ACCESSORIES

One of my first posts here on We Believe in Style was about cocktail rings. So when I read that they’re making a comeback I thought I had to write another post.

I don’t know if cocktail rings actually went out of fashion but there was a time when they had no rivals.

When it comes to cocktail (or statement) rings one in particular immediately comes to my mind, Yves Saint Laurent (yes, the brand still had Yves) “Arty Ring”, which was one of the most popular accessories among fashion bloggers (before they were called influencers). I almost bought one but the fact that it was extremely popular prevented me from purchasing it.

I once read the term cocktail ring comes from the fact that this type of ring easily catches attention while you’re drinking a cocktail, which is only a part of the history of this piece of jewelry. In fact, the term goes back to the Prohibition during the roaring twenties, when selling and drinking alcohol was strictly forbidden in US. So men and women used to hang out at speakeasies, secret bars where they could illegally drink alcohol, which wasn’t particularly good so it was mix with other beverages and ingredients.

Until the Prohibition era, women didn’t attend bars. When they started doing it, they wore glamorous clothes and precious jewelry. Their rings were often oversized and made of precious gemstones so yes, they caught attention.

These are some beautiful cocktail rings I found for you. What do you think about them? Do you prefer statement rings or you’re into minimalism and dainty pieces?

STVDIO “Isabella”.

Coup De Coeur “Wild Rose Pearl”.

Bernard Delettrez. If you’re looking for dreamy jewelry with a dark twist his pieces are perfect.

Anne Manns “Eadie”.

Azhar. This ring has an adjustable band, which was commonly used in the past, when women wore rings on gloves.

Aurélie Bidermann.

Sara Bencini.

Apm Monaco.

Alexis Bittar.

Givenchy.

“Pearls are always appropriate” said Jackie Kennedy, who used to wear fake pearls quite often (one of her fake pearls necklace valued about $65 was auctioned and sold at more than $210,000). But for the title of this post I chose the words by Ki Hackney, author of “People and Pearls: The Magic Endures”. Because yes, you can’t ever go wrong with pearls. And now there’s plenty of choice, whether you like classic pearl jewelry or cool, almost edgy pieces.

Me, I realized I like baroque pearls, which are very popular, now. I find quite charming that it’s impossible to find two exactly alike baroque pearls and I think they always stand out, even with the simplest setting.

While Marilyn sang that diamonds are a girl’s best friends, pearls are considered the queen of gems and the gem of queens and one of the ultimate timeless style icons, Grace Kelly, loved them and wore them both on the set of her films and in her private life. Lady Sarah Churchill go so far as to state “I feel undressed if I don’t have my pearls on”.

Pearls have always been loved and will always be.

And these are some items to sport pearls, both fake and real, classic and baroque.

This necklace by Lauren Stewart is such a beautiful piece of jewelry.

Safety pin + pearls = cool chic earring. By Loren Stewart.

Stament pearls and a touch of color for this necklace by Éliou, named “Asti”.

Timeless Pearly “Baroque” necklace.

Irene Neuwirth “South Sea” bracelet. This is a luxury piece (it costs more than 5.000 €) I find elegant with a cool twist.

Alighieri “The Frozen Sun”.

Frame Chain “Pearly Princess”. Glasses chains are, quite unexpectedly, among the accessories of the season.

Peter Pilotto.

White/Space “Treviso”.

JW Anderson.

Mango. Don’t they look like a luxury piece of jewelry?

This Miu Miu watch is so cool.

Mounser “Pagoda Fruit”.

Delfina Delettrez.

Mateo. Sooo beautiful.

Mango. I like these earrings so much.

I have written a post about pearls about a year and a half ago, you can read it here.

Diane Kruger wore this Mango dress and looked great (which is pretty obvious, I know). You can see Kruger on my favorite fashion blog, Red Carpet Fashion Awards.

A linen t-shirt by H&M. It’s available in different colors but I chose it in white.

Such a beautiful cuff bracelet by Miansai.

As a huge lover of fashion and films, I often find inspiration from the style of on-screen characters. I recently watched again “Damage”, a 1992 film starring Juliette Binoche and Jeremy Irons directed by Louis Malle. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Josephine Hart.

Juliette Binoche’s character, Anna, often wears a chunky chain necklace, which I’ve always liked. The costumes of the film were designed by Milena Canonero (one of my favorite costume designers) and I remember an interview with her where she told that necklace was an important piece of the wardrobe of Binoche. Anna is quite a dark lady with a complicated past.

So, a chunky chain necklace is something I really want, right now. If you’re into minimalist clothes, like me, and love crew neck tops, this type of necklace will add a cool and yet classy touch to your outfits.

At the beginning I haven’t found many but with a bit of patience I managed to pick some beautiful ones. If you want to spend as little as possible you can also go to a sewing shop, a hardware shop or even a cobbler that repairs bags and look for chains sold by the meter.

These are the chain necklaces I found. Some of them are from the men’s section of online retailers, where you can always find great accessories. What do you think? Do you like this type of necklace?

Laura Lombardi.

Another beautiful necklace Laura Lombardi, named “Presa”, which means grasp in Italian, but also taken.

Tiffany & Co. one of my favorite picks, available also in gold (at the price of $10,000).

Junya Watanabe. I love this one.

Balenciaga.

Annelise Michelson.

Isabel Lennse.

This necklace by Isabel Lennse is available also in gold.

BeneathMyVeilDesign (on Etsy).

Versace.

Martine Ali. The men’s section is always a great place to look for accessories.

River Island.

ShaniJacobiJewellery (on Etsy).

River Island.