Jewellery Trends: Autumn / Winter 2012-13

• BLACK IS THE ‘NEW’ BLACK

  Tom Ford loves it, Miuccia Prada gave it her seal of approval; even Peter Dundas at Pucci, the Florentine luxury brand renowned for its colourful prints, played-up the sombre tones of the night. Many other designers tapped into a black revival, variously suggesting luxe glamour in shaggy furs, metallic brocades, and Mongolian lamb, as at Fendi; hard-edge modernism when done in leather, such as Riccardo Tisci’s tough-chic Givenchy collection; or more of a Gothic vibe, hinted at by New York’s Carolina Herrera who designed the wedding gown for Bella Swan in ‘Breaking Dawn’, the last of the Twilight movie series.

  Haider Ackermann reinforced the spooky mood with his vampire collars and batwing peplums, while Donatella’s Versace showing, with its Byzantine crosses, echoed her late brother Gianni’s last-ever Atelier show, in July, 1997.

  Jean Paul Gaultier added a punk/glam-rock twist, accessorising his dark side-silhouettes with gothic chains and crosses. The jewellery  references were captured at Salvatore Ferragamo (pictured), with black jet and stone chokers.

• 
  CAVALRY CHARGE

  Military and equestrian inspirations emerged as key trends, via scissor-sharp tailoring in khaki and Black Watch tartan at McQ, the McQueen diffusion line; olive trenches and taffeta at Burberry Prorsum; khaki parkas and greatcoats  at every level  from Dries Van Noten to Topshop Unique; and epaulettes, gauntlet details, and gold buttons in collections as diverse as Victoria Beckham, Joseph Altuzarra, and Aquascutum.

  The Givenchy collection was an unadulterated exercise in severe, disciplined, equine inspiration, with knife-edge cuts in riding jackets, adorned with gold stars and rosette motifs, worn with jodhpurs, and trousers tucked into knee-high boots. We can expect plenty of gilt military braid accessories, medallions, decorations and insignia jewellery details, as at Temperley London (pictured), which also paid tribute to a Cossack motif, a touchstone which was also explored by Clements Ribeiro, in both print and silhouette.

• RAINBOW PARADE

  The kaleidoscope of rainbow colours, in print, pattern and decoration, is set to inspire a treasure-chest of  jewellery in stones, both fake and semi-precious. Miuccia Prada’s (pictured) mosaic theme included coats and trouser-suits emblazoned with matching crystals. Marc Jacobs echoed the ‘stained glass’ theme in his Mary Poppins-esque, Edwardian silhouette at Louis Vuitton, (also seen at Miu Miu), with jewel-encrusted tweeds and paisleys. Sapphire-blue chandelier earrings swung over the shoulders of Nicolas Ghesquière’s spaced-out, 80’s disco-corporate looks in oversize, hi-tech bold colours and flowing silks.

  Multi-coloured crystals were glimpsed under sheer, Marlene Dietrich-inspired gowns at Marios Schwab. Astonishing digital prints – and equally complex folds and silhouettes -  were mixed with crystals and beading at Peter Pilotto and Mary Katrantzou, while eccentric striped T-shirts came with jewelled necks at Burberry, and Giles used jewel prints based on more of those ecclesiastical-inspired church windows, for Rapunzel-like red carpet gowns. The incredible, hand-crafted, silk flower tutus at McQ, meanwhile, will provide endless inspiration for floral fantasy.

• 
  THE BROOCH IS BACK

  The autumn/winter 2012-13 catwalks witnessed a return of the oft-ignored brooch, a retro stalwart of the bygone wardrobe. Glittering with diamante, jewels or crystal, or fashioned in silvery metal, the brooch was slipped into the hair at Rodarte (pictured) and pinned on shawls, capelets and stoles at Oscar de la Renta.
  
  It was turned into Scottish-look kilt-pins fastening capes and wraps at Marc Jacobs and emphasised collars and necklines at Ralph Lauren. Elsewhere, it drew attention to bodices at Bottega Venetta, or appeared as insignia on jackets and bustiers at Temperley.

• ALL HANDS ON DECK

  The appearance of leather gloves, in every colour, and every length, from elbow to upper-arm opera-style, positively called for an abundance of  jewelled cuffs, bangles and bracelets, worn in multiples, or the type of ‘knuckle-duster’ rings in organic minerals, as seen at Missoni (pictured).

• WILD BLUE YONDER

  The directional 21st century collections of forward-travellers such as Christopher Kane (pictured), Erdem, Jonathan Saunders, JW Anderson, Hussein Chalayan and Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, who all employed hi-tech laminates and industrial techniques to create surface textures which blended animal and mineral, suggested a renewed focus on cyber-coloured plastic for necklaces and bangles.

• FOLKSY AND FLAMBOYANT

  While folksy touches were occasional, it is worth noting the collections which had a deliberate ‘inspiration’ and which will undoubtedly lead to major high street trends:

  • Isabel Marant’s cowgirl-meets-prairie girl collection
  • Anna Sui’s (pictured) high-boho and hippie mix of prints, with lashings of pendants and beads, and Meadham-Kirchhoff’s psychedelic mix of 60’s/70’s rock trends
  • The extreme tribal focus of younger designers such as Antonio Mores Barros in Paris, and Fyodor Golan in London, expressed in ‘savage’ metal chokers
  • The emotive power of The East, seen at Jason Wu (China), Proenza Schouler (Nepal), Zac Posen (Samurai), and Dries Van Noten (Ming Dynasty-meets-Dragon Empress). While the collections may have been expressed in Tokyo ‘red’, Coromandel Screen-embroideries, dragons, and tassels, there is no escaping the influence these designer fantasies will have on the accessories we choose next winter.

• IN YOUR FACE

  Obviously not for everybody, face jewellery continues its radicalist role as an extreme form of jewellery. The young Fashion Fringe 2011 winner, Fyodor Golan, sent models down the London Fashion Week catwalk with jewelled nose-rings, while Kinder Aggugini sprayed lips gold.
  
  Sarah Burton accessorised her Alexander McQueen collection with gleaming silver visors, replacing the lace and metal ‘cages’ of past seasons. And Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel (pictured), leaving no (gem)-stone unturned, gave his models bejewelled eyebrows.