From bows to brooches, the neck area is the subject of this week's fashion lesson.
While turtlenecks re-emerged with a vengeance last autumn, this year sees a continued focus on high necklines, but with a more-maximal, less-minimal approach. Buttons are done up to the neck; collars are decorated with badges and brooches.
At Sonia Rykiel’s autumn/winter show, beautiful blue dresses were uplifted by flirty ruffled necklines and bold brooch fastenings on collars. At Roksanda, frilly bibs and high, Victorian-inspired necks featured ribbon bows, while Temperley London’s collection featured oversized, dramatic bows cascading down the fronts of blouses with almost thigh-length tails. Marc Jacobs, too, incorporated large bows tied primly at the necks of his models.
Karl Lagerfeld layered multiple inspirations on his models’ necks at the autumn/winter Chanel show. Strands of pearls in various sizes were coupled with ribbons, brooches, chokers and scarves, all at once. Lagerfeld’s approach gave a new dimension to the term “neck-heavy”, but not in a manner I would recommend. But pick apart the individual accessories, and they make quite pleasing add-ons to otherwise drab outfits.
As a last resort, keep a handful of ribbons in your dresser drawer, and when you find yourself in a blouse that seems boring, tie a ribbon in a bow at the neckline, just under the collar. Or try another fashion hack – use a glitzy, oversized earring as a brooch by punching it through the fabric above the highest button of your shirt.
Low-cut and off-the-shoulder necklines, revealing bare collarbones, topped off with thick chokers, may be the highlight of the current summer season. But come autumn, we may be up to our necks in new vintage-inspired accessories – pun intended.
hlodi@thenational.ae
