Stand out in a crowd

That safety pin is a rockstar. Before you imagine yet another wardrobe malfunction and these “miracle fasteners” most chivalrously rising to the occasion to avert it, well it’s not about that. This is about how a bunch of them got together to become the most coveted accessory at a recent pool party. It was a punk rock-themed event. With little time and far lesser idea of how to accessorise, I just reached out for a pack of multi-coloured pins that my friend had randomly got for me from her holiday in Kerala. Pinning them together, I had myself a set of earrings and a badass-looking cuff that covered half my forearm. For those smirking... I am not the only one swearing by these. The latest fall/winter shows of Balenciaga, Celine and Sonia Rykiel too had brooches, giant earrings and chains fashioned out of safety pins.

Fashion runways this year threw up some fascinating and unconventional trends such as Baroques, massive statement pendants, tassels, single earrings... Here are my picks.

Layering: Imagine, after all those years of mocking Bappi Lahiri for wearing layers and layers of gold chains, here we are doing the same. The man is a trendsetter. Only, we do it a little differently. Let’s keep it classy with layers of pearl chains. Start with the longest, and you can safely wear five or six chains, and end it with the shortest or even a choker. There is no set formula. If you want to be edgy, you could stack a bunch of your favourite chains one after the other, or stick to a theme. Do the same with your chunky bracelets and anklets. Either way, you’ll stand out.

Bracelets over sleeves: Give the heart a rest; instead, wear your jewellery on your sleeves. This is technically our winter season. The full sleeves are out. But that doesn’t mean you can’t wear your matching armlets, bracelets, bangles and wristlets. Slip them on over fitted long sleeves. It’s a great way of accentuating a plain top. Also, this trend is lost on loose flowy sleeves. If you are travelling to colder places, yeah, it’s fine to wear those cocktail rings over gloves. Take inspiration from Chanel’s show, where Karl Lagerfeld chose to style models with two bracelets sitting rebelliously on gloves. And in case you have a wrist watch, strap that on too.

Leg chains:

The young and hip brigade on Pinterest and Instagram then introduced me to it — thigh chains and leg chains. I still can’t quite comprehend the purpose of a thigh chain, but it’s a thing. Remember Jacqueline Fernandez in the film

Roy? For a while, I did think something was falling out of her pocket. But it stayed firmly, despite her hopping and dancing around in a rather peppy number. Wear them like a garter, over jeans, leggings, stockings or just your bare legs. I’ve even seen women in bikinis wearing it to the sea... unfortunately the waves aren’t very kind to the dainty chains. There are numerous styles — wear them around your thighs, calves, shins; some even look like gladiators and come bejewelled.