Spotlight On... Jewellery Fashion Accessories

Accessorising The Positive

With socialising thankfully back in our diaries, there is an innate desire to get dressed up to the nines again, with jewellery and fashion accessories leading the way.

So, what’s trending for the coming season? PG&H spoke to some of the leading suppliers to find out, with nature, flowers and colours - especially plum and dark green for bags and scarves - taking the lead.

With restrictions hopefully lifted on July 19, and socialising once again the norm, on trend jewellery and fashion accessories are high on the list of ‘must haves’ for jazzing up an outfit and adding individuality.

Joma Jewellery has introduced lots of new designs and edits for AW21 featuring gold, rose gold and silver-plated jewellery, with new sentiments and charms joining the company’s best selling collection of ‘A Littles’. Unique new bracelet gift sets, featuring pairs of bracelets presented inside gift boxes, have also been introduced.

Also brand new from Joma are Birthstone ‘A Little’ necklaces, a matching accessory to the company’s Birthstone anklets and bracelets. Real semi-precious gemstones are joined by personal traits.

“A spotlight also shines on our brand new gold-plated Positivity pendants, inspired by the energy and resilience seen across the world this year which are a beautiful, daily reminder of positive mantras to live by,” comments Joma Jewellery (and Katie Loxton’s) founder Katie Loxton. “The collection features a rotating pendant with a semi-precious stone on one side and engraved sentiment on the other.”

At Life Charms, managing director Tony Barrett reveals a new 14ct gold plated range in the company’s Birth Flower collection. The range features different flowers and their meanings, representing each month of the year, with Birth Flower relating to the Zodiac and people’s birth signs. “It's very pretty and something different that can be bought as a gift or as a self-treat. We’ll have more new ranges in the second half of the year and something new for Autumn/Winter too,” adds Tony. Another company that will be featuring flowers for the second half of the year is Crumble & Core. “Our Language of Flowers jewellery and greeting card collection was inspired

Above: Brand new for Autumn/Winter, Joma Jewellery’s gold plated Positivity pendants. Left: New for Christmas: Mistletoe from Crumble & Core’s Our Language of Flowers collection. Below left: Life Charm’s new Birth Flower 14ct gold plated range.

Top Jewellery Trends l Gold, rose gold and silver l Flowers l Nature

by some of the great Victorian botanical artists, reminding us of the connection between British flowers and the language of friendship and love,” explains director Louise Pike. “The range has proved really popular with our customers and for Christmas 2021, we’ve decided to add the plants we associate with the festive season - mistletoe and holly - along with their meanings.”

Silver jewellery too, is riding high for Autumn/Winter. “Fashion jewellery has seen a huge trend towards silver in the first half of this year, and Autumn/Winter will see the trend picking up pace along with a trend towards two-tone jewellery, notably silver with hints of rose gold or gold,” says Joe Davies’ buyer Mary Caputo. “Rhinestones will be creating a touch of ‘bling’ and sparking a feeling of joy.”

However, she confirms that a trend for nature remains at the forefront, “a result of our love of nature in all its glory which has been key to our coping mechanism in recent times.” The company’s Back to Nature collection features leaves and rhinestone encrusted ferns, along with an abundance of nature related pieces. Also new is Equilibrium’s polished two tone collection.

Top Trend Colours

l Plum l Khaki green l Cognac

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It’s In The Bag

On the bag front, Katie Loxton’s AW21 collection is brimming with pieces that feature an eye-catching colour palette of mid-tone plum, olive and cognacs, which layer over core classics of taupe and blush pink to create a colourful, easy-to-wear collection. “New everyday bags are taking centre stage, including the brand new Cara collection, based on the brand’s best selling shapes, which has been given a new modern twist,” comments Katie Loxton, the brand’s founder. Similarly, a spotlight shines on the new crossbody bag addition to the Casey collection, which features an envelope style fastening and gold-tone bar detail. Continuing the company’s journey to becoming more sustainable, the Katie Loxton brand is now using eco-friendly materials, with the company moving its best selling Perfect Pouch to an eco-friendly material. In addition, brand new scarves have been designed from recycled polyester. “We’re leading the way in the fashion industry as one of the first to do so,” says Katie.

