Jewelry Trend: Big Statement on a Small Budget
Jewelry and chocolate have a lot in common this season: You
can’t
stop with just one piece.
Stacks
of
bangles adorn wrists; layers of chains circle necks; and pendants,
pins
and earrings are built with unusual materials piled one atop the
other.
Worn in multiples and combined in eccentric, slightly kooky
combinations,
today’s jewelry makes its statement with size,
color and
audacity — not price.
With many
accessory
collections featuring a strong vintage feel, now is the time
to
reassess that pile of forgotten chains, bangles or rhinestones
cluttering
your jewelry box. Don’t go on a treasure hunt for
the
perfect piece: how you style and combine pieces is more important
than
any single item.
Big trends seen
everywhere
include cascades of pearls mixed with matte metal chains;
rhinestones
partnered with ribbon; and rosettes that anchor asymmetrical
assemblages of beads, chains, leather and fabric. Metals
don’t
aspire to impersonate the precious; they’re
content to
look like they belong in a hardware store.
A
recession-inspired return to less-precious materials, coupled with a
new
consciousness about sustainability, has helped inspire a creative
renaissance
in fashion jewelry. Free to experiment with less costly
materials,
designers are crafting wood, glass, rubber, leather, lace,
Lucite and
grosgrain ribbon into jewelry that only looks
expensive.
Silver — sterling or not — is back at center
stage too. Los
Angeles jewelry designer Jeffrey Levin, whose designs
have graced the
covers of Elle,
InStyle
and Vogue, is even
creating a new collection of
what he calls
“wristwear” made from recycled
rubber.
The
trend is good news for all of
us who have despaired that our jewelry is
a hodgepodge of different
styles, materials and decades. Matching is
out, mixing is in. Now is
the time to flaunt your personal style, says
Ken Downing, senior vice
president and fashion director of Neiman
Marcus. “You can
combine bracelets and bangles that feel as if
they have been
collected not only from various places on a journey, but
also from
various times,” says Downing.
A
frail seed-bead bracelet can slip beneath a chunky wooden or silk cord
cuff.
That intricate necklace of mirrors, medallions and bells you
bought
in India (or the neighborhood thrift shop) is now the height of
fashion,
particularly if it’s part of a heavily embellished
look.
Forget restraint: Big necklaces can complement earrings the size
of a
corsage. Or copy the baroque approach of designer John Galliano of
Christian
Dior and pile a bib necklace of gold medallions across a
brocade
tunic, fling a rhinestone-studded cord around your neck
and
still feel free to tack on tasseled
earrings.
Colleen
Sherin,
fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue, advocates mixing
layers of chains
and not worrying about everything coordinating
perfectly. “An
off-kilter, eclectic look is really on
trend,” she said.
“You can mix your pearls with
chains, organic beads or
stones.”
Finding
the right balance
of glitz is important so that you don’t
look like Mr. T.
“If you are going to layer your necklaces,
make sure what
you’re wearing is a bit simpler,”
says Sherin.
“Make a statement either with your clothing
or your
jewelry.”
Here are some
do-it-yourself
tips on giving your pile of jewelry an up-to-the-minute
look:
Layer two or
more chains, bead strands or
pendants.
Take the pendants from several necklaces
and
string onto a single chain or ribbon.
Using a crochet hook, weave ribbon through a
segment
of wide, chunky chain and tie the loose ends in a bow behind
your
neck.
Replace the chain in a pendant necklace with a
complementary color of sheer organza ribbon. For variation, string the
ribbon with a few crystal beads set far apart.
Resurrect your big crystal cocktail rings and
anything acrylic or clear plastic.
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