By Michelle Crowe
Ava Gardner nonchalantly wearing sequins and a tiara.
It’s sparkle season for the magpies among us. Sequins and paillettes are everywhere, inviting wearers to shimmy into rooms and drape themselves across pianos to croon carols. These light-reflecting accents adorn everything from polo shirts and blazers to dresses and skirts.
With Jenna Lyons back in the public eye, many are rediscovering the charm of an offbeat pairing with a flash of glimmer. Others never stopped combining sequins and denim or cashmere and feathers.
The J.Crew Lady Jacket and pants, ready to mix or match.
Insouciance is the calling card of sequin lovers. These fabulous folks wear sparkles the same way others throw on silk jersey – casually and for any occasion.
What about the shimmer shy? The restrained ultra-chic who prefers their party clothes to whisper rather than exclaim?
STAUD Ashanti dress for those who let the conversation sparkle.
These sophisticates are also in luck. Sculptural options that emphasize shape and silhouette are easy to find, rendered in the most sumptuous fabrics. Rich velvet, exquisite satin, and lovely layers of sheer silk cloak the wearer in luxury and invite friends for a closer look, almost like sharing a secret.
This Tuckernuck dress is a perfect merger of simple shape and shimmer.
Anyone reading CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life In Fashion by Sunita Nair is likely to align themselves with this style of evening wear. After all, no one did sculptural chic like CBK. Decades later her take on 90s minimalism is the standard.
The best party looks this season will meet somewhere in the middle. After all, Carolyn did love a splash of leopard print and Jenna Lyons uses pared-back pieces to balance out sequins and feathers.
STAUD Mini Ilana dress.
Top that cool column dress with a sequined blazer. Finish off Le Smoking with a pair of glittery boots. Carry a blinged-out bag. Or go best of both worlds in sleek sheath covered in sparkles.
Whether streamlined or maximalist, enjoy every opportunity to shine from now until the end of the year.
