Accessories: Bling it on

A look at all the high-end as well as locally crafted accessories available in the city.

KARACHI:

Fashion goddess Coco Chanel once said that a girl should be two things — classy and fabulous. But being classy and fabulous without the right accessories is impossible. These days, the trend of wearing trinkets and artificial jewellery has become very popular with more than a few stalls/shops in Gulfway Shopping Mall in Karachi selling a variety of rings and necklaces. Following this trend, even high-end clothing stores like FnkAsia have introduced their accessory lines.

International accessory trends 2012

For most local accessory designs, the inspiration comes from red carpets, runways and real life. When it comes to earrings, buttons and studs are popular while small chandelier earrings are slowly making a comeback. Hair jewellery especially barrettes, hairbands, tiaras and brooches are big for weddings this season. Pearls aren’t going anywhere this year and they are featured in brooches, pendants and earrings. Tribal jewellery, yellow gold and stones have been a familiar sight on spring runways.

FnkAsia’s accessories

In terms of high-end accessories in Pakistan, what FnkAsia offers is beyond comparison to what others stores offer. It is the first retail store to offer matching as well as contrast accessories like scarves, earrings, necklaces, bangles and rings to the Pakistani customer.

From embroidered rings and gota necklaces to linen scarves and sparrow earrings, FnKAsia has it all. The line is catered towards 16 to 20-year-old girls.

FnkAsia’s Huma Adnan says, “Bright colours, textures and crafts are the main features of Pakistani fashion and the same is the philosophy of FnkAsia. Most accessories incorporate the traditional craft of the village folk which involves texture development and making FnkAsia’s pieces edgy, quirky and fun. This tribal meets contemporary look is most evident in our handmade flip-flops, bangles, earrings, necklaces rings, bags and clutches.”

Rim Jhim Bangle Store

Shopkeeper Mohammad Danish of Rim Jhim Bangle Store, says, “With skyrocketing gold prices, people have started investing in artificial jewellery like kundun rings and jhumkas.”

Talking about accessory preferences, a customer at the store, Zeba Ali, says, “I buy fancy stuff for my daughter but chic and sophisticated stuff for myself.”

On the jewellery trends popular today, Danish says, “Multicoloured diamantes and crystal style jewellery is no longer in fashion; people are genuinely more interested in kundun style jewellery these days as well as cocktail rings and diamond lookalikes bangles in silver.”

Mustafa Antique Jewellery Shop

Sami Khan, who has been running Mustafa Antique Jewellery Shop for the past 17 years in Gulfway Shopping Mall, says that he has a factory outlet located in Karachi’s Gulshan area. The store retails a wide collection of pom-pom bangles and rings as well as crochet rings and earrings.

Khan says that he finds his inspiration from everywhere and takes credit for introducing beaded jewellery to the city 15 years ago. At the time, young girls flocked to beaded pieces like bees to honey. Today, Khan offers a wide array of shell earrings and colourful bracelets.

He attributes the popularity of his store to Facebook. Since most people see his designs online, he thinks that this is why his business is still flourishing today.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2012.