Wholesale Fashion Jewelry & Accessories Blog

“The January market was a “positive surprise,” said Shelli Mers, director of the Fashion Industry Gallery in Dallas.  “Everybody’s been holding their breath,” she said, but the market was able to remain steady, racking up about as many orders and sales as in January 2008.

Buyers were apparently very price conscious, but novelty items did very well, along with artisan jewelry. One buyer said he was looking for anything that was new, different, or India-Indian-inspired. 

                                         Prints are Popular

In clothing, the presence of well-designed maxi’s and shorts was appreciated.  Dresses got a good deal of attention. Bright colors were popular for summer, along with prints.  Buyers looked for florals, geometrics, and swirly patterns.  An Aztec print, seen on a number of dresses, did very well.  These were moderately-priced pieces, and offered market attendees a budget-conscious, different look for summer apparel. 

In jewelry, bright gold and gold-plate necklaces did very well.  So did gold-plated and gold-filigree hoop earrings.  Colorful retro necklaces also were popular. Rings gave buyers a chance to invest in a little bit of luxury without spending too much.  In this category, sterling silver was the metallic leader, and tiny diamonds were hot.  The big gemstone, however, offering buyers a lot of “real” for not-too-much money, was turquoise.     

WANT SOME TEXAS-STYLED QUALITY WITHOUT A TEXAS-SIZE PRICE?  HOW ABOUT:

• Long double strand necklace of faceted glass beads and faux pearls elegantly spaced on fine gold plated chain.

• Stunning 32-inch necklace of fabulous reconstituted turquoise.  These high-trend       beads are beautifully crafted in a flat oval shape giving them a remarkably rich,  even luxurious jewelry look.

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   “FIRST SIGHT” OF ACCESSORIES AT NEW YORK FALL COLLECTIONS

Anya Hindmarch kicked off her semi-annual open house at the New York fall collections by showing good-looking handbags with leather paneling, eel skin embellishments, and color-block designs.  The pieces had handsome hardware, and were moderately priced for New York.  Canvas shoppers featured entertaining, sometimes cute, illustrations. A good number of clutches, so popular this season (and last!) were reversible, adding to their economic practicality.

A capsule collection of engraved jewelry in silver and gold was a market leader. Designed by artist David Foote and Celeste and Satu Greenberg, the jewelry grouping will go on sale at the Bo Concept store in SOHO later this spring.

                                     Hand-Crafted Items

Many handbags and jewelry pieces on display in a number of tents that were put up early this year was exquisitely hand-crafted and interesting, even though few showed any real emphasis on new ideas or concepts. Still, there was much here worth noting. 

Intricately woven metallic handbags gave evening wear a real boost.  Some featured mother-of-pearl or semi-precious embellishments.  Filigreed minaudieres and totes done in croc did well.

Exotic skins were rich-looking, especially leather tooled to resemble crocodile, shrunken ostrich and ombre python. Faux renditions of big cat skins showed well in handbags and small “leather” accessories, such as cosmetic bags, wallets, and shortie gloves.  Buyers also responded well to reversible and lightweight leather totes at Lambertson Truex. They were not too costly, and done in attractive colors. 

YOU CAN GET THAT FABULOUS NEW YORK LOOK WITHOUT SPENDING A FORTUNE.  CHECK THESE OUT:

• Metal mesh evening bag in gold or white with leatherette handle

• Structured evening bag in elongated shape made of handsome croc-print leatherette with silver-tone hardware.

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         // TREND CHECK // TREND CHECK // TREND CHECK //

POLITICALLY CORRECT:  Turquoise has been popular for some time now, but it is hotter than ever as a result of First Lady Michelle Obama’s fondness for the stone.  The starburst pin she wore at the Democratic National Convention (we spoke about it in an earlier blog) was turquoise.  This, in turn has spurred the creation of a number of turquoise collections.  Look for necklaces, earrings, and rings all promoting the beauty and affordability of the stone.