My current jewelry & accessory rotation - cuff bracelets, bean necklaces, and a 90s beaded shawl
2024 was my year of scarves & ties & brooches. 2025 is looking like necklaces, bracelets, and collars.
At the beginning of 2024 I wrote about making it the year of accessories. (Buckle up, this is a long one. I recommend opening in your browser to read the whole thing.)
2024: My Year of Brooches and Belts and Babushkas, Oh My
Happy Sunday, my fabulous readers. This particular article took me way too long to put together (for no reason), but it’s finally here and maybe you can enjoy reading this curled up on your couch sipping a cup of coffee before the Sunday scaries kick in. Maybe this will even get you excited for all the styling possibilities this week, and help you avoid…
I did in fact acquire many new goods - belts, brooches, ties, and scarves, as promised. I still have some gaps in my arsenal - I’ve always been a gold girl, but I’ve (very) slowly been adding silver to the mix. I still somehow do not have a single belt with a silver buckle, so that’s high on the shopping list. I did, however, accomplish my silver cuff goal and am now the proud owner of an Elsa Peretti bean. So, it’s not all bad.
I started writing this article with the goal of having it be a sort of follow up to last year’s. But, as I was putting together photos and running through my list of talking points and skimming over my past posts, it took on a life of its own. It ended up as a bit of an amalgamation of any and all accessory related (recent) purchases, styling and stacking, and, of course, my current hyper-fixation - my vintage beaded collar/shawl/shoulder piece. (Truly, I don’t think I have an accessory I love more.)
First, I introduce to you: the silver cuff. The Peretti bone cuff was sadly not in my budget, but after many, many hours on eBay, I found this vintage option. And I love it. A lot. It has essence of bone shape, but I snagged it for $112. It fits perfectly, which is rare, and the organic shape makes it so comfortable to wear. 10/10, no notes.
I included a lot of similar options in this post:
And if you thought you spotted the bean above, yes, you did!
Here it is! I’m still working on styling it, given the chain is 30” long and so far I’ve been knotting the chain to wear it short. I definitely need to go to the jeweler, because I tried wearing it long and did not like it. But, I am in fact liking it right at the clavicle. A choker you might say. Taking NYC jeweler recs. Also, another accessory everyone should have? A dickie. Pictured on the right - it makes the double collar look way less bulky.
And now to my current gold stack. Ana Luisa was kind enough to send me a few pieces that I’d been eyeing - specifically the Pebble gold pendant necklace and the Amara gold signet ring. Disclaimer: I may earn commission on these links and the pieces were gifted, but I hope by now you, my dear readers, know that I only post things I truly believe in and wear. I’ve bought from Ana Luisa before, and I have in fact been eyeing their signet ring for a good few weeks. Why is finding the perfect minimal onyx signet so hard? This one hit all my points - gold, relatively small, an onyx face and a little stone for just that extra level of detail.
As for the necklace? Given my current organic shape obsession, I immediately fell in love with the gold pebble. Don’t believe me? I bought the mini pebble necklace in the marble blue option over the summer for my vacation outfits - see photo below. It’s almost porcelain looking, and I love the hand painted blue and white tile look. And now the larger gold version has immediately become part of my daily rotation. Then of course I have my tried and true Mejuri stackers. My mom gifted (thank you mom!) me this diamond gold necklace probably four or five years ago, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say I never take it off. She then just gifted me this gold and diamond link necklace after I wore my original gold link version down to silver (that’s on me, I had it for a few years and I wore it with love). Also included in below’s summer stack photo. And back to the rings - my Vivienne Westwood orb ring was one of the first things I treated myself to when I got my first big girl job post grad. It remains a favorite still. And my tiny little gold ring. The first piece of fine jewelry my mom ever gave me. It was hers when I was her age, and now it’s mine. I actually never take this one off. I’ve worn it for a decade. My finger has been permanently altered. I tried to find similar options and have hit a dead end, but I really like this option on eBay.
