A fashion show in a snow globe… On paper, the premise conjures up a wondrous and charming scene. The pang of nostalgic delight is almost Pavlovian, evoking the holidays, Mary Poppins, childhood, music-box melodies, and all that. But the glassed-in spectacle Demna gave us at Balenciaga? It clutched at the heart, terrifyingly, with a viselike grip.
The models pushed against a whirling vortex of fake snow, struggling into the wind. Some wore nothing more than shorts and a towel; others carried leather totes patterned after trash bags. Most were just blurry silhouettes. The effect was unsettling, tense. We’ll cut to the chase: Russia had just invaded Ukraine. You couldn’t help but connect the proverbial dots.
Fashions, trends, suits, and sequins versus broken families and fleeing refugees—how do you reconcile the two? That was the question that hung over the fall 2022 collections. In the initial days, the industry response—or nonresponse—was jarring. At Prada, a handful of protesters holding the Ukrainian flag stood outside the venue—outnumbered by the usual gawkers and street-style hordes. Social feeds were a schizophrenic mix of agony and adulation. Giorgio Armani was the first major designer to acknowledge the dissonance and held his show in silence—three days after the attacks began.
In Paris, runways planned months in advance were suddenly cast in a new light. Take the armorlike motifs at Balmain. Or Nicolas Ghesquière talking about freedom in a Louis Vuitton collection inspired by adolescence. Or that Balenciaga show in a snow globe, which was initially a musing on climate change. Demna, who had escaped his native Georgia when Russia invaded in the early ’90s, said he considered calling everything off. “But then I realized that canceling,” he wrote in the show notes, “would mean giving in, surrendering to the evil that has already hurt me so much for almost 30 years.” Instead, he dedicated the event to fearlessness, resistance, love, and peace.
I thought back to a note left on the chairs at Proenza Schouler in New York City, weeks before the world was upended. It included a short story by Ottessa Moshfegh, and one line stood out now: “How do we find beauty in the chaos and use it as a creative starting point to build the future?” She titled the piece “Where Will We Go Next?”
A Fine Line
It was a strangely quiet show season, even before the shadow of war loomed large. Don’t forget that, a month before its start, the omicron variant of the coronavirus was toppling expectations of a full-speed-ahead return to life. The riotous good time would just have to wait a little longer. That’s not to say less-is-more translates to less allure. In fact, one of the most refreshing trends to appear was a turn toward elegant restraint, the equivalent of a whisper that stirs the senses more than a shout.
Consider the thin, elongated earrings at Sportmax and Roksanda, or the gently suspended pearl drops seen at Erdem. Even showmen Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana leaned into the graceful, linear motif with a simple baguette-and-pearl necklace—paired with a sheer gown with linebacker shoulders, no less. Ditto Christian Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, who had a single strand of pearls hanging from a slim choker, and Delfina Delettrez’s superfine designs at Fendi (F-shape ear climbers, negligee necklaces) that underscored the collection’s airy, delicate vibe (gossamer dresses, lingerie details). Our favorite? The preview we caught of the upcoming Sacai and Cartier collaboration: Designer Chitose Abe deconstructed the latter’s Trinity series into a minimalist study of curves, contours, and lines.
Triple Pearl Scarpa earrings with diamonds in recycled 14k yellow gold; $565 each (sold as single); White/Space; info@whitespacejewelry.com; whitespacejewelry.com
Two in One Contrariè ring in 18k responsibly sourced gold with diamonds; €2,000 ($2,209); Delfina Delettrez; info@delfinadelettrez.com; delfinadelettrez.com
Privé one-of-a-kind akoya pearl and black inverted full-cut diamond earrings; $12,900; Mizuki; hello@mizukijewels.com; mizukijewels.com
Rhyme Major earrings with 8 mm white South Sea pearls and diamonds in 18k gold; $7,800; State Property; team@thisisstateproperty.com; thisisstateproperty.com
Square Leaf necklace with South Sea and akoya pearls in 18k yellow gold; price on request; M/G Tasaki; info@melaniegeorgacopoulos.com; melaniegeorgacopoulos.com
Metal Power
Less-is-more marked another of fall 2022’s major motifs: sleek and streamlined metal. It was the defining trend of the season, seen throughout the show circuit in New York, London, Milan, and Paris.
