This season, look for oversized statement pieces with a rocker edge and feminine charm.
Lisa Ellis is a little bit corporate, a little bit rock 'n' roll. On any given day, the former executive vice president at Sony Music Label Group might spend the morning at a business meeting for her private equity firm, Fireman Capital Partners, and the afternoon in a recording studio with artist Wyclef Jean, one of her partners in Karnaval House, a music and entertainment company.
One of her favorite corporate uniforms is a crisp, tailored button-down shirt and form-fitting jeans, which she makes her own by accessorizing--a belt or scarf here, a jacket or cashmere shawl there. Then there's Ellis's bold, unique jewelry: wooden beads with diamond accents; a chunky platinum-and-diamond ring she bought on a trip to India.
In Pictures: Gorgeous Jewelry That Won't Break The Bank
Few top-level executives can get away with Ellis's glamorous, slightly sexy Dolce & Gabbana suits and sky-high Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik heels--let alone the jeans. But there's one lesson all women can adopt: A great piece of jewelry can take an outfit from standard to standout.
"It's the jewelry that actually makes the look," says fashion stylist Jesse Garza, co-founder of Visual Therapy, a New York wardrobe consultancy, and co-author, with his Visual Therapy partner Joe Lupo, of Life in Color: The Visual Therapy Guide to the Perfect Palette for Fashion, Beauty, and You!. Says Garza, "I love a flattering, clean backdrop with a statement piece--a pop of color."
This year, the emphasis is on bold, chunky jewelry--a triple-strand of big beads; a thick, geometric bangle; an oversized ring. Perhaps as a reaction to tough economic times, precious jewels have been stowed away, replaced with semiprecious stones such as lapis, pyrite and quartz; and materials such as horn, resin and even Lucite. "I think today, to walk around with a stack of diamond bangles doesn't feel right," Garza says. His and Lupo's picks for great daytime jewelry: chunky, midsize hoop earrings; wood cuff bracelets; and turquoise bead necklaces.
Then it's time to think about how to wear them. Ellis, who says she doesn't like to look blingy, takes the less-is-more approach: If she puts on a bracelet and diamond earrings, for example, she'll forego the necklace. She might wear an oversize cocktail ring on her first or second finger, and keep the rest of her jewelry minimal.
Lupo and Garza take a slightly more scientific approach to jewelry, prescribing one piece near the top of the body--either earrings or a necklace--plus a ring on one hand and a bracelet on the opposite wrist. "A 'pow' up around the face, a 'pow' around one of the wrists, and a 'pow' on one hand," Garza says.
The best news: The season's great jewelry doesn't have to break the bank. If your budget is small, choose the best materials you can afford, and don't try to fool anyone with an obvious fake (no phony 5-carat "emeralds," please). Or spend your entire budget on one great piece--and wear it well.
