My latest: Statement Watches
The Inside Source
It’s Time to Make a Statement
By Amy Flurry It’s not that we’ve abandoned fashion watches, but truthfully, when was the last time you looked to one for the time? Though they may seem like relics—at least from a utilitarian perspective—trendy watches are making a bold comeback as the season’s statement fashion accessory.
“The trend for statement watches is coming from two places—first, we’ve really become quite skilled at layering the wrist bling over the last year thanks to street style blogs and, of course, the J. Crew catalogue,” said Jen Ford, fashion news director at Lucky magazine, referring to the now-ubiquitous look combining trendy watches and multiple bracelets, often worn on top of the sleeve of a sweater or shirt. “A statement watch is kind of natural extension of bold jewelry.”
Betsey Johnson and Marc by Marc Jacobs are both producing chunky and playful plastic watches to accompany their other bold accessories. Even First Lady Michelle Obama sports a bright purple neon ToyWatch, a gift from her husband, which reportedly sold out online the first time Michelle Obama wore the statment watch.
First Lady Michelle Obama, wearing a purple ToyWatch, arriving at the Eiffel Tower with her daughters. (Photo by MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images)
But the accessory trend we’re loving most is the “boyfriend watch,” which has been receiving heavy rotation on famous wrists from Rachel Zoe to Ashley Olsen, Kim Kardashian, Nicole Kidman, Kristin Cavallari and Olivia Palermo. A chronograph boyfriend watch style by Michael Kors in rose gold has sold out at many retailers, and a tortoise shell style is also a big seller. (On eBay, online sales for "Michael Kors watch" in the Jewelry and Watches category are up 51 percent in a recent 30-day period, 12/20-1/18, compared to six months prior.) Boyfriend watches by Michele and Chanel are popular too, as is the classic men's Rolex, worn by a woman. “Buying a classic men’s watch, if you’re a woman, taps into that idea of heritage, the want for things that are handcrafted,” said Ford. “You’re investing in something for yourself like you would, say, a pair of diamond earrings.”
Celebrities wearing statement watches: Nicole Kidman (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images); Model Naomi Campbell and Rachel Zoe (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/FFR/Getty Images for FFR); Kim Kardashian(Photo by Dr. Billy Ingram/Contributor)
For a night on the town, Lucky magazine News Editor Jen Ford suggests playing it up by layering a trendy watch with a pile of metal bracelets. “Or for more minimal take, keep the outfit simple and let an oversized watch be your only piece of ‘jewelry’."