COZY WEDDINGS RINGS AND JEWELRY: Donna Karan

Donna Karan, Fall 2011 RTW

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is in full swing in the Big Apple this week, and the jewelry hunting has been slow-going. In all fairness, ready-to-wear collections (vs. couture shows) aren't usually jumping with jewels - the past few years of blinged out bangle-wear and statement-makers were one big exception.

Now that we're headed back toward minimal, sleek looks - the jewelry is following suit with a pretty pendant here a well-placed bracelet there - and the surprise of the season: pearls.

Donna Karan

Like Giorgio Armani did with gemstones in Paris earlier this year, Donna Karan is doing with pearls for her Fall 2011 RTW line. Namely, designing their entire collection around a jewelry style.

Style.com reports:

"Donna Karan named her Fall collection Pearls of Wisdom and recruited Erickson Beamon to design the pearl necklaces that accompanied all the looks and informed the show's all-neutral palette."

Donna Karan

This isn't just good news for Nancy Pelosi, Michelle Obama and the rest of the DC ladies who lunch. Pearl strands are the perfect complement to any ensemble, and designers are getting creative with both shapes and colors this year.

I loved this Lorraine Schwartz pearl cuff spotted on singer/dancer, Mya at the Grammy's, for example.

Lorraine Schwartz cuff on singer, Mya

And here's a unique 'twist' on a classic from JewelClub's sample sale that's a wise choice for both the fashion-forward and the budget-conscious at only $67.60 (down from $199).

While polka dots (Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg) and prairie-wear (Rodarte) were the two big clothing trends to emerge so far, I'm going to declare 2011 the "Year of the Pearl".

Marc Jacobs

Diane von Furstenberg

Rodarte

What does the jewelry-hound peanut gallery think? Am I on to something? Or is this just a limited runway interpretation of an old classic?

Huge necklaces, bawdy brooches, layered chains and big cuffs are the trends spilling out of Fashion Week’s runways this week. The hottest designers are wowing critics with their spring ready-to-wear collections, and we’re happy to bring you a round up of the week’s best so far.

Marc Jacobs hit it out of the ballpark with his zany, suffragist, early Americana collection. His show was the talk of the town, yet editors and critics were clearly at a loss for words when trying to describe it. Style.com wins our vote with “Mary Poppins goes to Dubai” or “The King and I meets The Postman Always Rings Twice”. You just have to see it to believe it. Necklaces the size of small handbags were just one of many layers to each outfit, yet his little straw hats just might be the accessory to steal the show this year.

Donna Karan continued to take inspiration from the streets, as her DKNY collection featured the layered chain trend with her must-have basics. Justin Timberlake’s new company, William Rast, followed suit as his country girl meets rock and roll line used chains and big leather cuffs with their varied interpretations of T-shirts, cut-offs and boots.

Betsy Johnson’s flouncy, bouncy dresses were accented with a bow choker (another shape that is trending this season), statement necklaces or big bangles, and the Tory Burch show took the necklace-as-art look to a new level.

The hottest after party had to be for Marc Jacobs, as the likes of Kirsten Dunst, Anne Hathaway, Winona Ryder, Sofia Coppola and Jessica Simpson all jostled for his attention – and a seat at his exclusive 60-person sit-down steak dinner at Robert De Niro’s new Greenwich Hotel in Tribeca.

To grovel or not to grovel…it’s always the question at Fashion Week. And 'grovel' is always the answer.