Design Art and Photography

By Mary Wisniewski

New York—Models strutted down the catwalks at the 2008 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City wearing clothing that broke new ground in apparel, but when it came to the jewelry trends, there were a number of holdovers from 2007.

Long, layered necklaces, colorful beads, bangles and cuff bracelets made many repeat appearances; that is, if the fashion designer chose to accessorize with jewelry at all, which frequently did not prove to be the case.

Helena Krodel, associate director of media for the Jewelry Information Center, says there was a moderate showing of jewelry for spring, with necklaces popping up the most. Although jewelry wasn’t everywhere on the runways during the Sept. 5-12 event, she says, jewelry-inspired looks surfaced in many of the designs.

“Fine jewelry is making an impact on fashion,” she says.

The runways were a tale of two styles, with romantic or vixen themes vying with menswear-inspired looks.

Designers generally opted to show clothing with movement, but belts tapered in any billowing dresses or shirts. High-waisted shorts and pants, puffed sleeves and long dresses accompanied by floppy hats and gloves appeared frequently.

As for color, greens, beiges, grays, blues and metallics were regulars, as were floral prints.

There were three major themes overriding Fashion Week, according to Krodel. One she refers to as “rich hippie,” which in the jewelry world translates into the use of pearls, coral, bones, wood, feathers and oxidized metals—organic pieces that are fitting for the season, she says.

“It works well for spring because everything is blooming and there’s lots of color,” Krodel says, characterizing the look as under the radar but still hip.

She also observed a “color-blocking” trend that was best complemented by pop art-inspired jewelry. This included free-form necklaces that managed to remain architectural though abstract, as well as pieces made from artifacts.

“American prepster” is the third category Krodel observed, with slimmer skirts and shrunken jackets highlighting the trend. The jewelry pairings were thick, chunky necklaces and bracelets, crests and all-metal rings.

“Thick, precious-metal rings are the news,” Krodel says.

Whatever the theme, the models wearing jewelry were hard to ignore.

Marc Jacobs’ avant-garde apparel collection included much of the designer’s own attention-grabbing jewelry, including statement-making necklaces and colorful beads.

Vintage stone necklace from H. Stern’s archive paired with a crinkle-chiffon “Riberia” dress in pale lilac by Diane von Furstenberg. Diane von Furstenberg did not shy from jewelry either, but stuck with more traditional pieces such as long necklaces and the occasional bracelet, using her alliance with H. Stern to get the job done. The most impressive piece was a long, multicolored vintage stone necklace.

Tracy Reese, Anna Sui and Vera Wang sent some stunning jewelry down the runways too, including long chains, bangles and oversized gemstone necklaces. The boldest of the bunch came from Vera Wang, who sent several models down the catwalk in the designer’s own huge, statement-making necklaces.

Kara Ross designed pieces for the J. Mendel show, including a series of base-metal cuffs with stones of a more esoteric bent, such as lapis, malachite, hematite, tiger’s eye and white jade, giving the clothing an extra edge.

Fashion and jewelry designer teams extended outside the mayhem of the Bryant Park tents too.

For a show held inside an HSBC bank, designer B. Michael joined forces with jewelry designer Color Story for a symbiotic pairing that brightened up an already vivid catwalk. Pink, gold and print apparel was paired with jewelry studded with colorful gemstones.

Australian South Sea pearl company Autore teamed with Maticevski for the brand’s Spring/Summer 2008 show in downtown New York. The jewelry ranged from drop earrings to intricate cocktail rings.

Piaget’s jewels took a turn at Marchesa’s Spring 2008 presentation too, which was held at the Chelsea Art Museum. The opening look, a little black dress, featured Piaget’s “Miss Protocole” black and diamond watchstrap worn as an evening bracelet. The designers also dressed models in three Piaget “Possession” bracelets in white gold and diamonds, as well as a yellow gold ring with diamonds and a black sapphire and diamond band.