Wrendale Designs’ founder and creative maestro Hannah Dale confirms that the company’s accessories collection is expanding, with the addition of more bags following the success of Wrendale’s first collection of satchel and everyday bags.

“Our new range of foldable shopping bags are super stylish and practical and can be folded into their own pocket which means you there’s no need to use a plastic bag ever again,” says Hannah.

Above: Katie Loxton’s new sustainable pouches. Right: Wrendale Designs’ fashionable foldable shopper. Left: The new Equilibrium two tone collection from Joe Davies. Right: Miss Milly’s necklace selection includes a Zebra swirl necklace, and a new shell paper resin finish. Below: New from Sea Gems’ Silver Origins collection.

It offers a wide selection of pieces, each plated with real silver and rose gold, with bling added to many of the items.

Staying with silver, Sea Gems Cornwall is also showcasing brand new collections featuring unique silver jewellery that capture the essence of iconic landscapes, nature, wildlife and heritage. “Our Silver Origins boutique jewellery brand features contemporary handcrafted 925 sterling silver, combining high polished and textured surfaces together with gold vermeil or semiprecious stones enhancing the beauty, spirit and story of each piece,” explains the company’s Kate Evans.

“Inspired by our roots here in Cornwall, the collection features striking organic designs that include the intricate beachcomber range, delicate botanical and wildlife designs, as well as fun, whimsical motifs that celebrate moments of love and life.” Other popular Sea Gems ranges include the Celtic Lands silver collection, Mackintosh, Celtic and nature collections.

Of course, colour too, will be big news for Autumn/Winter. “For us, bold is the big theme for the coming season,” says Miss Milly’s managing director Sarah Watmore. “With getting dressed up the norm, our Floria Collection pendant and necklace styles are very eye-catching. Alongside the traditional blues, purples and teals of the season we’ve got striking pinks and oranges shouting that we’re back. We’ve developed some new resin finishes too,” continues Sarah. “The first is a coating of pearlescent paint giving a smooth, tactile texture, while the second uses a backing of paper, with a swirling mother of pearl design, that has the appearance of animal print.”

Also showing its colour credentials is Coral and Mint, with the company adding to its newly launched Sentiment String collection. “Keen to continue the theme of injecting colour into people’s lives, each handmade string bracelet combines a colourful enamel charm with waxed cotton cord,” explains managing director Kate Stanley. The bracelets are presented on a premium gift card with inspirational quotes, and for a personal touch, bespoke regional and local options are also available to retailers.

As always, jewellery continues to be very much a part of the product mix that gift retailers simply can’t do without, with suppliers upping the ante to reflect the latest - and diverse - Autumn/Winter trends.

Left: Coral and Mint’s new Sentiment mint string bracelet.

Fashion Forward

On the fashion accessories front, it’s all things bright and beautiful, with scarves really coming into their own over the coming months. “Abstract graphics have always been the foundation of One Button’s handwriting,” says founder Amanda Angless, “and continuing on this theme, we can’t wait to launch another fabulous Autumn/Winter 2021 collection where colour, texture, shape and material content will ensure the scarves become firm favourites.” At Miss Milly, the company’s winter weight scarf collection is growing in response to demand. “While we maintain a solid core of traditional darker colours, as always, we look to inject colour into people’s lives, so there are oranges, reds and mustards sprinkled through the greys, navys and burgundys. Plus, our winter scarves are warm and really soft to the touch,” confirms managing director Sarah Watmore, who adds that the company’s magnetic brooches add a colourful, playful touch.

Meanwhile, trend colours for the Equilibrium fashion accessories collection from Joe Davies include fashionable dark green as well as neutrals.

“Trends in fashion accessories are taking a spirited turn with striking colours and prints key for Autumn/Winter 2021,” says buyer Mary Caputo. “The palette varies from beloved neutrals such as caramel and cream to saturated hues that include military green, hot pink and exuberant orange to give a ‘pop’ of colour.”

Continues Mary: “Equilibrium’s fashion scarves and gloves incorporate all of these trends in spades and offer an ideal way to express individuality, with chic retro kerchief scarves a ‘must have’ accessory to make a simple outfit look stylish.”

Above: A new, snuggly winter scarf design from Miss Milly. Left: Colour aplenty from One Button. Below: Joe Davies’ multi-functional scarves from the Equilibrium collection.