Kristen Bateman, founder of Dollchunk, using the Doll Parts virtual try-on effect

DOLL PARTS

Dollchunk x Kristina Vilyams

February 2022

Collaboration with Dollchunk, founded by fashion writer and consultant Kristen Bateman, on Doll Parts — an AR try-on effect showcasing the brand’s signature jewelry.

Featured in Lenslist’s Best Branded Instagram Filters of 2022.

Kristen Bateman has established herself as one of fashion’s most distinctive voices, with a career spanning writing, editing, and creative consulting. Her work has appeared in leading publications including Vogue, Dazed, The New York Times, i-D, Harper’s Bazaar, Architectural Digest, Elle, Glamour, AnOther, W Magazine, Refinery29, The Cut, and The Wall Street Journal. She is also the author of acclaimed books such as The Little Book of Tom Ford, The Little Book of New York Style, and Icons of Style: Zendaya, further affirming her role as a cultural commentator and tastemaker. With Dollchunk, Bateman translates her passion for vintage collecting and her signature embrace of maximalism into a jewelry brand defined by bold silhouettes, doll-head motifs, and colorful charms. More than adornment, Dollchunk reflects Bateman’s belief in jewelry as artistic expression—a celebration of individuality, opulence, and joy.

Dollchunk: Kristen Bateman’s Maximalist Fantasy

Dollchunk is a demi-fine jewelry brand founded by Kristen Bateman, known for transforming maximalism into an art form. Founded in 2021, Dollchunk was born from Bateman’s longtime passion for vintage jewelry collecting, combining nostalgia and excess into bold, handcrafted pieces that celebrate joy, opulence, and eccentric charm. Operating from New York City, the brand specializes in chunky, statement-making designs, often featuring doll-head motifs, colorful charms, and playful silhouettes designed to be joyously theatrical. Dollchunk was also featured in Vogue for its work with vintage jewelry and the personal collection of fashion icon Iris Apfel, which was sold through the brand’s curated platform, Dollchunk Bazaar.

Kristen Bateman emerges as a vibrant and multifaceted creative—an author, writer, editor, designer, and consultant with a distinctive voice in contemporary culture. She’s the author of several acclaimed books, including The Little Book of New York Style, Interior Style: Maximalism, The Little Book of Tom Ford, The Met Gala Lookbook, Icons of Style: Zendaya, and The Little Book of Miu Miu. Her writings explore fashion, beauty, and culture with wit and insight, and she regularly contributes to publications such as Vogue, W Magazine, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country, The New York Times, Architectural Digest, Dazed, and many others.

Kristen Bateman wearing Dollchunk accessories. Courtesy of Dollchunk

Beyond books and editorials, Bateman curates the popular shopping newsletter Doll Dealbook and operates Dollchunk Bazaar, a platform for themed drops of vintage and antique jewelry that reflects her commitment to curiosity, authenticity, and creative storytelling. As a creative consultant, she brings her maximalist flair and deep fashion expertise to work with brands and agencies in roles encompassing content marketing, copywriting, creative direction, and social strategy.

Bateman’s voice is both bold and affectionate—a champion of excess born out of intimate curiosity. Through Dollchunk and her literary and editorial work, she has established herself not only as a champion of maximalist design, but as a cultural curator whose playful, unapologetic style invites readers to revel in the beauty of over-the-top glamour.

Kristen Bateman wearing Dollchunk accessories. Courtesy of Dollchunk

Doll Parts: Dollchunk Goes Virtual

As Dollchunk’s maximalist ethos began resonating with a wider cultural audience, the natural next step was to extend its theatrical spirit into new mediums. This led to the creation of Doll Parts, an augmented reality try-on effect developed in collaboration with Kristina Vilyams. Designed as a digital extension of the brand’s signature doll-head motifs and bold jewelry silhouettes, the effect transformed Dollchunk’s maximalist codes into an interactive, immersive format.

More than a playful experiment, Doll Parts embodied Bateman’s belief that maximalism is about storytelling as much as aesthetics. By allowing audiences to virtually try on Dollchunk’s most daring designs, the project offered a new way to experience the brand’s opulence and individuality—accessible to anyone with a smartphone, regardless of geography. This merging of jewelry and digital craft echoed Bateman’s own multidisciplinary approach, bridging fashion, culture, and technology.

The effect was met with critical recognition, spotlighted in Lenslist’s Best Branded Instagram Filters of 2022. Celebrated for its inventive fusion of identity, craft, and digital innovation, Doll Parts reinforced Dollchunk’s status as a boundary-pushing force in contemporary fashion, proving that maximalist jewelry could thrive not only on bodies and in editorials but also in the virtual spaces shaping culture today.