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Monday, April 04, 2016

Spring 2016 craft and jewellery trends update

By: Cindy Goldrick


So this morning I made the online rounds of the craft, jewellery and fashion trend blogs/sites to see what style arbiters are saying about current trends and here's my report on what's in and what's hot. Feel free to leave your impressions, thoughts and ideas on this roundup below.

What's new/hot in crafting, generally

Before I write another word, let's get adult colouring books out of the way. I don't have much to say here. Not my thing but they are still going strong.

On to more interesting things. Technology is having a huge impact on crafting and jewellery making. 3-D printing, laser cutting and airbrushing are all being applied to crafting in interesting ways. I saw a pair of feather earrings printed using a 3-D printer that were very cool. Watch this trend!

Weaving is overtaking crochet as the go-to craft for everything from wall-hangings to scarves to table runners, and is leading the revival in crafts that seems to be spearheaded by cool, hipster types.

And speaking of the influence of Millennials leading the "handmade" movement, The Crafts Report says that nostalgia, rustic and eco-themed crafts are very hot right now. Also, activities like fermenting and preserving.

Multi-media is very hot, with projects that include decoupage, paper mache, stamping, metal, found objects and vintage items. A continuation of this is the trend to embellished "planners" that are a combination of daytimer, idea/inspiration book, colouring book and journal. A very personalized way to keep your life organized and maintain a record of your creative world.

Felting is experiencing a renaissance -- nuno scarves, felted bags and felted jewellery are tactile and fun to embellish and personalize.

What's hot in jewellery

The Pantone colours of the year, Rose Quartz and Serenity, are leading a pastel revolution in jewellery and crafts.

I saw a lot of boho chic jewellery that included: tatted or crochet cuffs sporting crocheted flowers; granny squares joined into bands for chokers; silk bandannas woven through chain; and a great deal of vintage-style filigree.

Hair jewellery, from beaded bands to tiaras, was all over the fashion runways and seems to be a necessary accessory this spring. Flowers adorned a lot of the versions I saw. Very 70s.

Midi rings (those connected rings that are worn between the knuckle and nail) or stacks of small rings sporting tiny pastel gems set in a bezel adorn the hands of runway models and Hollywood stars.

Statement earrings in teardrop shapes dusted models' shoulders, with big bold beads in bright jewel tones.

Body jewellery is so much fun. You can adorn your ankles or torso with delicate chains, and wear bracelets that extend across the top of your hand to hook onto a matching ring.

Bangles are hot, but not necessarily stacked, although that's still ok. Instead, the bangles I saw were single, heavy metal bangles sporting several large charms and a tassel. Arm cuffs are in, although I think they look best on skinny arms.

Harper's Bazaar noted the asymmetrical earring trend, which I'm not too keen on. Models on the runway were either wearing one statement earring or two different, but complementary, earrings. Reminds me of my 80s earring experiments.

The industrial look, which to me has a bit of an 80s flair to it, features hardware like big chain, buckles and rivets.

Layered, long necklaces. Don't just wear one -- two coordinating necklaces is what designers were showing on the runway -- and this complements flowing fashions.

Buttons! My favourites. Buttons (vintage and glass) are being used as closures on leather cord bracelets and necklaces. Of course, my friends and I like to make molds of them for metal clay and I also adore bead embroidering them.


What's still hot

Tassels, tassels everywhere still. They swing with the boho chic look and the 70s clothing styles we are seeing right now.

Leather cuffs, stamped and tooled, with metal accents and big buckles are very much still in style.

Pearls -- not your grandma's pearls! Big, baroque and hanging from dainty chains or woven through thick black metallic chain, pearls stay tough and feminine.

Rose gold -- not just jewellery but clutches, belts, hairbands.


Here's a list of some of the sites I consulted:
Guide Central blog
CHA (Craft and Hobby Association)
Harper's Bazaar
French Vogue
InStyle
The Crafts Report
Jo-Ann Fabric
handmade-business.com
craftgossip.com
etsy.com

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