A look at the Fall/Winter 2019-2020 jewelry trends will take you on a wild ride. From prim and proper bows, cameos, and pearls to adventurous asymmetrical earrings, 1970’s punk staples, and ostentatious oversized accessories, this year’s runways saw it all.
Prim & Proper
Perhaps the easiest to wear of the fall jewelry trends, we’re in love with this year’s selection of ladylike staples. It looks like Dior designers raided Grandma’s jewelry box to conjure up their classic cameos, while everyone from Burberry to Chanel offered their take on white pearl earrings (check more at LagunaPearl.com). Emilia Wickstead and Loewe took the pearl trend even deeper with rich, white on white beaded garments that are dying to take a turn at swanky holiday parties.
Grandpa’s closet wasn’t safe either as Dolce & Gabbana paired bow ties and lapel pins with film noir worthy formal suiting. The feminine side of the collection was full of 1930s glamour with matched jewelry sets, brooches, feathers, flowers and bows. It was the perfect marriage of absolute luxury and bohemian style.
How to rock it in the real world
Check out estate sales, thrift stores, and online vintage shops for authentic cameos, brooches, and costume jewelry. If you’re looking for a matched jewelry set, but can’t invest in it all at once, go with a modern retailer with plenty of mix and match options so you can build your collection over time.
Bold & Ostentatious
It seems like every 20 years or so, the fashion world decides that more is actually more. While minimalism certainly isn’t dead, these maximalist collections bring us back to a time every bit as flashy as the 1980s and early 2000s. Moschino delivered a fabulous ode to the nouveau riche in oversize crystal jewelry, logo chokers, Dolly Parton wigs, and straight-up dollar signs.
Other designers to build on this over the top trend included Prabal Gurung with statement earrings dropping well below the shoulders. And Balenciaga and Versace delivered another dose of conspicuous logo wear. Another bold standout you’ll be sure to see in ready to wear jewelry is the oversized chain link. We haven’t seen this much gold in one place since hip hop hit America in the 1980s. Channel your inner Salt-N-Pepa with some layered gold on gold in chains as big as you can get.
How to rock it in the real world
Once again, secondhand sources could be a great way to find some of this fall’s hottest jewelry trends. If you’re looking for real gold chains for that layering look, hit up a pawn shop – cash on hand – and start making offers. The price is never really the price, so don’t give up negotiating too soon. For oversized rhinestone earrings and matching jewelry sets, indulge in more affordable options from fast fashion stores, and keep your eyes peeled at online auctions for vintage paste jewelry.
Bondage & Punk
London was calling at this year’s fall runway shows. We’ve always looked forward to edgy collections from Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, but even prissier labels like Gucci and Mui Mui got in on the punk trend. Spiked dog collars, bondage-inspired accessories, safety pins, patches, and a strange eye/ear covering made a turn on the runway this year. Models at Marine Serre strutted with nail baubles swinging, while Prada and Versace had our attention on chunky sweaters embellished with pins.
How to rock it in the real world
If you don’t have multiple piercings, try on an ear cuff for a low commitment look. Nail piercings are another way to participate in the punk revival without quitting your day job and starting a band. While these runway looks may come with a designer price tag, the punk spirit is about working with what you have. Clear out that old craft box and repurpose broken belts and chains. Perfection is not the goal here, so dive in and have some fun.
Arts & Crafts
Designers expressed their arty sides in a couple of different ways this year, and earrings really took front and center for both trends. Geometric earrings inspired by the mobiles of Alexander Calder, and other contemporary and abstract works reigned for FW19/20. Heightening the drama of these already impressive pieces, many designers opted to show only a single statement earring, while others showcased asymmetrical pairs.
Perhaps a softer, more accessible expression of the punk mentality, we also saw the DIY aesthetic out in full force. Stella McCartney’s models donned strings of colorful paper clips and homespun hoops of yarn. Torch Burch showed earrings that seemed to be repurposed from a broken chandelier in iterations of one and two.
How to rock it in the real world
Lucky for your fall jewelry budget, you can get in on DIY projects on the cheap. Get creative with office supplies, buttons, sewing scraps, and those orphaned earrings you’ve been holding onto all these years.
