Heavy Metals: Studs, Grommets, and Spikes!

The new bling for everything from bags to boots to jackets is no longer glitzy diamonds and mountains of rhinestones.

This fall we are seeing a surge of studs, grommets, and spikes, oh my!

With a certain edge and a touch of flash, biker and punk rock inspired everything are coming out in bronze, copper, silver and gold to add sparkle, interest, and just a touch of bad to your outfit.

Whether the metal is shiny and new or slightly distressed, you can pump up the attitude with a bit of contrast.  Try the leather jacket with a sweet floral print blouse underneath, the studded belt with a soft flowy dress, or sleek dangly earrings with feather and spike embellishments.  The Naughty but Nice look is nothing short of totally foxy.

As with any look, the key to rocking heavy hardware is not to overdo it.  It’s like when you hear a great song on the radio but it’s on every station 18 times a day: overkill!  

So whether it be spiked shoulders on a sweater, grommets on the tongue of the shoes, or a studded detail on the pocket of your jeans, the name of the game is subtlety - not to put on everything you own with grommets all at once.

Keep in mind the palette too - mixing tones in the metal details is okay but can be tricky. To be on the safe side, try keeping the main colors and tones of your ensemble in the same family. 

Think about the finish, color, and visual weight of the studs and pair them with pieces that accentuate the effect instead of compete for attention. 

For instance, you can mix embellishments of different colored metals but make sure you arrive at some kind of aesthetic whole. A bunch of different colored metal bangles?  Awesome.  An array of distinctly colored grommets, spikes, and studs on your boots, jeans, shirt, and headband, ranging from matte to super shiny?  Not so much.

Last but not least: this can be totally DIY! Pick up a pack of studs from the craft store and gently hammer them into an old shirt that needs a little help. They usually come with a few sharp prongs coming off the back, so all you do is poke them through the fabric and bend them down on the other side. You can even distress them yourself with a little bit of nail polish to take the finish off.

Ta dah!  A touch of BAMF for less.

 

 

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