Surprisingly—and happily—for such a reductive trend, we got a fantastic range of looks: from futuristic (massive angular cuffs at Rick Owens) to spare (Jil Sander’s hoops and disk earrings; the armbands at Koché) to artful (Stella McCartney’s open-collar necklaces in a collection inspired by Frank Stella) to downright glamorous (Lanvin’s pendulous gold drop earrings).
The trend played off the clean, architectural lines sent out on runway after runway, including the major tailoring moment. Plus, all the focus on hard, sculptural metals offered a chic counterpoint to the swaddling, earthy knits and padded and puffy volumes.
Prefer the maximalist route to minimalism? You can pile on the pieces like the models at Saint Laurent—styled in body-skimming dresses, great leather jackets, and cocooning coats, they channeled a sci-fi Nancy Cunard and stacked the cool cuffs high.
Italian-made sterling silver Cleopatra necklace; $370; Royal Chain; 800-622-0960; royalchain.com
Wave bands in 18k yellow gold; $1,200–$3,300; Marlo Laz; sales@marlolaz.com; marlolaz.com
Una ring in 18k gold and silver; $1,820; Kloto; info@kloto.com.tr; kloto.com
Arc earring in 14k gold–plated bronze; $144; Lady Grey; lauren@megamegaprojects.com; ladygreyjewelry.com
Bast cuff in brass, $550, in sterling silver, $1,395; Ariana Boussard-Reifel; ariana@arianaboussardreifel.com; arianaboussardreifel.com (photo: Genevieve Hansen)
Nature Escape
When it comes to florals, let’s eliminate the seasonal stereotypes. Because they’ve become a year-round affair and, for fall, a much-needed shot of cheer to shake up the cold-weather outlook—with jewelry following suit. There they were at Ulla Johnson’s bohemian outing—a beautiful cocktail of blooms dangling from the ears—and at Carolina Herrera and Brandon Maxwell, which featured stunning sculpted versions in gold and silver, the latter wrapped corsage-style around the wrist. Fausto Puglisi at Roberto Cavalli added an element of tough-chic with chain-link details and Miu Miu’s Miuccia Prada, a playful teen spirit with flowers and pills on candy-colored necklaces.
But the nature beat didn’t stop there. We saw plenty of animal themes, from LaQuan Smith’s hefty feline pendant to Bora Aksu’s dragonfly and bee brooches. What felt particularly new, however, were the marine motifs, including the lovely charm necklaces, dangling with seashells, at Altuzarra and the statement conch pendants at Connor Ives. Dries Van Noten, meanwhile, had us swooning: His brilliant mashup of florals and animal prints, including trompe l’oeil “snakeskin” made from leather sequins, came accessorized with breathtaking necklaces of crystals, seashells, and agate, and exquisitely embroidered butterfly chokers.
Venym brooch with tsavorite, yellow sapphires, and ruby eyes in 18k yellow gold; £14,500 ($19,113); Theo Fennell; 44-207-591-5003; theofennell.com
Fish earrings with enamel, amethysts, garnets, peridot, citrine, blue topaz, pearls, and micro-pearls in vermeil; €1,800 ($1,978); Percossi Papi; 39-066-880-1466; percossipapi.com
Sedna ring in 18k pink gold with opal, amethysts, and green sapphires; price on request; Daniela Villegas; sharifa@danielavillegas.com; IG: @danielavillegasjewelry
Buriti Botanica earrings in 18k yellow gold with diamonds and removable backplate; $4,830; Carol Kauffmann Jewellery; nina@theagencyconnect.com; carolkauffmann.com
Shell brooch in black and white enamel and 18k yellow gold; $18,500; David Webb; 212-421-3030; davidwebb.com
Ladies Who Lunch
While designers may have toned down the demonstrative grandeur and glitz—Moschino’s literal chandelier earrings notwithstanding—the shows still delivered an estate sale’s worth of tony, old-school jewelry. Think cameos, rhinestone dazzlers, pearls, and colored gemstones galore. We’re talking about Andrew Gn, Naeem Khan, Oscar de la Renta, Prabal Gurung, Simone Rocha…the list goes on. Chanel, meanwhile, doubled down on the ladies-who-lunch concept with gold statement cuffs with bits of nubby tweeds and its iconic quilted bag shrunken into tiny pendant charms. The mood was less outrageous and over-the-top than we’ve seen before and more, well, directly polished and pulled together.
