Professional Insider:Trend Spotting

Long is strong this season, and jewelry is needed to soften an austere look

No matter where you live, it's going to be a long, dark winter. Don't blame El Niño or greenhouse gases – it's a fashion thing.

Skirts are long, jackets have grown to the length of lab coats and the only relief from all the shades of gray verging into black is the occasional foray into brown and camel.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to help your customers leaven the severity of long dark clothing with a shot of interest from jewelry. Bold looks work well at the neckline – with such an expanse of monochromatic fabric, something has "to pull the eye up" to the face, as designer Susan Lazar told Harper's Bazaar.

Ways to Wear 'Em
The proportions and silhouettes for winter are so new that even your most fashion-forward customers may be at a loss when it comes to accessorizing. As you can see, the darker shades of pearls can't go wrong this year – they play into the tonal attitude while adding polish.

Harper's Bazaarshows blackish gray pearls with an Alberta Ferreti suit and a black beaded choker with a gray fuzzy sweater. Other smart choices to accentuate grays include the white metals in earrings, necklaces and brooches.

Bold gold pieces also look right. The long brown St. John suit featured in the Lord & Taylor ad is saved from unrelenting simplicity by the gold necklace and earrings, which indeed draw attention to the wearer's face.

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