Trend Spotting: Ombré

Derived from the French word for “shade” or “shadows,” ombré has bled its way into the world of fashion. Prada’s It Bag from F/W ‘07 might have been the biggest sign of this color change, with a spectrum of collections completing the arc (Alberta Ferretti, Alexander McQueen, Badgely Mischka, Diane von Furstenberg, Jonathan Suanders, Louis Vuitton, Luca Luca, and Nina Ricci). While in clothing, handbags, and sunglasses dip-dyed dégradé renders a ’70s feel, the concept graduates in jewelry, highlighting designers’ skill in lifelike forms of flowers and animals. The technique utilizes basic art principles (think Mark Rothko’s color studies as well as pointillism) wherein gradients produce either an easy-breezy watercolor feel or 3-D realism. Here, we celebrate the fade.

Mark Rothko, No. 10,1950
© 1998, The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Photo via National Gallery of Art

Valenza, Italy’s Palmiero Jewellery Design has this down in every shade, offering up bouquets of blooming hues in precision pavé

Palmiero’s Yellow Petunias

Palmiero’s Pink Geranium
Also from Valenza, Staurino Fratelli’s Notre Dame suite from the Renaissance collection changes its tones in dramatic turn
Alexis Bittar’s hand-carved and -painted Lucite flower pin, embellished with marcasite, black onyx, and moonstone, blushes in reds
Marroni’s 18k white and red gold Pagoda ring keeps the palette lovely in lavender, at Barneys
Honora’s multicolor collections of pastel or dark baroque freshwaters prove that pearls know how to play

Honora’s Multi Color pearls
Stephen Webster’s Stingray, Scorpion, and Butterfly brooches, from his One of a Kind collection, and Jewelvine cuff and cocktail ring get both animalistic and edgy
Chopard’s 18k white gold Copacabana sapphire earrings boast a bevy of briolettes in cool blues

Chopard’s Copacabana earrings
Photo via Palm Beach Illustrated