summer 2011

Spring 2011 jewelry trends: Bling Watches Make a Comeback

 in General Fashion / Jewelry / Trends  tagged spring 2011 / summer 2011 / watches by

The Bling Watch is making a comeback after drifting back into jewelry boxes the last few seasons. As the economy rebounds, fashion is making a move away from basics and into embellished territory. During the dot-boom, Fashionistas here in the Bay Area and beyond flocked to the Bling Watch as celebrities and fashion trend setters everywhere donned the biggest, most sparkly watch they could find. Diamonds, precious and semi-precious stones adorned bezels and watch faces as well as clasps and buckles on watch bands. Faux stones as well as fiery crystals also adorned watches and let the world know when a person was approaching; as the watch could be seen before the actual person wearing the watch.

As the recession hit and bling became, well, let’s just say poor taste, watches became unadorned and basic. Fashionistas pulled classic Cartier Tank watches from the back of their jewelry box or went shopping for an understated and classic stainless steel watch. While watches still went through trends such as brightly colored rubber wrist-bands or ceramic details, the overall look of the watch was a lot less shiny than earlier in the century.

Watch makers are returning the Bling Watch as the recession rebounds and consumers are more willing to show a little sparkle and flash. Fendi just introduced  a new watch with interchangeable bezels and semi-precious gemstones which is sure to spark the Bling Watch trend into high gear. Ebel also offers understated versions of the Bling Watch which include diamond bezels that are less flashy and more on the dressy side.

Last time the Bling Watch was hot, everything about the watches was bigger than life. Straps were thick as were watch faces. Jewelers and watch makers tried to fit as many diamonds and gemstones onto the watch as humanly possible, making them large, bulky and anything but understated. As we cautiously move out of the recession, consumers may take a more conservative approach to fashion, seeking flash without too much of a bigger-than-life show. This might be one trends to watch before leaping into a major watch purchase. Will watches add bling yet stay slim? Or will designers, a year from now go big and bold and blinged out? .And yes, the word bling is tired, but it could make a comeback along with the gem encrusted watches  Happy trend watching, and stay fabulous.

Spring 2011 Fashion Trends from the runway: Embellishments

 in General Fashion / Trends  tagged runway trends / spring 2011 / summer 2011 by

Embellishments were all over the runways during New York, Paris, London and Milan’s fashion week’s for spring 2011. Designers such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Roberto Cavalli showed fringe, feathers and other embellishments on frocks which proved to the fashion savvy world that minimalism is on it’s way out. Although minimalism was still present on many runways in New York, and scattered on a few runways in Europe, the overall movement in fashion for spring 2011 is embellished fabric, mixed colors, not-so-basic neutrals and a return to bling.

Fringe, feathers and unique adornments were seen on classic dresses by Chanel as well as hippie chic skirts by Roberto Cavalli. The embellished fabrics did not discriminate when it came to trend or style type. Vintage and modern looks were given short fringe, long fringe, some feathers or full blown out feathered fabrics. Designers even created florals out of fabric and leather as well as adorned frocks in sequins and even seashells; Roberto Cavalli was responsible for the seashells. 

As fashion savvy shoppers over the past seasons we have been building up our basics and core wardrobe essentials while the recession was in full swing and designers produced 90’s minimalism looks for store shelves. Department store buyers even shied away from bright colors or exotic styles and opted to fill their racks with more classic and easy to sell pieces. Now that The White House has declared that the recession is over, whether or not we choose to believe it due to our own circumstances, the fashion world has returned to embellishments and bling. As resort collections roll into stores this month, there is a spark of hope that the not-so-basic pieces from the runway will make into the shops and eventually into our closet’s. Candy colored handbags, shoes and frocks are arriving for the resort and cruise season in stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. This could signal more confidence in store buyers which in turn, could mean more buyer confidence from consumers.

As spring 2011 rolls into the stores, Fashionistas are hoping to see the bright colors and fabulous embellishments that were shown all over the runways. Since this is the start of the embellishment trend, it is the perfect time to invest in fringe, feathers and all that adorns a fabulous piece of clothing. Why not grab a fringe leather jacket? Find a handbag with a huge tassel! Go for three color shoes with an ankle strap or an open-toe bootie! The last thing we want to purchase for spring 2011 is something basic and boring; after all, that is what we have been buying over the past two years! Ugh! It is time for some fun and playful fashions to enter our closets. Savvy shoppers will look at the resort and cruise collections for spring 2011 trends. The best items to look for are dresses with fringe, jackets with flair, vests with feathers, handbags with tassel’s and multi-colored shoes. Happy shopping and stay fabulous 

Spring 2011 Jewelry Trends: The Double Cuff

 in General Fashion / Jewelry / Trends  tagged cuffs / spring 2011 / summer 2011 by

The cuff was one of the prominent bracelet styles on the runway for spring 2011. Designers showed cuffs in various colors of metals as well as fabrications. The cuffs on the New York, Paris, Milan and London runways were, in general, embellished with semi-precious stones, carved or anything but plain. The solid metal, polished cuff from last year was scarcely seen on the runway as designers opted for more unique and eye-catching styles.

In addition to ornate cuffs, the cuffs were not left to adorn just one arm, no no! Designers created two matching cuffs and placed one on the left and one on the right. The double cuff was prominent on the runways and took fashion savvy onlookers back to earlier in the century when the double cuff was the only way to wear a cuff bracelet. The difference between the double cuff trend for spring 2011 and the double cuff trend from yesteryear is that the current cuffs are embellished, whereas last time around the cuffs were polished and simplistic silver or gold.

Resort, which is usually a snapshot into spring, did feature the double cuff in it’s previous form; highly polished metal. Designers such as Celine showed highly polished silver and gold double cuffs in their resort or cruise collections taking Fashionistas back in time. While other designers, such as Chanel, went right for the spring trend of the embellished double cuff.

Chanel showed double cuffs for both cruise and spring with chunks of varying colors of semi-precious stones. Derek Lam featured double cuffs in heavy, multi-colored metal with heft. Stella McCartney created cuffs that appeared to look like tuxedo cuffs with black enamel set into brass. 
The majority of the cuffs from the spring 2011 runways are bold, over 2″ thick and embellished. There was not one dominant metal color as silver, yellow gold, rose gold, brass and dark metals were shown. This is one trend where you can shop your jewelry box for cuffs from the last time this trend was hot. Otherwise, this is a good time to start looking for a fabulous cuff times two. Of course, the more embellished with semi-precious stones, the higher price. Thankfully there are jewelry lines which are more affordable for buying in two’s. H & M has several cuffs with heft or embellishments that are right on trend for spring. Cookie Lee also offers fabulous cuffs at fabulous prices. Happy Shopping and stay fabulous