The jewelry makes all the difference

There is no question that we are entering our statement jewelry era, which means that the breadth of style options available is only going to get more accessible.

What I mean by this is that where it has felt like in order to generate a wow-effect with your jewelry, you have had to have access to like, estate-quality vintage pieces —

A photo taken in Milan last year, and plucked from this essay.

it is only going to become more likely that similar concepts will sprout within more consumer-friendly price margins. Partially because more brands will make this kind of stuff (as of now, Jujuvera is one among the only new jewelry brands creating into a forthcoming era of dress) but also because you’ll have a better sense of what to search for when you’re on Etsy (see: last week’s letter, or the one before that) or Chairish, for example.

When I was doing the what are you wearing to dinner post — much more of a meditation on the flirty seduction of taking yourself out these days even though it is so much easier to stay home (so cold!), it occurred to me that if none of the looks speak to you, if none of the looks make sense within the constellation of your lifestyle and its corresponding wardrobe, nailing a look that is uniquely to wear out to dinner could genuinely be as simple as considering the jewelry you wear from the waist up.

A white tee/tank and jeans are the ideal foil to bright gold jewelry, starring Rabanne’s chain bracelet next to Paola Sighinolfi’s (a smaller version here), with rings from Ring Concierge, Audry Rose x LMC (me!) and Arielle Ratner; the feather brooch is from Indress (but Etsy has a few too)

You can pick one accent color to pop off your blacks. Aflalo shirt (I’m really hot on this jersey boatneck for the same use case, or this Ref alt is a good comp); AG jeans (the fit is great, but this wash might be better), executed here with a malachite bead bracelet next to Rabanne’s silver chain, At Present x Jalil Johnson’s square pinky ring and a Lara Somnez/Ana Khouri combo on my ring finger.

Alternatively, you can combine all the colors. Indress feather brooch, Le Sundial tassel necklace (with an insanely accurate alt for you here) and this belt is from Sable World, try this for an alt.

Why? Well, think about it — when you go for dinner, especially in the winter, you’re basically getting dressed to commute then sit down at a table, where your entire bottom half is covered anyway. So it’s your hands and your neck and your wrists that are doing all the expressing for you.

A white camisole styled with Aflalo’s Finn belt; this is a great dress alt, The Row’s comb necklace (let’s call this or this the alt), a strand of black opal beads and Tiffany’s bone cuff (Agmes makes great silver pieces too, or here is one that is def ~inspired~)

By Malene Birger pearls, Frances de Lourdes tank top, Aureum belt, Ruadh black jeans

Which means if you aim to make a statement, feel like yourself but a little flirtier, want it to be easy and convenient and practical, embodying the unbeatable chicness of a plain black turtleneck, or oatmeal crew knit or even ribbed white tank energy, maybe you just want to assemble a few accessory configurations for over those tried and trues.

Eliou ear cuff, Emote black sache styled as choker, All III ribbed tank, Blaze Milano jeans (your current best bet, but I’m hot on torn knees again), Paola Sighinolfi gold croissant ring and cuff, a lab-grown diamond totem ring on my other finger (I made it with my bud Alexei Hay) and Bottega Veneta mules (36, 38, 39; much better traction than these, but not as cool)

Gold pops off of an oatmealy knit, creating a glamorous contrast, the same way it does denim. Aflalo’s ‘Edom’ knit styled with the same croissant cuff (but this time x 2) and two gold pinky rings (Pamela Zamore, Arielle Ratner), Jujuvera’s gold collar (here too is a nice vintage Les Bernard one for $180) and Le Sundial’s ‘Opera’ beads (dropping in the Etsy alt 1x more)

Arm cuffs, collars styled with longer chains, unexpected rings on your pinky or middle finger or both. Braids in your hair, sunglasses with sheer lenses that you can lie about (“I know, so weird they’re not fading — these are transition lenses!”), varying degrees of brooches.

TWP’s ‘Big Joe’ is my favorite shirt cut these days. This one is rendered in an open weave silk. Redirecting you to the Yesglasses deluge of sheer lenses to approximate this look (but I also love these from Bottega, which feel reasonable at $350), plus Emote’s black sache, Jujuvera’s silver cuffs (the croissant cuffs in the previous pic come in silver too) and a selection of silver/white gold rings

Prada sunglasses (dropping in these from Bottega 1x more), Khaite shirt (here are two alts), rings from Mark Henry Jewelry (my family’s biz!) and a bracelet to wrap over your shirt sleeves (silk is crucial here to create the right cascade).

I might even suggest some kind of headgear…

Here’s a silk scarf for you, a tassel necklace and silver cuffs. And lest I forget the suede shirt from least to most expensive.

Maison Ola hat, Rabanne bracelets, Refine belt (budget choice), here’s a black tank top, Argent trousers; this is a pinky ring I’d recommend

Oatmealy yarn is the ideal contrast for brushed metal accents in that it really helps it pop. Maison Krasnova lurex knit cap, vintage collar (I love offerings from Les Bernard; this one is great too; this one is longer but structurally most similar), Alighieri fish necklace on red yarn and Skall Studios turtleneck (here are a couple more you might want to consider)

It’s so much easier to really pack in the punch when you’re not reinventing the wheel of the outfit.

Navy and black tweed jacket (this is such a great alt) worn as top with a feather brooch. The reversal (white jacket, black brooch) would be just as good (I love the look of this brooch too). That black wrap watch is the classic Bulgari stainless steel ‘Serpentii,’ which I dipped in carbon gold to oxidize. Both rings are from Rainbow K (some great sale pieces are here)

So maybe the task order for the next few months as far as going out to eat is as simple as landing on a few mind-numbing simple, trustworthy templates (casual dinner out, fancy dinner out, dinner at someone’s house) and then spending the whole of your focus on jewels.

A vintage collar here, a parade of bracelets to make you feel Italian here (wow), a couple cabochons here with a dead ringer here and the braids are at your discretion

Here are 5 edits, scraped from so deep into, for example, Etsy’s pages, there was a moment where I myself thought I was a Sautoir drop necklace from the 60s.

I am so high on my own supply. Tubogas choker ($437), Robert Lee Morris lariat, Les Bernard coin earrings (also dropping in the ‘Egyptian revival’ collar necklace), Paloma Picasso vintage necklace

Lizzie Fortunato turquoise stone cuff, modernist Italian silver cuff, and here is an Elsa Peretti-esque sterling silver abstract heart cuff

Saint Laurent bangle, Max Mara bracelet, Arthur Pepper stone bracelet ,vintage gold bracelet that looks like a watch band. Dropping in this too

Vintage Valentino tassel necklace (there is a white one too), vintage Rochas perfume bottle necklace (see also: here), vintage YSL tassel necklace (see also: this).

That concludes this edition. Have a great week,

Leandra