Layering’s Newest Wrinkle
Jewelry designer Jane Apor lives to layer
Fall is greeted with enthusiasm by fashion types not only because the stores and magazines are thick with fabulous new clothes, but because the arrival of cooler weather means that you get to pile them on in layers. Judging from store mannequins the logic seems to be, why wear just one blouse, when you can layer a t-shirt, tissue weight sweater, cropped jacket, a tangle of chains and a wound-up scarf underneath and over it?
This season in particular, this more-is-more look appears to have taken over the fashion agenda, as boutiques and high street chains from the new Intermix to Club Monaco are lush with pieces such as fine-gauge cotton tank tops, sheer chiffon blouses and furry vests that are specifically designed to be worn piled on top of each other: on their own, each would underwhelm, together, it becomes an artful (if potentially exhausting, not to mention expensive) symphony of juxtaposed weights and textures. Men too, it should be noted, with the resurgence of three-piece suits, the additions of Euro-style scarves and jewelry, and hats and coats in trapper-styled shearling are far from exempt. The newest edge of this layered look however is happening in accessories. Boots, bags and shoes are wrapped with contrasting skins and are themselves accessorised with rhinestones, fur and feathers. While necklaces and bracelets, taking a cue from the street style of young fashion artisans, come in different weights so that they can be worn in layers: fine chains with small charms next to the skin, bigger and chunkier on top.
Toronto jewelry designer Jane Apor, whose own line, J.Rox Originals, embraces this trend, is an early adopter. When we meet, Jane is wearing: a fine-weight, off-the-shoulder sweater over a long-sleeved t-shirt over a tank top and a pair of fitted cargo pants. Around her neck are three super-fine, Elsa Peretti ‘By-the-yard’ diamond chains and a Tiffany charm necklace, which she has topped with a bold stone lariat of her own design. On one wrist is an Hermes enamel bracelet, an evil eye chain she bought in Greece, another Elsa Peretti platinum-and-diamond chain, a Pura Vida cuff from Costa Rica, and a stack of 20 leather bracelets knotted with jewels and stones from her own line. Oh, and her handbag is tied with charms and baubles. And she has feather extensions in her blonde hair.
“Wearing one thing is boring,” says Jane. “Layering your pieces shows individuality. Anyone can wear an Hermes bracelet, but layering it with leather bracelets and a mix of other pieces I’ve picked up on my travels, I’ve curated my own wrist.”
Ah, the wonders of the “curated” look. Interesting that this is what fashion’s new emphasis on a hard-to-achieve mix has come to be called: a sensibility so refined, with cross-cultural references so complex and sophisticated, it could find a home in a personal collection at an art gallery or museum.
As someone who has to rip off any accessories I have been woman enough to wear all day the minute I walk into my front door, I feel compelled ask her if she ever finds all this layering overwhelming. “The point is to layer until you feel comfortable,” says Jane, who admits that she comes from what she calls “a layering household”. “My mother dresses like this,” laughs Jane. “And you should see the beds in my house. There are pillows in front of pillows, and duvets piled with blankets.”
Still the old-fashioned rule, as Jane reminds me, is that when you are all dressed and fully accessorised, “you should always take a good look in the mirror before heading out the door and take off one thing.”
“ I know you won’t believe me, “ adds Jane, with a glittering toss of the stack of bracelets on her wrist, and a quiver of the feather in her long blonde hair, “but I did that this morning.”