LupRocks Gossip

Trends from Accessories The Show

We braved the lousy weather this morning and took to the Javitts Center because we didn't want to miss Accessories The Show.  We're always impressed with the way that place (meaning my fav spot, the Javitts Center) transforms itself for that show.  The carpet is hot pink, the booths actually look like places you'd want to hang out with chandeliers being the prevelent decorative touch, and they have upbeat music pumping through to set the mood.  We also spotted a couple of trends that we personally are planning on embracing.  One of these trends, which we'll call "Tie Me Up," we first spotted at Club Monaco a few weeks ago.  From simple silk cords, to studded cords with charms accents, cords wrapped with chains, and beed and leather combos,  people are wrapping themselves in these make-shift "bracelets" in a variety of different ways.  Probably our favorite trend came from LupRocks.com's own, Janna Conner who perfectly highlighted the new "My Gemstone Has a Gemstone" trend.  Though we saw different versions of this theme, we absolutely loved Janna's color combos in her pendants hanging on long, gold vermeil chains.  Check out Janna's site and test our trend foreceasting ability by looking for this on a multitude of fashionistas soon!

 

Purple will reign for Fall 2008

Besides playing with textures, ruffles, layering, plaids, and colored tights for Fall 2008, the one trend I want to draw attention to is the purple haze seen looming over all the runways. Different shades of plums, violets, and royal purple’s will be a forefront color this fall, and that means jewelry and accessories as well! 

“Not since Prince hit the stage in 1984 to praise purple rain have varying shades of violet, eggplant, and aubergine held so much allure.” - Elle

First of all, I just want to say thank God! I am starting to see rings of neon lights around everything I look at. Good bye yellow, which was not mellow this summer, and hello plum gorgeous.

Second of all, this means exciting things if you are thinking about your collection for Fall. Almost all colors pair well with the hue de jour. Yellow, rose, pink and green golds compliment the color perfectly, while all jewel toned gems help highlight the main purple hue being worn. All purple ensembles will be big as well, mixing shades of purple in an outfit, and then pairing with purple accessories as well.

From left to right: Jeremy Laing, Costello Tagliapietra, and Harve Leger by Max Azria. Photos from Elle.com.

Trend Report :Accessories for Fall 2008

Top accessory trends for Fall 2008.  This trend report is based on the accessory picks from the buyers at Neiman Marcus, and Fashion Wire Daily’s Renata Espinosa coverage of their picks. 

1) Animal prints – For those of you that stick to a neutral color palette, adding a hint of an animal print with a bag or shoe can help liven up an outfit without introducing a new color to your wardrobe.

2) Berry Tones – Deep purples, maroons, and blues bring some rich color to fall.  After a summer of very bright colors, this trend will ease us back into a more subdued and more appropriate color palette for the colder days that follow.

3) Booties – Booties, specifically in black, continue to remain a hot trend, although the 2008 version is more sexy with more delicate details like peep toes, stiletto heals, and lace.

4) Rhinestone Costume jewelry – Big 30’s art deco style jewelry with rhinestones are the perfect way to add some glam to darker Fall outfits.    

5) Lace – The trim of choice for fall.

See a sideshow of these trends here!

David and Golaith

In light of my recent reporting on the superhero craze that has taken front and center of the fashion buzzosphere these days, I wanted to offer this little bit of reinforcement data I found on Style.com.

And now on a different note…While I was perusing the aforementioned list of top comic book/superhero inspired must-haves on Style.com something very important came to mind.  Style.com is the Mecca of online fashion reporting, because it combines all the genius minds of the fashion focused Conde Nast family.   Therefore their list is bound to contain all the big names you would expect to find in a Vogue or W, with a few lesser-known wildcards thrown in for authenticity.

However as I read names like Marc Jacobs and Balenciaga, I found myself less covetous of these "it" items by these "it" designers, and thinking more about other sources to help me swing this trend. By the time I was done looking through this list I had come to the following conclusions:

1) I would much rather have a piece of jewelry or a handbag (or anything) designed by someone I know.  It makes it personal and special.

2) One-of-a-kinds, or one-of-a-hundred, are just as special whether they cost $100 or $1 million and whether they come from a big name or new up-and-coming name.

3) Starting a trend or wearing a new designer is much cooler than following a trend or wearing an already established designer.

4) Some of the designs cranked out by the über famous designers are actually impossible to wear if you are just a normal person, in a normal city.  Other designers who design based on the same inspiration have much more wearable designs that are just as fashion conscious, and are much more mainstream. (And usually cheaper.)