As for brooches, I have finally acquired my first silver option. I expressed my lack of silver options in my winter looks post, and then I found this one.
After seeing that Juju Vera necklace blow up, I took notes. I didn’t want the necklace because I truly don’t see myself wearing it often, but I liked the hanging almost tassel like detail. So, ergo, my first silver brooch was inspired by the 2025 version of the owl necklace - you know the one. (sorry, I had to. I saw a meme about it and it made me laugh.) This was a good eBay find - $18. It’s Monet - after tons of scrolling, I’ve deduced vintage Monet brooches are consistently great options. Usually around $20, they somehow feel modern and timeless and organic despite their age. For example, this great option. I also love this vintage silver & obsidian brooch. (shop both via eBay)
And finally, we reach the pièce de résistance. My 90s Vegas beaded shawl. On to the promised styling section. (I’ve included some similar shopping options) Plus, a bit of backstory - I, for some reason unbeknownst even to myself, discovered my deep love for Victorian era mourning mantles (pretty much a shawl/capelet). They may have been grieving, but they still served lewks. See below for my initial inspiration:
Now, you might be thinking - these don’t seem super practical. I am inclined to agree. So, I went on a quest to find similar yet more wearable options. I stumbled upon vintage 90s Sharmark, and after much browsing, I’ve concluded they were Vegas costume pieces. Now, this particular piece has a new life in Brooklyn.
Styling time!
Look 1
An unintentionally western feeling look. The shawl itself is such a focal point and feels dressy, so I wanted to add a more casual element. Enter: flannel. This was my grandfather’s when I was young (lots of family heirlooms in this one, huh?). The jeans are vintage Levis white tab. The one vintage Levis fit that actually works on my body. I added the boots, but I still felt like something was missing. So, my beloved silver brooch stepped in. I had no idea how this look would turn out, and I really like the end results. Will be repeating.
Look 2
Don’t let typical silhouettes dictate how you wear your clothes! This is a pretty standard base for me - button down shirt under sweater with suit pants and loafers. So to spice it up - the beads, backwards. I love this. Will be figuring out more ways to wear this backward. Perhaps to dinner with a low back. Let the tassel give Old Hollywood. Sabrina Carpenter red carpet, but make it corporate.
Look 3
I wore this one to the big Vintage Show event of the season. (If anyone knows who photographed the show, please let me know. She took photos of my friend and I, and I want them.) I just posted this suit in my menswear article, and it reminded me that I need to wear it more. The suit and tank felt sad, so I put my Y Project (rip) denim underwear (lol - I bought these for a shoot) under to give a double waistband look. The beads helped bring the black from my top back on top to ground the look. And the pants are long, so heels. These are vintage Cesare Paciotti boots, but the heel is low enough that I can actually wear them all day.
Look 4
Wore this to work the day after I got my shawl in the mail. I like it because the base of the look is very workwear, but the layers and textures and mix of fancy and casual all balance each other out. This is a vintage men’s Brooks Brothers button down (it has their original tag!) and its not quite denim and its not quite cotton and its not quite chambray. So it fits very comfortably and is light enough for summer (I’m hoping. It’s new). It was a freezing day, so I have a t-shirt and sweater layered underneath.
And those are the looks. I found a few (plus a few more) similar beaded shawls for your browsing pleasure - and may I encourage your consideration. This has made my everyday looks feel so fun and exciting and special.
For the more muted fans:
And for those looking to add a bit more color…
And that wraps up my stream of consciousness regarding accessories. Thank you for coming on this journey, and if you made it to the end, I hope you were able to follow along.
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Ok immediately obsessed with the beaded shawl and will be adding to cart immediately! Also am a die hard silver girly, but trying hard to add some gold to my mix 😊
Snagged the vintage gold tassel shawl from this post and wore it to a gallery opening on the shoulders of an oversized blazer — NEVER have I received more complements!