For every trend, there is a countervailing trend. The polished professional look seen in the return of menswear-inspired pantsuits for women and the accompanying business-appropriate accessories will not be everyone’s cup of tea. For those who spend their hours in environments and activities with less restrictive dress codes, there is a current style option that allows creativity to soar. The March 2010 issue of Marie Claire magazine calls this option “Nomad’s Land.”
When it comes to jewelry, this is the look of excess. If a lot is good, even more just might be better. The jewelry is chunky and colorful, mixed in all manner of creative combinations. Multiple necklaces, stacks of bracelets and huge earrings are all part of the mix. Exotic design motifs are favored. Multi-cultural influences abound. As noted in the March 2010 issue of Vogue, “It’s as if you’ve taken every single one of the things you’ve picked up on your travels-saris from India, ikats from Bali-and worn them all at once.”
One reason this look is likely to be popular, especially with the young, is that it’s a fun look, easily achieved at inexpensive price points. For example, here is an ad for Express:
But don’t, by any means, discount this look as appealing only to teens. The design house Etro has multi-page ads in many of the magazines featuring exotic designs such as the following. Notice the mix of bracelets – a cuff combined with a charm bracelet; see how a multi-tiered chunky necklace is mixed with what appears to be an extremely long lariat-style necklace; and notice that the earrings that, like the necklace, end in very long tassels.
The March 2010 issue of Vogue accessorizes a dress worn over a cashmere sweater with Erickson Beamon vintage beaded wood necklaces worn both over and under a wood and silk scarf tied at the neck:
Vogue captions the following photo, which features floral and beaded necklaces by Marni, with the recommendation: “When you’re done piling on tanks over knits over skirts, add a ton more necklaces and scarves.”
Vogue styles the exotic look without earrings; Marie Claire chooses a slender but very large pair of basic hoop earrings by Agatha to accompany huge volumes of necklaces and bracelets. Here are two of the looks seen in the March 2010 issue of Marie Claire featuring jewelry by Chan Luu, Dyrberg Kern, Circa 63, Hermes, Diane von Furstenberg, Pono by Joan Goodman, and Tod’s.
Now’s the time to pull out your chunkiest necklaces and most colorful bracelets and put them together in exuberant combinations of color and texture. Enjoy!
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