5) Whatever it is, I can find a reasonably close substitute for a lot less money (Superheroes is NOT a trend that will stand the test of time).

6) Products that have stories behind them are more authentic than items that are produced in mass as crowd pleasers.

7) I would rather have your take on the big trend, than theirs.

8) You are the David and they are the Golaith.  The David wins eventually in some way or another. 

Don't get me wrong, a Christian Louboutin shoe or a Chanel bag is special and something worth coveting.  But so is your collection!

With this ring, I thee Wed

Did you know that last week was Bridal Fashion week in New York?   

 

Why you should know:  Thinking it has nothing to do with you is the outlook of yesteryear, because the future of tomorrow holds more in store for you than you may realize. First, many of the designers on the roster at last week’s bridal runway extravaganza do not have bridal jewelry lines, and they often team up with a bridal jewelry designer to bejewel models for the catwalk and for photo shoots. Second, this year the toughest critics (often the best critics) took note of the fashion forward thinking incorporated into the lines of almost all the designers.  If bridal trends continue to move forward in concept and design, which we believe they will, then won’t the jewelry move forward as well?  And the accessories? And the bridesmaid’s accessories?  With bright colors the trend de jour these days, and collections of gowns that are all inspired from the rest of the ROY G BIV color spectrum, the looks seen on the runway call for jewelry that is more colorful, more playful, and more eccentric.  The days of all white gowns with classic platinum/pearl/diamond jewelry will stand the test of time, but outside-the-box accoutrements will certainly join the mix more and more every year.   

Why you will know next year: You can check out all of the shows at NY Mag online, but to give you an example of where YOU will fit in to the equation in the next year, I would like to focus on two of my favorite wedding dress designers.  First up, the line by Monique Lhuiller (see photos above), who is no stranger to adding color to wedding gowns, was full of trims and draping that had an air of exquisiteness that can only be found in something vintage/something unique/something authentic.  Her aesthetic is a throw back to a time of decadence and aristocracy, and the jewelry should match.  Intricate or vintage-like pieces and non-traditional metals like rose gold, green gold, or oxidized gold would compliment beautifully.  Next on my list is Reem Acra, who sent a fresh line down the runway, which was inspired by such outrageous characters as Alice in Wonderland and Raggedy Ann (see photos below).  This fantasy like collection requires jewelry which is as mystical as the designs themselves.  Bright and big cocktail rings, colored diamonds and gemstone, and big statement pieces, would bring out the underlying personality of Acra’s line.

Furthermore, Aja Magnum (NY Mag) reported that the biggest trend for bridesmaid’s dresses is black gowns that are multi-purposeful.  Too bad nothing matches black…oh wait…everything matches black.  The possibilities of jewelry for bridesmaids are endless.   

It comes down to the ultimate question:  Do you take thee (non traditional bridal jewelry) to be thy (non traditional bridal gowns) mate?  I do!

 

Photos from NY magazine online and Fashion Wire Daily.

April Showers Bring Gray Nails

Many of you probably remember my amazing prediction that navy nail polish would slowly pop up all over the nails of major taste makers, and then trickle down all the way to that really annoying girl who always seems to end up sitting next to you during what you hoped would be a relaxing manicure. Well, for those of you that heeded my genius advice, not only did you get to look ultra in vogue, but you also got to sport the color around your store, boutique or showroom while wearing the pieces from your collection that best compliment the dark yet color-rich nails. Wearing the current craze-color of nail polish with bracelets and rings from your collection is a great way to offer the idea of a complete look to clients and buyers. Plus, it shows that if you are aware of current trends in beauty, you are probably a reliable fashionista and a relevant designer.

So heads up: Besides the bright hues of different colors that have been popping up in early adornments of spring trends, the big color for spring nail polish will be light shades of gray. Keep an eye out for it on the nails of your favorite stars and tastemakers, and as soon as your local manicurist starts to carry either Essie Great Expectations or OPI Mood Over Mumbai, do not hesitate to be the first of your friends to paint the town gray.

For full nail polish news, I recommend queen of nail polish bloging All Lacquered Up. See what she had to say about these shades of gray.

Unload the backburner - A Perfect Weekend Agenda

As you all know, we here at Lup spend most waking hours glued to our desks in an attempt to get you the best exposure this town has to offer. As well as several other major towns across the country, world, universe…You get the point. Anyways, this weekend we are super excited to finally have some time to do/see/read/eat/wear/fill in the blank here, which we have had pushed to the backburner all week. At a closer look, it seems like we are going to need a back burner for our backburner. Here is what we have planned for the weekend…

Fashion weeks are finally winding down! Not that we’re complaining, but watching all the shows is a big time spender. We will look once more to confirm the emerging accessory trends. Yup – skinny belts and statement bracelets. Watch all the shows at style.com!

