Fall/Winter 2015 Accessory Trends

If you have been following the latest in trends that were spotted on the fall/winter 2015-2016 Fashion Week runway shows, from New York to London, Milan and Paris, then you have noticed that there are quite a few pieces that have been recurring so often, we cannot help but call them a trend.

While the clothing and the colors, the prints and the hair, the make, the shoes and the handbags, along with the nails have all been covered in previous trend reports already, we have yet to look at the fall/ winter 2015-2016 accessory trends and boy there were plenty to find! There were so many new and fresh ideas, while others were recycled from decades past that we were staring astounded at the wide array of choices placed before us as the ladies traipsed onto stage with that perfect garments and even lovelier additions to the outfits that really set them out from the rest of the crowd. There was jewellery and there were headpieces, there were belts and a whole slew of interesting products, which were meant to keep us warm from the cooler winter weather and the stinging winds of autumn. Plus, we are stoked to see all the different styles of scarves and gloves that were worn onto the runway throughout the different Fashion Weeks.

We had fallen in love with choker designs years ago when we wore them to look almost gothic, often black beading placed low against the neck that somehow now we compare with slavery and BDSM, depending on which route you go and which years you are thinking of. It appears that the lovely fashions are back though, hopefully without any master and slave connotations, play or real, and we found their appearance on Ohne Titel to be especially intriguing. Choker chains in gold also appeared in a slightly looser fashion at A Detacher, adding a touch of futuristic sophistication to the outfits, particularly when the head was adorned with massive wigs. The choker looks also extend to more sculptural jewelry in the shape of twisted metal around the neck, a rather intriguing look that appeared on the Narciso Rodriguez runway. Balmain’s golden chokers looked pretty amazing on the ladies as well, alongside the bamboo style oversized hoop earrings and golden bangles that were stacked high on the wrists. Leather collars were used at Louis Vuitton in the collection by Nicolas Ghesquiere featuring colored leather patched and ‘60s tailoring. Swarovski crystal statement chokers were very much a big deal on the Balenciaga runway show with their graphic edginess and touch of punk that rivalled the sophistication seen throughout the collection. Crystal collars were also spotted at Givenchy, pieces that were fine and supple as lace, with colored jewels and a magical touch against the backdrop of exotic animal skins. Tassels and tribal motifs are combined at Etro for a rather intriguing jewelry design for fall/ winter 2015-2016, while we are also treated to gold plated double stranded styles.

Making a statement wearing a powerful necklace is big for the fall and winter seasons and our favourite fashion designers show enough appealing options for us to fall in love with. We are head over heels in love with the golden breastplate necklaces from Giambattista Valli resembling a big bird or an abstract motif that will look especially catchy on the background of the naked skin or a neutral clothing piece. Tory Burch offers us ethnic breastplate necklaces, while Dries Van Noten stays away from the metallic designs and uses fabric and feathers to design the beautiful floral necklace in autumnal shades. We also love the minimalist necklaces from Dolce & Gabbana, the chain designs from Dries van Noten, the massive retro options from Dsquared2 and others.

Plated earrings in general are in, but when they come in dropped looks we pay extra attention for that draws the eyes to the side of the face, the shape of the ears and the gentle curve of the neck. At Tadashi Shoji, we were especially captivated by the earrings that appeared to be plated crystals or mock swords that hung from the lobes of the models walking for this year’s fall and winter collections. Drop earrings appear as single pieces at Anteprima, Isabel Marant and Christian Dior as well, while they grace both ears with huge stones at Miu Miu and the extra-long versions spotted at Gucci. Those bejewelled Marni adornments were also quite compelling, even though our eyes were more acutely trained on others throughout the Fashion Week runway shows. Single golden earring drops offset the use of leather in the Louis Vuitton collection, bringing some bling to the exotic looks displayed throughout the line-up. Jewelry was huge at Marni, as always, with earrings assembled from rhinestones, onyx orbs and metal wires to create a beautiful, mobile style face framing pair of earrings. Really big drop earrings were worn at Balmain that almost looked too painful to have donned onto one’s lobes. Here, Lanvin’s tassel earrings also fit the category and have us wondering at all the different looks we can be rocking over the cooler seasons for best effect.

Bracelets in general have been in for the whole year, coming in multiple types for the spring season and translating well into the fall and later winter looks. The bauble bracelets seen at Victoria Beckham were earth toned in color, with one especially appearing to be grapes turned into pearls set against a green background that is reminiscent of a leaf. Thick bracelets made it onto the Proenza Schouler collection and looked rather terrifying with their heavy looks, despite the touch of femininity. Lovely bauble bracelets were very much a thing for Kenzo, with huge egg-like stones placed in the middle for added effect. Burberry’s pom-pom bangles were as interesting as bracelets can get and we might find the idea so amusing as to invest in a piece.

Single statement earrings appeared all over the place on the runway shows throughout the different runway shows that took place around the world, in 4 of the biggest metropolitans for fashion. They came in all shapes and sizes, but what captured the most attention was the use of statement earrings that were large and attention-grabbing, often in abstract but always with special decorum. The ones seen at Tibi were intriguing to say the least, appearing to be pieces of art on their own that belong in a museum more than emulated into a jewelry piece for the ears. We have seen the single earring look for a few seasons now and certainly were expecting to see it again. It is here to stay so if you have lost any single piece from a pair, you are in luck! You can wear them in fun geometrical shapes like at Anteprima. Equally stunning are the pearly designs falling from models’ ears at Isabel Marant, Balmain’s huge round pieces and the looping designs dangling from lobes on the Christian Dior showcasing of the fall/winter collection. Single charm earrings at Celine counter balanced the use of masculine lines within the collection itself, adding a kick to the straight cuts throughout.

Geometric looks in general have been in, particularly when it comes to the fall 2015 handbags and the shoes. We’ve seen them appear all over the place and certainly are not surprised to see them take over the jewelry business as well, appearing as a necklace on the Zimmermann runway for starters. We see geometric shapes hanging from ears as single earrings as well, as we noticed as clearly shown up at Anteprima, looking quite awesome with the hair above the ears slicked back. Geometric earrings also included 3D shapes that had been created out of strips, intertwining and adding a rather futuristic feel with it. Golden triangles were used on the lobes of the Saint Laurent ladies, along with other forms of geometric earrings that the light bounced off as they sauntered onto stage looking rather like experienced ladies of the night. Balls were worn as dropped earrings with lots of spheres in sight at Elie Saab. Huge disks in a slightly oval shape hung off wire necklaces at Carven, really bringing the focus to the chest region.

Whether we are talking about Victoria Beckham bauble bracelets or drop earrings in pearl spotted at Jason Wu, we know that there are a whole lot of pearls to contend with come this fall and winter. It is an awesome trend for us as it uses the classier options of the past and can be morphed into something modern while still appearing quite sophisticated. Pearls are incredibly beautiful and can be both on the inexpensive side and really bank-breaking, depending on the quality of the pieces used. The man-made is cheapest, while the freshwater comes in second and the saltwater has its own categories, incredible products of nature that appear in different colors and textures and sizes all over the world. The Jason Wu pearls also translated into double rings that looked perfect with the little solitaires on each digit, the middle and the ring fingers. Pearls appear in earrings that drop from the lobes of Isabel Marant’s models as well. Balenciaga’s models had ears covered in pearl earrings, from the dangling designs to the ones placed on the cartilage. It was truly a fantastic sight. Stella McCartney rings ranged through all the fingers and included man-made versions of pearls that stuck out against the nails especially. We also saw funky choker necklaces created out of double stranded pearls twisted about around the base of the models’ necks for a chic but modern effect.