Fall Fashion: Golden trees, golden accessories

Fall fashion means a dulling down of the color pattern, from bright to rich. And what goes better with rich color but shining gold? Gold is the perfect accessory for the warm, rich colors of autumn – your greens, browns, purples and greys. And what says understated elegance more than a golden bracelet?

Our top autumn accessory picks are here: The Charlene K collection and Leighelena’s charming bracelets.

Charlene K: Natural Stones

This collection pairs gold and natural stones. The braceletsand necklaces are textured, with fat, unpolished pieces of stones – crystal quartzes, emerald agates, and purple druzy stones. These pieces will really add to any outfit and you’ll be sure to get comments. Each piece is original and let me just say – that purple druzy stone, it’s like staring into the milky way those rose-colored glasses.

Leighelena: Leather & Gold

These bracelets are exotic. And not exotic like salad at McDonalds, either. Artist and creator Leigh Elena Navarros’s pieces are made of dangerous animal skins: stingray, anaconda, python, lizard, carp and crocodile. They really have some bite! Her trademark design is a thick cuff with a chunky golden lock. This simple design is perfect – it lets the materials talk for themselves. These too, are pieces that will get you noticed. 

Celebrities in Pan Am Bag

If you were Jackie Onassis and it was 1968 (you’re not? It isn’t?) and you were preparing for a transatlantic

flight for a long weekend in Paris, what carry-on bag would you choose? That’s easy – your Pam Am.

Pan Am Airlines was world-renowned for its luxurious service and picture-perfect stewardesses. Leather bucket seats, spacious smoking lounges, and delicious in-flight meals were all for the customer and the customer was select. And the Pan Am bag? It was given only to its passengers and later, only those who knew to ask. This bag became a symbol, an icon of style and class. Today, the icon continues, courting the current wave of retro-chic that’s flooding the airwaves and couture racks.

The blue leather (or pleather for the earth-conscious among us) bags are stamped with the Pan Am emblem in popping white with complimenting white piping. In the doctor’s house-call bag style, they’re great for travel (plenty of room) or a lunching. The signature emblem also grazes a variety of other accessories: a round wash bag, a vintage-style shoulder bag, canvas wallets and totes, messenger bags and weekend trollies.

The influx of Pan Am stamped gear came with 2011’s ABC’s drama titled by the same name. The show, though cancelled after just one season, was praised for its fashion know-how. Do you remember it? Christina Ricci in a go-go dress? Kelli Garner’s perfectly rolled curls? Oh! And all the gloved fingers. The Pan Am girls screamed class – in some episodes, the shoes, bags and gloves even matched. Get the bag – it’s the best try to emulate this vintage perfection. 

Video Music Awards 2013: Worst Dressed

While Miley Cyrus’s nude-bikini clad butt grazed foam fingers, thrusted at audience members and twerked

Robin Thicke, it was Lady Gaga’s bare bottom that really got my attention. This year’s VMA’s certainly had their fill of bad outfits, but it was the lack of dress that caused the biggest buzz.

Miley’s performance, which is still grabbing views on social media threads and headlines on gossip blogs more than a week later, started innocent enough (at least for the seen-it-all VMA audience). She stepped onto the stage out of a giant teddy bear (who either ate her or birthed her?) wearing a fuzzy, teddy bear printed leotard. Her tongue kept popping out, giving her a reptilian-like quality.  After a few kicks, in the air and crotch grabs, she stripped to a nude bikini and began her favoritest of dance moves – twerking – all while make lewd suggestions with a giant foam finger. By the time she had bent over in front of Robin Thicke, we’d forgotten the sexy apparel. The bikini turned from skimpy to downright trashy.

Miley’s crass performance was a large enough shame-cloud to even overshadow Gaga’s giant spotlight. The Lady took the stage in a head-to-toe white, with a sharply edged square nun-habit. That was weird, but after donning a dress of bacon, Gaga can do little to surprise. This was quickly removed as men in skin tight black suits danced around her. Flashback to Madonna with a blue sequined, shoulder-padded jacket and a white retro wig. Then for the fourth fashion changes in two minutes – a blonde wig and back in the black, sparkling unitard. 

Finally Gaga goes natural as the song nears climax. She’s hidden from view for the fifth time and emerges with her own hair, in a sea-shell bikini, the bottom is a thong. Her bare butt cheeks twirl in front of the audience and the Will Smith family stares shocked.