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Stop letting Mr. T have all the fun: Jewelry is the absolute easiest and most cost-effective way to make your look this fall totally fresh and brand-new. It takes just a necklace or bracelet to transform last year’s simple dress or jeans and tee into this year’s “where did you get that?!” outfit. DailyCandy.com has found a new crop of very reasonably priced baubles that seem to have magical powers. They let you try a trend without going overboard or broke, and help you experiment with just the right amount of a nifty new color or texture. Each of these pieces works with dozens of fall’s most fun and fashionable looks. Each costs less than $50, but looks like it should be kept in a treasure chest.
Time to get a new watch
RumbaTime’s “Van Dam” collection of watches, $22 each, are sleek and sultry like required spy gear. They’re crafted of silicone, so they slip on and off like jelly bracelets, and are waterproof, making them the kind of watch you pretty much never take off. They come in a most excellent rainbow of 16 colors, which makes it tempting to buy more than one, but the “Lemon Drop” feels especially right-on for fall.
Wrist control
A wise and wonderful stylist once taught a super-smart trick: Always check a store or website’s current kids’ section for much-cheaper, on-trend pieces you can fashion to fit your adult self. Case in point? A girl’s “crushed glitter” belt is $22 from crewcuts and makes a rock star-worthy bracelet for a grown-up wrist. Wrap it around a few times and you lend any outfit a dash of panache.
Channel Chanel
There are times in every lady’s life when some fancy-pants polish is needed. A shiny metallic bracelet from QVC adds just that and then some to the plainest frock or most low-key pants. It reminds one of a classic, quilted Chanel bag, but for your wrist. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, so you can wear it with jeans, too. At $29, you’d never guess it was designed by glamazon Isaac Mizrahi! It stretches on and off so it’s a good one when you’re traveling.
Skin it to win it
A Western, desert-y inspiration is making its way into this fall’s fashion, and Pretty Little Thing NYC’s snakeskin earrings, $42, are a subtle way to try it. You can pick from three organic, mysterious hues: “Rain” is an elegant gray, “grass” is a shadowy green, and “rose” is pretty in pink. A Lucite frame covers and protects the snakeskin, but does not make them heavy. These could add a very “1970s Nevada road trip” vibe.
Reflect good taste
OK, maybe a hand mirror is not technically jewelry, but the 1920s glamour of Belissima’s $28 jeweled reflectors make them exquisite additions to any polished pocketbook. The regal peacock, jaunty horse and old-fashioned hound resemble miniature, glittering sculptures, then slide open to reveal a secret mirror. A dark and romantic, foggy English forest has inspired fall fashions, and these fit the bill royally.
Get enough fiber
Cloth necklaces of all sorts, in the craziest colors and patterns and woven into the most intriguing textures, have emerged as universal must-haves. Thief and Bandit makes beautiful statement pieces that range in price from $36 to $48 and add just the right dusty-bandanna hint of cowboy. When wearing such a piece, you must be prepared to field compliments from nearly everyone who lays eyes on you. It lures in onlookers like a magnet, and draws attention right to your sweet face.
Double happiness
Two-for-one is never bad, and Saako makes double-duty delights, $50, that are part necklace, part light scarf. A more dramatic interpretation of the cloth jewelry trend, these are bold and bodacious and like nothing else out there. An ethnic, tribal feeling pervades fall’s new pieces, so a necklace such as this won’t feel wild. It quite literally makes an outfit, and so can be worn with the simplest clothing you have … like a tank and leggings.
A pyramid scheme
Don’t forget your fingers when adding to your new jewels in a pile. Especially if you are prone to talking with your hands, a large, cocktail-y ring can set the tone masterfully. The “candy pyramid” ring, $30, from Made Her Think is just the right shape, just the right sturdy but feminine resin material, and the sweet selection of colors makes it impossible to pick just one. This can be edgy, polished, old-fashioned or new-fangled, depending on your mood.
Make a real statement
Same Sky’s fabric bracelets cost $40, but their story is priceless. The gorgeous pieces are handcrafted in Rwanda from local textiles and hand-blown glass beads by HIV-positive women who survived the 1994 genocide there. The Same Sky program works to empower these artisans and improve their lives. You will want to tell their story every time you wear their bracelet. You can also wear it as a hair accessory.
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