I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid, the only good thing about fall was new clothes, and often new shoes and jewelry to match. Not expensive jewelry, just stuff that I could wear to school. It was the 70′s and 80′s – we wore lots of earrings.
Now I am looking out my window at the changing leaves of autumn (which are a little early this year), and feeling grumpy because I can’t afford a new wardrobe. Heck, I can’t afford much at all this year. Well, I guess it is once again time to try to perk up my old stuff. But how…
All new style trends have certain headlines. Whether it is about the shape, or the specific colors, or a line, all seasons have certain things about them that make things look new and not like the previous season.
So the first thing to do is figure out the ‘headline(s)’. This year, from perusing through Vogue and InStyle and various other magazines, I see some very specific trends in jewelry: on the large side, chunky, chain is heavy, and often there are rows of it in metals other than silver or gold (think copper, brass and gun-metal). Jewelry and other accessories are all about making a bold statement this fall.
Another thing: Steampunk has moved on over to mainstream. If you have never heard of Steampunk, let me give you a brief primer.
As the Gothic movement began to lose momentum a few years ago, a new kind of dark fashion began to hit the underground scene: Steampunk. Think of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Victorian science fiction, strange engines that are used for dark purposes. And the clothing for this movement – you may have guessed, has a lot of Victorian influences. You might see a Victorian top hat and top coat mixed with jeans, ruffled poets shirt with a vest that is covered in straps and buckles, high boots, a variety of hats and gadgets – LOTS of gadgets. Goggles are a big thing for the Steampunk crowd, along with sword canes, pocket watches and anything else that has a vaguely Victorian or 1890 meets an alternative future kind of feel.
The jewelry that began as Steampunk was often Victorian inspired as well. Cameos, Pocket watches worn on long chains, chandelier earrings, any kind of pearls and elaborate multi-strand necklaces are all part of the Steampunk look. Specific items that were prized for use in Steampunk creations were old keys, watch parts including gears and fobs of all kinds, old radio tubes, cameos and lockets. The look could be as simple as a necklace from your grandmother’s trousseau or as complex as a one-of-a-kind ensemble hand-made from parts you collected for years.
I knew Steampunk had graduated to mainstream when I opened the pages of Vogue magazine one day only to be confronted by an ad for Tiffany and Company that showed jewelry in the form of little platinum keys, crusted with diamonds (1). That is SO Steampunk! (Although obviously far out reach for all but the most entitled follower of the trend…)
1. Tiffany and Co. "Keys"
As this season has moved on, and the fall catalogues and magazines have been arriving, I am seeing more and more that tells me Steampunk is here - at least until spring. Jewelry is heavy and made with multi-strand chain, and there are MANY pieces out there made from non-precious metals. The look is fun, a little edgy and totally funky.
So, now what…I love new trends, and I love wearing fun jewelry and clothes, but I have a day job as an engineer. Not really the place to break out my gothic black clothes with a Victorian hat and jewelry (mores’ the pity).
Well, there are still ways you can make your wardrobe and your jewelry look new without spending a fortune every year. Reinventing older items by applying a little crafting skill or hunting in antique stores or even at flea markets can turn up some surprisingly wonderful accessories. Tune in during the coming weeks for a series of installments on how to re-use last year’s trends to make this year’s must have wardrobe items!
