The problem with working in this industry—and this is a good problem to have—is that I’m surrounded by endlessly fashionable people, giving me a front-row seat to the most cutting-edge styles. And with that comes the illusion that I might be in-the-know.
Sometimes it feels like we’re predictors of the future, reading the stars (if the stars are new designer jewelry collections) to help retailers plan for the coming seasons. Other times it’s like being in our own little world. If we ever want to step out of that world and into one that represents a larger portion of America, head to the world owned by Disney.
I just spent two weeks in central Florida with my husband and two small children (because I’m either insane or desperate for a dose of pixie dust—or are those one and the same?). Few places are better than Disney World to gauge what people are currently shopping for. I spent much of our nine-day park experience zoning out people watching, as visitors of all shapes, sizes, styles, and origins flock to the Most Magical Place on Earth, and I want to share some observations that accurately represent today’s consumer.
Why did it seem like nearly every female tourist was wearing the same thing (and I had missed the memo)? The style can be described succinctly with a two-word article of clothing: tennis dress. I even saw women dressed like they were headed to compete in Wimbledon—down to the tennis bracelet—who have likely never picked up a racket.
After so many days staring at tennis dresses, I’m compiling a list of ones to grab for myself this summer…because overexposure can result in either fatigue or compliance, and for me, in this case, it’s the latter.
The parallel to the jewelry world that’s important to know—or to confirm here—is that tennis jewelry is, indeed, the one major thing retailers should be stocking right now. To summarize: Whatever we or any other publication try to tell you about the latest styles among consumers, tenniscore is the one to beat.
Whether they were outfitted in a tennis dress or the other popular Disney World attire—a varsity-style T-shirt with running or yoga pants (pants! in 100 degrees! can you believe it?)—many women completed their look not only with a baseball cap–topped ponytail but a pair of hoop earrings. I’d estimate the most common hoops to ring in at about 35 mm or 40 mm in size—not gigantic but significant, in that kind of polished, perfectly thrown-on way.
So there you have it. If you take a girl to Disney World, she’s gonna want a tennis dress to wear while there. If you buy her a tennis dress, she’s gonna need the diamond bracelet and hoop earrings to go with it. As a retailer, if you’re keeping a good stock of these things, you’re already winning the game this summer.
Top: Vanguard eternity bracelet in 18k yellow gold with 4.2 cts. t.w. diamonds, $29,500; Jade Trau
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