the top accessory trends you need to know this spring

What are the best accessories this spring? Our correspondent Julie Chang Murphy breaks down the top trends in designer jewelry, hats, and hair jewelry for spring 2019. These are the top accessory trends you need to know this spring.

what are the best accessories this spring?

In like a lion comes spring in all its intense, ebullient, and wild abandon. This spring’s accessories are all about making a statement and taking a risk. More is more!

We’ve covered the celebration of traditional femininity and glamour in our Spring-Summer 2019 handbag and shoe roundups. And many of those motifs are echoed in jewelry and other accessories.

But in this edit, taking a cue from this often unpredictable season, we’re unveiling our favorite styles in jewelry, hair accessories and hats that will announce your entrance loudly and proudly.

It’s up to you, dear reader, if you’d like to saunter out casually like a lamb.

top trends in designer jewelry this spring

On the Spring/Summer 2019 runways, we saw designers especially inspired by the natural world and antiquity for their jewelry designs.

seashells

One particular standout was the use of seashells. Thankfully, this concept received an elevated and more sophisticated treatment than the one deployed to craft that beach souvenir you brought back from Florida in middle-school. Altuzarra, Anna Sui, Etro, Michael Kors, and Missoni all featured beachy and bohemian tokens.

We’ve scoured the web for some styles you can buy now:

Jacquie Ache channels the free-spirited vibe of sea shells with these 14kt gold arabesque hoops, two brilliant-cut diamonds and iridescent shells carved into feathers. $5,875

For a more minimalist, yet still arresting look, we love these mismatched earrings made through a collaboration with Albus Lumen and Australian jeweler, Ryan Storer. $220

Leave it to the house of Alexander McQueen to infuse shell jewelry with a Gothic rock-and-roll vibe. Featuring antique gold and silver metal mixed with pearls, white and purple crystals and shells, it’s a more edgy interpretation that totally works. $1,690

Nostalgic and instantly classic, Tohum’s 22kt gold plated puka shells instantly transported us back to carefree summers on the shore. $280

Coins and Medallions

Innately opulent, but imbued with a sense of antiquity and the power of a talisman. Designers like Paco Rabanne, Oscar de la Renta, and Tadashi Shoji doubled down on their use of coins and medallions, sending models down the runway in layers upon layers of these lucky charms.

If you’re in need of some extra mojo right now (and who isn’t?) consider these:

We can just hear the jingle-jangle of Ben Amun’s Moroccan-inspired coin bracelet on our wrists. In 24k-plated gold. $420

Marlo Luz’s 14k rose gold necklace has left nothing to chance. Diamonds? Check. 6 universal symbols of good fortune? Check. $5,865

These subtly mismatched drop earrings from Eli Halili are in fact authentic ancient coins. We love the juxtaposition of the 22k-satin gold finish with the dark and mysterious centers. $5,500

Inspired by the women of the French revolution, this 18k gold coin ring from Anissa Kermiche is inscribed with the words ‘Liberté, Egalité, Feminité. Also encrusted with 0.068 carats of brilliant-cut diamonds, it feels luxurious, but perfect for everyday wear. $740

Chunky chains

Chains are a staple in every proper lady’s jewelry collection. But what if you don’t feel like being a proper lady? This spring, designers like Off-White, Hermes, Marni, and Monse gave chain jewelry a modern update with more organic shapes and infinitely more heft. The chunkier the better! They’re bold and eye-catching and best of all, slightly subversive.

We love the molten look of this lucite and silver Alexis Bittar necklace. The “black beetle” color way shown here feels like a cool and contemporary twist on this classic piece of jewelry. $495

If you couldn’t tell by now, mismatched earrings are still having a moment. Balenciaga’s off-kilter pair are accented with an engraved logo. $550

While chain link jewelry usually has a heavy feel, Ippolita’s 18k gold oval chain necklace is interspersed with freshwater pearls, and feels positively bubbly and effervescent. It’s the perfect base to pile more on. $14,500

Tomas Maier’s chunky link bracelet has an industrial and gritty look, which we think is a great counterpoint to the hyper-feminine styles this spring. A piece like this would keep your outfit from veering too far into juvenile territory. With gold and silver tones in a variety of finishes, this aluminum and lucite bracelet is an ideal neutral accessory. $630

top trends in hair accessories and hats this spring 

When it comes to hair accessories and hats, we want effortless glamour no matter what time of year it is. This spring, face-framing and hair-taming accessories seem to have been greatly inspired by a feeling of bohemian and gypsy wanderlust.

Designers like Etro, Missoni, and Anna Sui featured stunning prints and patterns on turbans and turban tied scarves. Likewise, Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, and JW Anderson also sent models down the runway with scarves – both loosely and tightly wrapped around their visages – down the runway.

Not to worry if you don’t know how to knot a scarf around your bouffant. We said it was effortless, remember? Here are some ready-made pieces available now:

scarves and turbans

Thinking of channeling your inner Alicia Keys-hosting-the-Grammy-Awards? Eugenia Kim’s satin head scarf with an elegant painterly floral print is sophisticated, dramatic and yet somehow, laid back. $195

Another Eugenia Kim style that might be more approachable, depending on your sartorial risk-taking threshold, is the MALIA: a satin turban-inspired headband. Put your hair in a high bun and you’re done. $145

headbands

Jennifer Behr’s voluminous silk faille headband features triple-twisted rosettes that mimic the look of an expertly tied scarf. So romantic and chic! $325

Easy and breezy is great and all, but sometimes a little bling (or a lot!) has its place. Consider this Lele Sadoughi Czech crystal dotted headband with a top knot as your crowning glory for those times you want to shine. $170

hats

Last summer, the Jacquemus exaggerated La Bomba Hat won out-sized attention on Instagram for months, as it provided the perfect frame for many celebrity selfies. The popularity of monumental chapeaus continues this season. And we can see why. The high drama of a super-sized hat also offers sun protection and anonymity. This season, Michael Kors and Georgio Armani used this style as a vehicle for prints. Valentino covered their version with a flotilla of feathers, and Chanel experimented with frayed edges.

For a traditional straw hat, this Lola version is the largest brim we could find, at 15.5” inches. Maybe it’s blazing hot, or maybe you just don’t like people today. Either way, this hat has you covered and then some. $525

We can always count on Missoni for compelling color schemes. Here, the floppy straw hat gets the Missoni signature treatment with dyed straw to mimic the house’s crochet knit. $470

Another beauty from Eugenia Kim, this hat is reminiscent of many a film heroine. We love the inclusion of the scarf, shown here in an ethereal sea green, for added visual interest and for practicality. Those blustering spring winds have carried away too many of my hats! $435

we can’t wait for spring!

We’ve got 36 more days until spring. But who’s counting? Let us know which accessories you’re most excited about!

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Crediting her training as a cultural anthropologist at Wellesley College, Julie has immersed herself in various industries in the last 15 years including fashion design, event planning, fitness and even investigating police misconduct. Julie lives in NYC where she loves trying every ramen and dumpling restaurant with her husband and three children. She finds joy in bold prints, biographies of fierce women, kickboxing and spending way too long finding the perfect polish color to express her mood.

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