Summer Trend: the marriage of minimalism & sparkle – doing bling with style!

I have said it on here before but I will say it again. I love a clean, minimalist look and I go crazy for the likes of 3.1 Phillip Lim, Theyskens’ Theory and my ultimate fave of the moment, Celine. As much as I drool over a simple neutral shift dress (sometimes I wonder how something so basic could make my heart flutter so much) there is something about glitter, sparkle and bling that makes me sometimes question whether my minimalist approach to things may be somewhat boring.

My conflict (let’s be serious though, this is not a huge conflict but humour me a bit!) always typically happens in the Landmark Building. Window shopping outside the Celine store has become one of my simple guilty pleasures but then I walk around the corner and am immediately fascinated by all the sparkle, the glitter and complete girliness at Miu Miu.

So, how do you make minimalism work if you have a bit of love for a loud piece of sparkle and bling? You do exactly what a minimalist would do – put on the bling but keep the rest simple darlings.

I have found that I can marry a simple look with one statement piece and still not feel like I am cheating on my self-proclaimed minimalist mentality. All you have to do is have a few shiny go-to accessories in your closet to throw on to satisfy any magpie tendencies that you may have.

Here are my current sparkle picks to marry with my simple t-shirts and shifts this summer.

1. I recently discovered Bayila Jewellery, a HK designer who sells the most AMAZING jewellery made out of Swarovski crystals, rhinestones and beads on Etsy. This is definitely a 852 designer to watch if you ask me.

2. When browsing the website of 77Diamonds to pick out the diamond earring prize they sponsored for our Sassy survey, I fell in love with their hoop section. I bought a simple pair of gold hoops a few years ago and love wearing them but I think a more sparkly pair needs to be added to my jewellery box. These Olympia earrings, which were made in honor of the London Olympics, would work just as well with jeans as it would with a beautiful black dress. The plus with this piece is that you can make it even simpler by taking out the bottom two rings and just use the top ring in your ear. 

SASSY DISCOUNT: If you like these make sure you take 77Diamonds up on their offer to give Sassy girls 5% off any diamond hoop purchase until 31 July, 2012. All you have to do is enter SASSY77 when checking out.

3. Now, this exact J. Crew glitter belt isn’t on my wish list because I already have it and I love it but I am dying to get a similar style in silver. This super skinny gold belt goes with everything and it always seems to add just that little something extra without overpowering an outfit.

PS: Did you know that J. Crew now has a concession in Lane Crawford (check out our full scoop here) and their website also now ships to HK too!

4. I just came back from Paris and it seems as if everyone was carrying the Vanessa Bruno Cabas sequin tote. Young school girls as well as sophisticated and super stylish Parisian women were all wearing it around the city. It took me a bit of time to actually figure out what brand it was they were all going crazy for but after a bit of style sleuthing it was discovered that the Vanessa Bruno Cabas tote is simply a hit with the no fuss style of the Parisians. I personally love the neutral one as the bling doesn’t seem so overpowering.

5. And finally, I must add that I have for a while been lusting after a pair of gold glitter heels from Miu Miu. No matter what your style personality I think these babies can work and I want them. I seriously want them!

So, there you have it. My quick picks on how I will be adding some instant drama to my otherwise basic look this summer. On the subject of minimalism, I can’t wait to check out COS on Queens Road – I have a feeling H&M’s more mature sister is going to be doing damage to my cheque book!