The neck is the nexus this fashion season

Jewellery designers share their pearls of wisdom on what pieces are set to dominate the upcoming wedding season

LAHORE:

If you have a penchant for jewellery, you probably can’t wait to take out your trunk and sport the finest pieces to gleam in the upcoming Pakistani wedding season. Often trivialised as a mere accessory, jewellery can accentuate the most lacklustre outfits.

Recent years have witnessed changes in jewellery trends, with pieces such as chand bali and maatha patti having made a comeback. The Express Tribune talks to some of the country’s leading jewellery designers to explore what’s hot and not in jewellery this bridal season.

“The first thing to understand about jewellery is that it needs to be worn tastefully,” says Shazia Deen, owner of Neemar, a designer jewellery brand. “If your outfit is heavily embellished, it is advisable that it’s not laden with jewellery. If you do that, neither your clothes nor your jewellery will stand out and the look becomes messy,” she adds.

JEWELLERY BY REAMA MALIK

Women and young girls adorn their already heavy outfits with even heavier jewellery sets, which do not complement them. “Creating a look is about letting either your outfit or jewellery be the hero,” says Reama Malik, who owns the jewellery brand Gold. “What are really selling these days are statement necklaces and that seems to be the trend to look out for this season.”

Sherezad Rahimtoola also holds that statement necklaces are all the rage this season. “Even younger girls are opting for statement necklaces this year as they are the focal point [of a look] and the eye directly goes towards the neck,” she comments. She further shares, “We have done a lot of side clasps with strings of either pearls or emeralds and sapphires. While wearing a statement necklace, make sure your outfit is not heavily embellished because that will make the statement necklace lose its charm.”



Deen also recommends an arm candy jewellery piece along with statement necklaces. “People are layering bangles and arm cuffs together, but they keep the rest of the look pretty simple,” she states. She feels that similar to clothes, handbags and shoes, jewellery is a luxury item and should be bought to enhance a look rather than just be an investment piece.

“I urge my clients to mix precious and semi-precious stones to create something unique, but it is hard to get that across to old school mindsets,” shares Deen. Adding, “The younger generation is more open to new ideas, but jewellery buying still remains in the hands of the family’s elders, and societal pressures don’t allow them to experiment.”

The age-old maatha patti had been a dominant trend at Pakistani weddings, but it now seems to be fizzling out. The statement necklace is something that is sure to be a bang-on trend this season. “The thing to note about statement necklaces is that they have to be different from the bridal look. They have to be trendy and lighter than the bridal neck piece,” says Rahimtoola. So, ladies, if you are looking to invest in jewellery, keep a look out for necklaces, such as the rani haar and polki.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2014.

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