across a bra nd w it h a s much her it age a s W hit ing & Dav is, so it 's impor t a nt for our bra nd to cont inue evolv ing," says owner Darrin Cutler. "Ever y year, we beg in our desig n process with a blank sketchbook and fresh perspective." A Tinseltown fan base doesn't hur t eit her. BC Back on the chain GanG Celebrity favorite Whiting & Davis roars into 2015 With a line of glittering baubles. by jessica bowne 10 bostoncommon-magazine.com FRONT RUNNER