But a funny thing happened the more you dug into the collections. That sophisticated vibe? You realized designers were having fun with the Upper East Side POV in a deliciously postmodern way too. Those demure pearl drop earrings at Tory Burch—they’re actually papier-mâché. And weren’t those pearl rings and charmed necklaces at Versace, in plumped-up proportions, almost cartoonlike? It was akin to discovering the marvelous lace gowns at Mame Kurogouchi were made from shoelaces—or, to use another jewelry example, seeing Givenchy’s Matthew Williams serve up the iconic Breakfast at Tiffany’s pearls in matte black. “Nothing is too precious,” he explained.
Multi-charm Balance Drop earrings in ethically sourced 18k vermeil with cameo, chrysoprase, phosphosiderite, and more; £1,560 ($2,056); Grainne Morton; grainne@grainnemorton.co.uk; grainnemorton.co.uk
Emily’s Garden Collet necklace in 14k gold with multicolored tourmaline; $12,000; Larkspur & Hawk; wholesale@larkspurandhawk.com; larkspurandhawk.com
Kyoto collection ring in 18k yellow gold with diamonds, pink sapphires, and Japanese pearls; $5,900; Moksh; info@mokshjewellery.com; mokshjewellery.com
Fragrant Concubine ring in 18k gold with diamonds, sapphires, apatites, aquamarines, cavansite, and enamel; price on request; Lydia Courteille; lauren@megamegaprojects.com; lydiacourteille.com
Platinum antique Decadence earrings with old mine–cut diamonds; price on request; Thelma West; tw@thelmawest.com; thelmawest.com
Abstract Arp
Fashion loves a good contrast—high/low, feminine/masculine, cool/classic. Which is what makes this next trend so compelling. It’s part of the minimalist metal motif a few pages back, but not quite. It skews to nature, but not literally. It’s both hard and soft, shapeless but sculptural. The style encompasses that nebulous abstract aesthetic better known as biomorphic. Trust us when we say it’s a lot sexier than it sounds.
There’s an intimate warmth to these pieces; you can see the artisan’s hand in them and, at times, the contours of the body mirrored in its curves and valleys. Take, for example, the Jean Arp–esque shapes at Tanya Taylor (those multi-drop earrings), Loewe (the amorphous gold cuff), and Proenza Schouler (the molded brooches). Or the curvilinear forms capping the ends of an open-collar necklace at Yuhan Wang. Or the bulbous earrings and textured cuffs at Colville, fossilized with tiny resin and turquoise stones.
Equal parts strength and femininity, the look is elemental and spontaneous. Like we mentioned: pure seduction.
Bold Wavy Bangle Stoned in 18k yellow gold with diamonds; $50,850; Akaila Reid; lauren@megamegaprojects.com; akailareid.com
White topaz ring in 14k gold–plated brass; $265; Bounkit; 212-244-1877; bounkit.com
Twisted Gold Folded Ribbon earring in 14k gold–plated brass; $175; Alexis Bittar; 888-807-7780; alexisbittar.com
Recycled platinum and graduated sapphire Curved Forms ring; price on request; Liv Luttrell; enquiries@livluttrell.com; livluttrell.com
Final Collection 18k yellow gold necklace with turquoise, blue Montana sapphires, and diamonds; $110,000; Pamela Huizenga; 772-871-0033; pamelahuizenga.com