Each Spring and Fall, Pantone releases a color trend chart based on what designers exhibit on the runway. It is hard to imagine, but oh-so-true, that designers are already working on next seasons colors. In my mind, it's like working in a Christmas store in July!
I have been thrilled at the last seasons colors - which we are technically still working on. My wardrobe tends to lean toward bright and vibrant colors, naturally. Colorado, is generally a fairly 'beige' state (not of mind, I mean geographic state), for whatever reason.
Back to Pantone. So, twice a year this color chart come out. While Fall fashion week was in February (I seem to recall being bundled under my Snuggie - YES! I really do own and use one!), the great minds of fashion were meeting to scheme what colors we'd be seeing in our local department store.
Jewels by Park Lane is not a chintzy-mom-and-pop jewelry company. We are the leader in high fashion jewelry - or bridge jewelry (meaning not el cheapo jewelry, and not quite your sapphires and diamond type fine jewelry). Park Lane stays on top of current fashions. I'm not sure who has that job, but it must be fun! I digress.
I thought it would be fun to show you these upcoming color trends with some jewelry!
Like them? Love them? Hate them? WANT THEM?? Have to have them? Well, make sure you contact me, so you can have them!! With Park Lane, no one pays retail, that means you!
I can't really justify 2 separate postings, but I am very excited about the newly released fall jewelry! 
I've been clicking away at my keyboard, and trying to figure out what exactly these look like in real life. You see, part of the issue is that jewelry doesn't photograph well. All those intricate facets...places for light to hide and reflect is so complex for our amazing eyes to pick up on those subtle nuances. The good news is that the kind photo editing dept at JBPL does not do lots of editing on the pictures. What this means to us is that we may not get the best picture in the catalog, but we will be blown away when the jewelry arrives on our doorstep! Would you rather be wowed when you buy, or receive? I'll go with receive (and wear, for that matter).
Watch for some fuuuuuun things coming up from this blog! You really ought to subscribe. :)
So, layering for the non-obsessed. If you recall in our last post we talked about layering with a black necklace we call "Fashion-able". It's one of the most versatile pieces you can have in your jewelry wardrobe. The 2 most versatile piece is "Shannel". Shannel is the same length as Fashion-able - about 48". Shannel comes in gold or silver tones (they are gold plated!), with faux pearls, in a tin-cup style necklace.
Pearls are classic. They are elegant. Pearls can be dressed up, or dressed down. If June Cleaver wore pearls while vacuuming, they are good enough for me. Actually, please don't wear your fine jewelry while doing any house work, unless of course it comes with an unconditional guarantee. Pearls look stunning on a woman of any age! You can't go wrong with pearls.
So we start with Shannel and Beloved (a trio of heart-shaped, cubic zirconias (not chintzy teenie bopper cz's - these are high quality cz's!)). Shannel is tripled, and frames Beloved.
See Beloved all by itself? There are sometimes a pendant needs to be solo, and sometimes it needs to be dressed up!
Please pardon the crazy pictures. I've been having some issues with my camera...
Remember Fashion-able? Pair it with Shannel for a very classic, and chic look!
Verona (the thick silver cable chain...doubled) + Shannel
Verona and Shannel again...Shannel is longer and staggered.
Here is a picture from a recent fair. You can see a few necklace combinations. It's not brain surgery to layer your necklaces.
And thrown in for good measure...Shannel as a bracelet!
A few tips to layering:
- Pick 1-2 colors to start with. Select your necklaces based on those 2 colors. Don't worry about texture. You can pick metal, or stone; either one is perfectly fine. Mixing metals has been 'in' for quite a few seasons now, and is no longer considered a faux pas. In this example, I selected two necklaces in the same color family: they both have silver metal. The "Nina" necklace has pearls and rose quartz. The stone combination lends itself to be more earthy in my opinion. I like the juxtaposition between the glitzy of "Heidi" (the quatrefoil necklace with Swarovski crystals) with "Nina" (please pardon the poor picture). I also like "Love Story" with "Nina" for a more earthy look.
- Juxtapose two necklaces. IE: pearls and turquoise. Turquoise, is one of the hottest stones and colors this season. Are you in heaven? I am! Turquoise can also be a tricky stone to layer because of it's hard, cool texture. Because of the cracks and crevasses, it is visually a harder stone, even if it's texturally a smooth stone. If you wanted to play it safe, layer turquoise with a textural silver chain. If you want to be daring, and edgy, pair turquoise with pearls, either freshwater or cultured are fine. In the picture below, you can see a fresh take on this perspective.
I hope you've enjoyed this mini boot jewelry boot camp (if you're this far, I'm assuming you've survived!) Go play with your jewelry; how else are you going to know what looks good together? When in doubt, carry yourself with confidence! You are a lovely woman of God; wear what you like! Be proud of yourself!!
I'd love to hear what you've put together. Please feel free to leave a comment below. The next posting will feature 3 necklaces. Whew! We'll get through this together! I promise to hold your hand the whole way. :)
