It's time for a confession: I don't get out much at night. By the time I finish with the day's duties, I'm absolutely drained, and would much rather sit at home and be a couch potato, than waste the night mingling and making table talk as the hours tick on. It's not that I'm antisocial, or have nothing to wear – in fact it's quite the opposite. I love dressing up and going out, but just prefer doing it while the sun's still up.
I love attending brunches, lunches and afternoon teas; not so much late nights in dimly lit venues and reaching home in the wee hours of the morning. Meanwhile, I have a jewellery box practically bursting with glitzy trinkets that are hardly worn – not because I’m bored with them, but because, for some reason, I associate wearing jewellery with night-time events.
I’m sure many of you feel the same. Aside from classic pearls, or a bunch of bracelets stacked up on one wrist, wearing jewellery in the day can sometimes feel a little bit odd. You wonder if your outfit looks over the top, and if it’s simply inappropriate for daytime dressing.
Day-wear jewellery, however, is making a big comeback this summer. From your ears to your ankles, adorn your body in the trendy new styles on offer across the high street. For a boho touch, consider grabbing some necklaces with feathers and beads from Zara, silver antique-themed pieces from Mango, or dreamcatcher-style earrings from H&M. These stores also have more modish offerings, with minimalist gold shapes and delicate pearls. Seashell pendants, marbles, tassels, pompoms and coins are all perfectly suited to daytime dressing. Fruity shapes, such as pineapples, grapefruits, bananas and the like, also work well – check out Kate Spade’s latest summer collection, which also includes colourful parrot icons.
Beach days, pool outings and summer getaways are great opportunities to be more carefree and experimental with your accessories. What’s also great about this type of jewellery is that, although it may be light-coloured, chunky, kitschy or tropical, it’s not limited to daywear. Accessorising bears no time limits – the trend is in the jewels themselves, and not in the time of the day (or night, for that matter) that you choose to wear them.
In fact, I’d even recommend you wear jewellery of this nature during the evening to lighten up your look and to give off a formal-but-fun vibe. Let’s say you’re going down the typical all-black-outfit route for dinner. Uplift the ensemble with bold, bedazzled tassel earrings, or a beaded collar necklace – one that you may not typically wear at night, but nonetheless, matches your look nicely.
If you’re frequenting iftar and suhoor tents this Ramadan, use the opportunity to try different jewellery looks. Don’t worry about looking overdressed, because it’s characteristic of women in the region to dress in the trendiest and flashiest designs for Ramadan nights out. So no matter how many layers of necklaces and rings you pile on, you won’t look out of place for a second.
If you’re slightly perplexed by all the different jewellery styles in the shops, look to the spring/summer 2016 runways for an easy starting point: earrings. Geometric shapes are paired with metallics and bold colours in Marni’s designs, while dramatic drop earrings have been given a youthful twist with soft, paper-thin textiles at Prada. Quirkiest of all, would have to be Dolce & Gabbana’s lemon earrings. They’re made in a clip-on style, so you don’t even need pierced ears to wear them.
hlodi@thenational.ae