“Do good-ing” tends to get lost to all things work. So instead of just wearing a pink, yellow, or red ribbon this weekend, we also will be heading to stinkykids.com to buy an adorable tee whose sales are donated to autism research. Helping a good cause in just a few easy clicks is the exact type of good deed that a busy fashionista like me needs! Plus the little characters are super cute for you or your kids.

The stack of things to read is piled so high it is starting to wobble. We need to prioritize. Spring editions of Vogue and W are out. Those get read first, and any fashion addict knows that in this case size does matter. Spring issues are huge! (Huge – adj. 1) extraordinarily large in bulk or quantity, 2) of much or great significance.)

We categorize that as pleasure reading. Now for something educational…Look at this interesting article on the record prices of platinum. I guess all that glitters is not gold!

And you thought we wouldn’t leave time to shop. Don’t you know us by now?! The Intermix warehouse sale is so last year…instead hit up the Shop Caravan SoHo location this weekend. They are having a 90% blowout closing sale. We don’t discriminate against non-locals. Shop online!

Emerging Trends from Fashion Week

There are some moments in life that just surpass all normal levels of excitement and reach the level of all-out, oh-my-goodness, ear to ear smiles, and girly screaming excitement.  Included in this category: a huge bonus, a great sale, the perfect attention from a significant other, a new pair of killer shoes, etc.  So what got my heart racing this morning?  When watching the Paris shows from yesterday, I almost squeaked at the site of layered long necklaces draped across the décolletage’s of models on the Givenchy runway.  I took a detailed eye to this trend which popped up sporadically on the Oscar’s red carpet, and I love when I spot a trend before it is confirmed by one of the greats – and if you have been paying attention to the last few Givenchy shows you know he is one of the greats.  That means we are looking at competing trends for the future.  Is it all about the big bracelets or all about the layered necklaces?  There might just be a piece of the action for everyone!

See the whole collection!

Cuff Em' - A wrist-hold on the future trend of jewelry

There is only one thing better than a great fashion show: back to back great fashion shows.  So, it was no surprise that when Paris fashion week came up to bat in the all star line-up of fashion weeks, we saw one jaw dropping runway collection after another.  We took special note of the jewelry filled show by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga, who’s expert taste level confirmed the upcoming jewelry trend of statement pieces, and most prominently, big statement bracelets.  Ghesquière took it one step further then fellow fashion trend makers by pairing big chunky bracelets (and we mean chunky in the good-full-of-diamonds-and-gemstones way) with matching necklaces.  It remains too soon to tell whether the matching bracelets on both arms were runway drama extravagance or a more literal style with an underlying note of futuristic protective armor. Either way, we suggest keeping a sharp eye out for this wrist adornment trend, for the masses are sure to follow.    See the full Collection!

Trend Report: Chanel Blue Satin Nail Polish

I would never dare insult or speak negatively about Chanel.  The fashion house, which has been a front player of haute couture for decades now, is a beacon for what luxury and designer clothing is really all about.  That said, I can’t help but feel the pangs of frustration as my mailbox and server fills with blogs and gossip about the new Chanel Blue Satin nail polish.  Blue nail polish was predicted to be a huge trend by taste-makers back in September when ads of OPI’s Russian Navy appeared in all the mags.  Yet, the many fashion bloggers only hit the keyboard when Chanel’s version of the trend hit the shelves. OPI undeservingly falling into the shadows of Chanel’s spotlight is giving me the blues.

For those of you that read my Dec 4 post, entitled “Seeing New Lights in Old Shades,” you would know that I was wearing OPI’s version of the punk turned glam blue polish trend long before all this buzz began.  You also would have heeded my fashion advice, and done so as well.  For those of you that did, pat yourself on the back.  You are months ahead of this headline breaking news.  Just today, Dara Fleisher’s always fun fashion newsletter, FashionJunkie Fix, featured the new shade, pointing out that “the deep cobalt hue…is already infiltrating the streets on Manhattan.”  Well, this Manhattan fashionista finds this news unexciting and stale. (No offense Dara – you know I think you rock!)  OPI deserves just as much, if not more, time in the spotlight, and this is my attempt to even that keel. 

Chanel does deserve major props for their chip resistant formula, and should continue to reap praise like this report from For The Love Of Beauty blogger Roxy.

www.opi.com

www.chanel.com