Quen Blackwell and Enya Umanzor On How They Stack Chanel

You never forget graduation day — or, maybe you do. “My graduation felt like a blur,” says Enya Umanzor. “I don't remember caring too much about what I wore — I think I kept it simple.” Scratch that, then. Let’s go with another one: life begins after graduation.

Whichever camp you may fall into, Chanel is celebrating graduation season by tapping some of the Internet’s favorite It Girls to show off how they wear Chanel — specifically, the house’s covetable line of watches and jewelry, including the Coco Crush and No. 5 Precious Jewelry collections, and the iconic Premiere and J-12 watches — in their every day lives, whether it be pre- or post- grad.

The social featurette, seen below, stars Umanzor, Quen Blackwell, Audrey Nuna, Zaya Wade, Violet Grohl, and Amelia Kring, and was directed by Olivia Ebertstedt, showing off how each of the young women stack their accessories to fit their personal style and lives. Standout pieces in the images and video include the Coco Crush bracelet in various iterations and metals, plus the matching necklace and ring; the Première Édition Originale watch with a signature chain-link strap (very chic!); and a true pièce de résistance: the Eternal N°5 diamond line necklace (as seen in our May It Girl shoot with The Marias).

Here, NYLON asks some of the campaign stars about their tips and tricks for layering their favorites pieces, the soundtrack to their lives at the moment, and more.

Quen Blackwell

What is your go-to song at the moment?

Anything by Mother Soki2.

What is your best trick or tip for layering jewelry?

Mixing textures! It makes everything feel intentional but still unique.

What did you wear to your graduation?

A white boho-esque button up, some low rise black dress pants and a graduation gown. I remember wearing those things so I could take my gown off quickly and continue to allude the public of my age. I was so young, and I wanted the internet to think I had just graduated college and not high school [laughs].

Enya Umanzor

What is the soundtrack to your life right now?

The soundtrack to my life right now is “Walk A Thin Line” by Fleetwood Mac and “Yamaha” by The Dream — specifically the sped up version on Soundcloud my friend Masyn Parker showed me. I think too often about myself and both of these songs take me out of a doom spiral in their own ways.

One feels like a rush of release knowing that even Stevie Nicks in what some would view as the prime of her life, felt so overwhelmed and felt like no one could hear her screams into the void of her own boundaries being crossed. The other is more of a boost for me. It reminds me of being in Miami and careless; not so concerned for much other than the simplicity of hearing a song so exciting all my thoughts get swept away. My body just knows it needs to start moving and for once not out of fear but for the simple fact that if I don’t start shaking my ass soon it feels like my veins with explode with euphoria.

What is your jewelry-wearing philosophy?

I don’t change my jewelry very often. At the end of the day I’ll remove my earrings, my bangles — I usually have two chain bracelets that are broken but lived on my arm for two to three years — and rings if I’m wearing them. I usually wear my rings more often if my nails are done, otherwise I tend to hide my hands because they’re usually bitten up from my anxious habit of nail biting. My necklace stack usually stays on me for anywhere from one to three months.

A change to my stack is usually the product of my body finally feeling overstimulated by the constant grazing and sliding of my pendants spinning around one another for a meticulous knot I’ll fight with two cm from any reflective surface. For the most part, my necklaces feel like my hair. I never take them off and I live around them like an attachment of me. I let it get tangled and dull until suddenly I realize I haven’t been taking care of it the way it deserves.

For the most part, I wear what I’m feeling. Different name plates for how I feel, maybe no nameplate if I'm feeling lost. I always have something from my mom(s) or dad on me, feels like protection. Something fun from a friend or myself. The start of my collection, like a lot of my friends, stemmed from having pendants, nameplates, rings, and bracelets waiting to be passed to me by my family. Now I’ve gathered my own pieces symbolizing moments I’d like to be able to pass to friends or loved ones of my own.

Audrey Nuna

What song do you have on repeat?

“Random Access Memories” by Daft Punk. I’m sitting in a tour van seven hours a day sometimes so I like to inject a little dance energy into my otherwise static body.

What is your favorite, unexpected way to wear jewelry?

Thumb rings are swaggy. So are pinkie rings.

What emotions do you feel thinking about your graduation day?

I borrowed a dress from my mom. I remember being very sweaty and being so overjoyed that high school was over. We followed the Korean tradition of eating black bean noodles on graduation day.