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Costume jewelry and accessories

Today’s fashionable jewelry has gotten larger and flashier over the past few months. Not only has couture seen a rebirth of large sequined brooches and oversized fabric flowers, but costume jewelry has also seen a comeback. This is jewelry that you may once have used to play dress-up when you were a kid. Large, almost gaudy jewels can look either tasteful or outrageous, depending on how you wear them. The appearance of “bling” in celebrity and hoi polloi markets in the past few years was preceded by a hip hop culture where bigger was better. Diamonds should be massive and practically as big as golf balls. Watches should be encrusted with precious stones and weigh more than a small child. These may be exaggerations but the essential point is this – jewelry that blings is no longer nouveau riche; it’s haute couture.

Costume jewelry includes everything from oversized colored baubles to flashy faux diamond earrings. Earrings and necklaces are especially popular in this fashion trend but you can also find oversized accessories for hair, wrist, and belt. There are more lines of jewelry out every week to combat the popular adage “less is more.” These lines aim to be bigger, brighter, and funkier than the ones before them. Celebrity jewelry designers compete to win the hands and necks of the stars. Not since Flava-Flav has the public seen such bulky accessories.

What forms are these new costume-styled jewels coming in? Dazzling hairpieces shaped like butterflies are flying off the racks and into the hairdos of Paris Hilton and her imitators. Gaudy chandelier earrings are bedecking the ears of women about town. It used to be that hoop earrings were all the rage and they are still popular in their largest, J-Lo proportions. However their popularity is being eclipsed by earrings that cover more area. Taking up space is only the first rule of bling however. You also must ensure that your accessories are coated with a thick layer of faux jewels. You can even buy mobile phone cases now that are encrusted in fake diamonds and rubies. Oversized rings have also been extremely prolific and popular this season.

It can be fun to wear an outrageous accessory or two sometimes, however these items are not for every day wear and can look trashy if worn with the wrong outfit. Just wear one flashy and large element with an ensemble. For instance wear an oversized vintage brooch over a blazer or a gaudy, diamond encrusted belt with a simple black sheath. Make your accessories stand out as the fun, costume elements they are and try not to take them too seriously. Allow yourself to add some glitter to your day but don’t lather yourself in sequins.

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