“I’m really superstitious,” designer Lauren Rubinski says, somewhat sheepishly. It’s an unexpected confession from someone who emits a French-girl cool even through a grainy Zoom screen. Today, she’s wearing a carnation-red shirt from her store, Rubirosa’s – an if-you-know-you-know, Wes Andersonian cornucopia of delights in Paris’s 7th arrondissement – with a gold pendant and chunky rings from her eponymous jewellery line.

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To prove it, she slips off one of her rings, a bespoke diamond Toi et Moi, to reveal its horseshoe-shaped profile. The band is inscribed with the initials of cherished family members, hearts and infinity signs – meaningful symbols that recur throughout her designs and have naturally found their way into her limited-edition collaboration with Hourglass. For this, Rubinski has reimagined four of the make-up brand’s Ambient Lighting palettes, encasing its signature rosy hues in brushed-gold packaging embedded with charms.

A four-leaf clover, key, horseshoe and heart are engraved with the words “wish”, “hope”, “luck” and “love”, respectively, symbolising the good energy she hopes each palette will carry. “It’s like a talisman, because it brings you luck and protects you,” she explains. Take the horseshoe, which Rubinski deliberately inverted. “When you wear a horseshoe facing outwards, like on the palette, people think that you are going to be unlucky, but that’s not at all true,” she says. “When you wear it like this, you only share your luck. Nothing is taken from you.” The heart represents self-love; the key, a new chapter; and the clover, good fortune.

Lauren Rubinski x Hourglass.

Courtesy of Hourglass

Lauren Rubinski x Hourglass.

Courtesy of Hourglass

That symbolism extends to the multicoloured stones set into each of the motifs, including the baby-blue accents on the horseshoe. “I don’t like planes and I get a little bit anxious on them. When I’m travelling and I see clouds, I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m going to die,’” she says, with a laugh. “But when I see blue sky, I’m like, ‘I’m safe, I’m peaceful, this is a good thing.’ I really wanted to add this positive mindset.” Colour is, after all, central to Rubinski’s work. She has been creating jewellery since her early twenties, with pieces ranging from sinuous gold chains to multicoloured beaded necklaces and statement rings winning her stylish fans ranging from Rihanna and Hailey Bieber to Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and EmRata.

Rubirosa’s, meanwhile, serves as a kind of jewellery box in itself. Named after the Dominican diplomat – and notorious playboy – Porfirio Rubirosa, its unassuming exterior and limited online presence put the emphasis on in-person discovery. Rubinski calls it a “candy store for adults”, and the interiors, created in partnership with artistic director Louis Charles Aka, live up to the description. There are kitsch Austrian blinds and plush red carpets; retro ochre velvet sofas set against black lacquered walls; a baby-blue stockroom; and, of course, shirts, loafers and jumpers in every shade, neatly stacked on vintage haberdashery shelves.

Lauren Rubinski x Hourglass.

Courtesy of Hourglass

Lauren Rubinski x Hourglass.

Courtesy of Hourglass

Pull out one of those pristine button-downs and the comparisons to the Chanel-owned shirtmaker Charvet become clear. But Rubinski has made these crisp cotton confections her own, giving them a softer cut in shades from tangerine to lilac, frosted with contrast piping. They look good enough to eat, which could explain why portraits of such unlikely style figures as Mao Zedong and Jacques Chirac keep a stern eye on browsing shoppers. And browse they have. Since opening last year, Rubirosa’s has been a smash hit, with Rubinski reporting that the store reached its annual revenue target in just six weeks. Perhaps that’s no surprise – shirtmaking runs in the family. Her father, Bruno Rubinski, designed shirting for more than 30 years and owned two multibrand stores in Paris. Her grandfather manufactured tailoring for labels including Hermès and Arnys, and even sold poplin to the Vatican.

Lauren Rubinski x Hourglass.

Courtesy of Hourglass

Lauren Rubinski x Hourglass.

Courtesy of Hourglass

So, did her forebears offer any advice before she opened? “No,” Rubinski says, so quickly and emphatically that it prompts a laugh. “My mum told me it was a bad idea because retail was suffering.” In truth, the shop’s unlikely success speaks to the piquant world Rubinski has created, which she often describes as “generous”. By which she means, “my education and my family are about giving and generosity. It’s not about money – it’s giving love and friendship, welcoming people into your home to a big table, a lot of food, and good moments.”

That same outlook explains why her collaboration with Hourglass works so well. “This collection is really about generosity because it’s for you, but also to give to the people you love,” she says. With their Italian craftsmanship and reassuring weight, the palettes feel more like objets d’art than something to stuff in a cabinet. But it’s their symbolism that gives them real heft. What’s more generous than wishing someone – or yourself – hope, luck and love?