Laid back luxe

Sparkle was never so easy with this season's Roaring '20s fur and pearls, writes DEIRDRE MCQUILLAN

Chest enhancement takes on a whole new meaning this Christmas when size and clusters matter. Pin a chunky brooch (or two) on a dress or jacket, flash a pair of dazzle earrings or chandeliers under an updo or swing fur and pearls – faux, of course – around your neck, and away you go, dressed for the night embedded in a look of luxury with the minimum of expenditure for the maximum excitement. Sparkle was never so easy.

Inspired by the Roaring ’20s – a period to be revisited next May in Baz Luhrham’s remake of The Great Gatsby – today’s fashion may not have the defiant recklessness of that decade, but there’s more affordable surface glitter. Revisiting flapper dresses, all coiled sequins, flirty fringes and flashing silver is one way to ramp up the fashion volume and to ape a period of doomed prosperity and irresponsible spending in a time of modern recession.

Studs and sequins, jet and bugle beads, once the property of a moneyed set, are now affordable everyday high street items. Fake looks like real in a virtual world. Real jewels, however, will be provided by Tiffanys for the The Great Gatsby movie including a spectacular headband with a detachable feather/ brooch made with a shower of diamonds, platinum and pearls for Daisy played by Carey Mulligan.

There’s also the current trend for collared jewelled neckpieces that fast-track instant glamour, but also an inexpensive way of jazzing up a simple black dress and making it look special. Even Marks Spencers have blinged their way into this trend for Christmas, though Irish designer Joanne Hynes has nailed the look for quite some time with her chunky, colourful and bold pieces. Even the ladylike Louise Kennedy has fashioned cuffs that make a serious style statement this season.

Studding in gold or silver on footwear (see Zara and Penneys) is another eyecatching urban trend that sharpens up black shoes and is particularly popular in Spain on everything from Louboutins to Converse trainers though even hardcore bikers might fight shy of some of the more elaborate versions. Here’s a selection of seasonal fashion luxuries from Irish designers and boutiques.

Cutout images by PRoSHOTS.ie