This style isn’t by any means new, but it has proved to have significant staying power—the look of wearing multiple bangles or bracelets stacked on one or both arms.
No doubt it is fun to mix and match styles and colors, and to vary the selection as the mood strikes. For the woman who enjoys collecting things, finding just the right bracelets to allow for the perfect groupings can be an enjoyable ongoing quest. This provides opportunities for jewelers and jewelry designer to work with their customers to find or create interesting and compatible selections to add to the customers’ uniquely personal collections.
Examples of this trend permeate this season’s magazines in both editorials and advertisements. Here are some current examples. Notice the combinations of colors, shapes and styles:
The October 2010 issue of Vogue has a ten-page fashion spread in which the vast majority of the models wear stacks of bangle bracelets. Above, from that spread, are ensembles from Michael Kors and Vera Want accompanied by bangle bracelets of different hues but very similar sizes and shapes from Ben-Amun by Isaac Manevitz and Alexis Bittar. The necklace is from Lanvin.
The October 2010 issue of Glamour features fine jewelry designer Genevieve Jones, shown to the left, along with a model wearing a large stack of the designer’s bracelets in a variety of styles.
The November 2010 issue of Vogue mixes in a Citizen wristwatch and a Monique Penn bracelet (closest to the wrist) with a stack of recycled-horn-and-brass bangles from Kora. The ring is from Kimberly McDonald; the dress is by Michael Kors.
This new ad for Covergirl lipsticks (this one from the November 2010 issue of Harper’s Bazaar) features actress Dania Ramirez wearing a bold stack of intriguingly shaped white metal bracelets to complement her dramatic style.
In an ad in the October 2010 issue of Elle, Bloomingdale’s features mixed bracelets from RJ Graziano, Cara, and Sequin piled on together.
Henri Bendel New York too also features stacks of mismatched bangles on both wrists in an ad from the October 2010 issue of Elle.
Consider a couple of cautionary notes when piling on the bracelets. If your arm is naturally curved an tapers toward the wrist, consider whether you want to obscure those graceful curves with a large stack of bangles, which can create a straight pipe effect and make your arm look thick. The above photo from the November 2010 issue of Vogue shows a model wearing a stack of five wide bangles (and also earrings) by Barbara Trujillo with her ensemble from Moschino. Might three bracelets provide a more flattering, albeit less dramatic, look?
Another caution is to be mindful that the bangles are not so large that they fall over the top of the hand. The November 2010 issue of InStyle magazine highlights a set of bangle bracelets by Loren Jewels worn by Eva Longoria Parker. This is a great example of bracelets correctly sized for Parker’s arm and wrist so that they stop above her hand.
With those couple of caveats, this season, when it comes to bracelets, go ahead and get a little crazy. Have fun and stack ‘em up!
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