Deirdre Carroll: Senior Editor

 
HEY, STUD POSTER
WHO: Disenfranchised youth, Sid Vicious, motorcycle enthusiasts, good girls gone bad, DIY aficionados and Ke$ha’s head, as well as Valentino’s Spring 2012 presentations for women and men, Versace’s Spring 2012 gold renditions, Libertine’s Fall 2012 ready-to-wear show, the rocker-chic aesthetics of Roberto Cavalli and Ann Demeulemeester, and current fashion darling Isabel Marant, whose studded jean jackets for Fall 2012 will no doubt be the must have item of the season. Not to mention significant appearances on All Saints Spitalfields’ leathers, Christian Louboutin shoes and Alexander Wang bags.

WHAT: Studs; the metal kind, not the male kind, are no longer solely the purview of punk rockers. The stud has gone mainstream and eyewear designers are using the metal embellishment in all manner of ways, from large and matte to sharp and shiny, to add a bit of rough and tumble trim to ophthalmic and sun styles for spring.

WEAR: (Clockwise from top left) As if the neon pink color didn’t already mean business, the Betsey Johnson Blondie (BJ0134) from Legacie adds clusters of gold and silver studs in the upper corners to ensure a full dose of badassery. The most accessible way to work studs into ones’ wardrobe is to look for styles that replace the rivets on the endpieces with full on multidimensional studs like in this Christian Dior “Les Marquises” CD3764 from Safilo… the red and purple color-blocking? Well, that’s just an über chic bonus. Not for the faint of heart, the Valentino V606S from Marchon pairs a relatively demure pearlized buff color with an aggressive row of “rock” studs all along the browline that leaves you wondering “naughty or nice?” Christopher Bailey is a god. The things he has done with Burberry Prorsum have elevated the brand from staid British label to fashion power house. Studs have made an appearance in many of his collections over the last few years and now Luxottica has caught on thanks to the Burberry B4104 sunglasses which place large flat studs on the entirety of the frames wide temples… and hello on-trend burnt orange!

WHY: Show me a girl who says she’s never been attracted to a bad boy and I will show you a liar. Both genders have long gravitated toward questionable influences, but that is the beauty of stud detailing—its unisex appeal and the fact that a little can go a long way. Allow customers to channel a little bit of their inner wild child with a selection of frames that speak to their mischievously glamorous side. Just one word of advice—avoid black and studded—it’s simply a bit too on the nose.

dcarroll@jobson.com