So goes the article from National Jeweler’s roundup of the important September fashion magazine issues,  “September issues reveal fall jewelry ‘dos’”.

The artcle cites “The short list: long, swinging pendant necklaces, silver cuffs and bangles, gold link designs, shoulder-grazing earrings, sophisticated cluster studs and gemmy cocktail rings” and “a wide diversity of jewelry styles” which doesn’t include bib styles, unfortunately.  These have been relegated to the back of the jewelry box, but I say that small stylish ones like my Jet Bib woven of Crystal Elements and sporting vintage embellishment will never go out of style for holiday parties.

I’d say that the Diorissimo necklace — vintage Swarovski stones hanging from a handwoven chain — qualifies and dignifies the long pendant specified above.

Then there are ‘ladylike pearls and opulent sautoir styles”.  Well, we have a multitude of ladylike styles with eye popping but subtle details, like the Rosebud and Topaz strand.  The opulent sautoir style is graced by our 96″ of knotted, tied and graduated size pearl rope.

And, one can’t go wrong with a stack of bangles made of Crystal Elements and, while it’s not a large silver cuff, nothing could be larger and more eye-catching than a large cuff of Crystal Elements.

What jewelry will set you aflutter this fall?

No! not Gainsborough’s.

Gucci’s.

Times have changed, as amply pointed out by the front page article in this morning’s New York Times Style section, “The Ornamental Male” (by Guy Trebay).   Ornamental indeed!

However, before I saw the boy I saw the blue item at his neck and wondered if it were a beadcrocheted necklace – it looked almost like one of mine at first  http://www.msturman.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=147&zenid=2e2b2e89c8235a88763c0082269de071 . Then I took in the whole image! Wow! this beautiful creature was a guy with a blue bandana knotted at his neck! The whole outfit is blue and the guy is too gorgeous.

I turned pages to peruse the remainder of the article, looking to see if there were other neck ornamentation on these very ornamental boys. Maybe a chain or two. Hmmm. These fellas are so gorgeous they put many of us women to shame — the sculpted cheeks, the defined bone structure!

So, what about beaded jewelry for guys? Why not — especially when they’re so gorgeous?

On May 3 2010, one of TV’s sexiest mothers, Gossip Girl’s Lily van der Woodsen (Kelly Rutherford), was dripping in drama. The stylists for Gossip Girl selected our Diorissimo necklace to offset Lily’s man troubles with Serena’s (Blake Lively) father. The 24K gold necklace is stunning on brunettes, and amplified even more on blonds like Kelly Rutherford.

As a special tribute to Gossip Girl and the fashions the show promotes, we will be running a 25% fashion discount from May 3rd to May 5th. Enter LILY at checkout for 25% off your entire purchase of M. Sturman Jewellery and treat yourself to some Gossip Girl fashion. And treat your mom to some jewelry for Mothers Day. She will love anything you pick. Shop for the Diorssimo necklace at M. Sturman Jewellery (it’s a limited edition piece) >

We can also act as personal shopper help you pick something special, so contact us for personal attention.

This necklace is made of vintage yellow stones ordered by Dior from Swarovski after WWII.  The stones are bezeled with 14k gold-plated seed beads and suspended from a chain woven of the same beads.  All of it handwoven, totally one-of-a-kind fashion and totally Lily van der Woodsen, played by Kelly Rutherford.

Shop for the Diorssimo necklace at M. Sturman Jewellery >

This morning over coffee I lingered over the Fashion page in the New York Times, “The Big New Idea Is Modesty” by Cathy Horyn.  I don’t know about “modesty” – the root that word is “mode”  and I was taken by the gorgeous Marchesa dress, a “column of bugle beads” and especially the Anna Sui “wool shift with an embroidered bib neckline”.  Those trends right up my bead alley!

I researched Anna Sui and learned that her collection was inspired by the American Arts and Crafts Movement!  Wow!  I’m all for that.  The accessories shown with her collection were large and chunky, “amazing handcrafted necklaces and brooches incorporating actual tiles from Detroit’s Pewabic Pottery, founded in 1903” (http://www.stylelist.com/2010/02/17/anna-sui-fall-2010-fashion-week-runway-review/).

I fixated on the bib neckline of the wool shift pictured in the Times and thought that the bib piece ought to be separate, so it might be worn again.  I make several bib necklaces and woven collars, any of which might compliment a simple dress and be right in style with the upcoming fall trends.

Which bib necklace would you choose to embellish your simple wool dresses?

My morning Google blog alert for “CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements” pointed to a post on FTape, The Online Fashion Resource on the exhibition CRYSTALLIZED™ “Ways to Say Black” .
Being involved in the DIY initiative of CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements, I had heard about the exhibition but decided to check out the details on FTape:  this is “a one-off, touring exhibition of the iconic Little Black Dress. . . .  the initiative sees this fashion classic reborn amid a shower of CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements at the hands of the greatest established and emerging creative talents worldwide.”

Oh well, so they didn’t ask me but now I could understand why – the little black dresses were commissioned by established and well-known fashion designers from France, Italy, the UK and the USA.  I only design jewelry using their collection of contemporary and vintage elements.

But then I got to thinking:  these dresses are one-of-a-kind, iconic museum pieces that will ultimately be auctioned off to very high bidders.  The likes of you and I may only observe and delight in the marvelous photos of the dresses and perhaps attend one of the exhibitions – Paris, Beijing and New York City – to see them in person.  But to own one!  Not likely.

We each have our LBDs and it is possible to cash in on the cachet of the exhibit by dressing them up with jewelry handcrafted with CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements.  For instance, light up yours with my handwoven Crystal Jet Bib appliquéd with vintage Swarovski margarita beads.

For my son’s wedding last October, the bridal party all wore LBDs.  Being the mother of the groom, my dress was not little, but long, and appliquéd at the bodice with discreet little Swarovski Elements that sparkled in the light.  To accessorize it, I designed and wove a set I call “Collar and Cuffs”, a ruffled choker with matching ruffled bracelets, woven in various hues of black Swarovski Elements.  All very low-key but sparkling!

What will you wear with your LBD?

I was stopped dead in my tracks, so to speak, when I came across the article and pictures on the front page of the Times’ Sunday Style section. My roving eye for color and for jewelry fixed on the images of women wearing huge pieces of jewelry. I wished the article contained more information and so was surprised and delighted when I went online and found a narrated video version of it by Bill Cunningham, the Times’ On the Street Photographer, entitled “Fashion Fireworks”
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/07/02/fashion/20090705-street-feature/index.html?ref=fashion# .

The narrative was delightful and there were more pictures in the video then in the newspaper. Cunningham tells about the gigantic fake stone necklaces made of light weight plastic that he found perfect for this holiday, hence “Fashion Fireworks.” The flash of the jewelry complemented the fireworks in the sky and I couldn’t agree more.

Cunningham points out that in the current economic climate women are not buying clothes as they used to but are adding sparkle to what they have with this big jewelry. He further urges women to put on all their jewelry at once, as shown in a few of his photos. His message is that, despite the poor economy, women should nevertheless have fun with dressing, not be inhibited about it and not think such pieces are too much. YES!!

While the pieces I make cannot be completed with old spare jewelry parts while sitting on a beach as Cunningham suggests, I definitely “do” gigantic and sparkle. I’m currently working on a new line of pieces featuring rough stone medallions and more rough cut beads, pearls and colored stones. I’m very excited about them and can’t wait to complete them, have them photographed and put up for sale on www.msturman.com.

So I definitely agree with Cunningham that women should update their wardrobe with jewelry, new or repurposed. How do you have fun with fashion these days?