Trend Watch: The Lady Loves Classic Pearls

Style trends often have nothing to do with business wear, but a synchronicity of ideas is making a classic jewelry store buy just the ticket for both the female executive and the fashion-forward woman now and through the approaching fall season.

The object of desire is a classic strand of pearls. The May 2008 issue of Vogue calls the day looks “as ladylike as they are efficient,” and pictures elegant suits, sweater sets and simple shift dresses, each adorned with a single strand of pearls, as captured most appealingly in photos by Steven Meisel.

Anne Slowey writes for the June 2008 issue of Elle magazine that fall fashions include plaids and tweeds, twin sets, fur collars, glasses, sheer stockings, frame bags and pumps: “It’s a welcome return to an era when dressing up was an everyday affair, and these formal trapping[s] have arrived at a moment when the trashy tide has washed (for now, it seems) out to sea.”

This is the push-back against the business casual look that swept corporate America in conjunction with the dot com boom/bust. Business casual was more comfortable, to be sure, but especially for women, and most particularly for young or cute or short or pretty women, losing the seriousness of a business-specific wardrobe did nothing to advance instant recognition of their competence and authority. The new looks are the epitome of elegance, and pearls play a key role in conveying an authoritative image.

I recommend that every woman own at least one strand of classic pearls. Indeed, having a wardrobe of several individual strands of matching pearls of different lengths can accommodate different necklines, and also can be worn together from time to time. This is a practical and versatile approach to building a jewelry wardrobe. Ageless and season-less, pearls represent a classic elegance that never goes out of style.