The Semplice Life of Mackenzie Palladino
How a self-taught metalsmith turned a handmade bolo tie into a coveted piece of Americana
Ella Langley in Semplice Designs
In the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, before Nashville knew her name, Mackenzie Palladino was forging silver, soldering brass, and threading stories into stones. She was an art student with a love for jam bands, a knack for metalsmithing, and a quiet but insistent pull toward something entirely her own. That pull would become Semplice Designs: a jewelry line rooted in music, memory, and the wild beauty of the American South and West.
Mackenzie’s story begins in Boone, North Carolina, where Grateful Dead records and Appalachian sunsets shaped her early designs. “I started out vending at music festivals,” she recalls, “following Dead & Co., setting up shop on the lot.” Her first bolo tie—now the cornerstone of her collection—was born of that scene: a marriage of musical devotion and mountain mysticism, crafted by hand and worn with pride.
Semplice (pronounced "sim-plee-chay") means "simple" in Italian, but Mackenzie’s work is anything but ordinary. Each piece is a one-of-one: hand-drawn, custom cut, and set with stones that carry their own secrets. Her bolo ties are especially beloved, marked by a distinctive stone setting and engraved backs that hold song lyrics, dedications, or personal messages. They’ve caught the eye of country stars like Lainey Wilson, Ella Langley, Wynonna Judd, and Billy Strings, and even made their way to Bob Weir, who has worn one of her custom pieces on stage. Not once, but twice.
