Dear BRBs,

You had a few nice suggestions for statement necklaces last year. Would you still consider them a wardrobe staple (or let me be a little more clear, are they going out of style?). I’ve yet to make the jump to spend some money on one 

- Seeking Baubles

Dear Bauble Seeker,

both of these author’s love affairs with statement necklaces and chunky bibs continues. In fact, next to earrings they’re about the only thing I personally wear in the office and actually manage to keep on all day. As much as I love the idea of a chunky bracelet or a beautiful ring, I find that as soon as I sit down to type, they come off rather quickly.

Statement necklaces are still going strong, but you needn’t spend a fortune. There are plenty of choices (of both the chunky and a bit more dainty variety) from places such as Nordstrom, Zara, H&M, Forever 21, Banana Republic and the likes. Perennial fashion blogger favorites Bauble Bar and Modcloth are always a good source and Etsy has some nice options as well. Apart from pearl cluster bibs, this year I am seeing a lot of tribal and atztec inspired neck wear as well as petal arrangements.

Another big trend are statement collars, but in my opinion they’re not worth the money. You’d have to make sure to find one that goes perfectly (in terms of cut and color) with the necklines of one of your tops, doesn’t look cheap and doesn’t overwhelm the outfit. By the time a collar fulfills all these criteria you’re probably not in the most low-cost price range anymore and since it doesn’t go with more than one type of sweater, I’d save my money and buy a real bib.

In New York, on Lexington Ave between 52nd and 56th street there are a bunch of crammed-full, tiny little cheap jewelry stores that carry an enormous selection of bibs and statement necklaces. Beware, sometimes there are some rather obvious cheap copies – I’d stay away from those but I’ve often been able to find non-brand statement necklaces whose similar online versions were much more expensive.

If you’re still not ready for a bib like that after this post, try searching for a strand necklace with a repeating ornament and on a daring day wrap it around your neck several times, thus creating the impression of a more chunky necklace.

                                                  Hope this helps & if you have more questions, write back any time. Parker