The European collections left many puzzled by the transition from fall’s Old World romanticism to a twist on minimalism and femininity for spring. Our early forecast suggests seeking out crest and crown accessories for a smooth changeover.

Heraldic trimmings were already in the air: Prada‘s fall campaign bag with the prominently displayed crest was deemed an “it” bag on Via Montenapoleone and across Milan during fashion week. Véronique Leroy‘s velvet loafer pumps with gold crest lettering stood out from the pack of last season’s shoes — they read both timeless and trendy. And if we travel back even further, crest and crown motifs have been on the horizon for a few years in Jade Jagger for Garrard‘s glitzy and irreverent jewelry.

The trend picked up steam at the recent Première Classe in Paris. Medieval crests and crowns turned up in several jewelry lines, instantly asserting themselves as the right accessory for coming seasons. S.O.S. fp, the gorgeous Japanese store (appearing in Première Classe this season at the organizers’ special invitation) nearly stole the show with attic-worthy medieval crests from their Sympathy of Soul collection and from Atomic Number:47, another Japanese line sold at the store. The dainty selections from the two brands evoked heirloom antiques of the highest craftsmanship. Shaun Leane — the consistently prescient English jeweler — showed a collection focused on shields, crests, and seal rings and pendants overlaid in red, tan, and black transparent resin for a bit of a pop vintage. Never missing the right trends, René Talmon l’Armée‘s simple single-crest pendants were inspired by a recent flea market find. His version resembles tombstones. Flux has been making linear and dainty trinkets for years and selling them from their storefront in the 18th arrondissement. This season, feeling the relic rage, they’ve introduced little crest pendants for the first time. Crowns also made appearances as adornments. Corpus Christi’s over-the-top selection of chunky silver jewelry had several pieces dangling with chunky crowns. Noguchi — yet another top-notch, off-the-radar Japanese jewelry line — dazzled with an understated group of fine black pavé-diamond crown rings. As soon as they get hold of these gems, starlets will make these subtle accessories a Hollywood trend.

What to make of these family tree insignias? Perhaps designers sense a desire among consumers for products that appear to have a history. Designs with a firm root in the past have an intrinsic darkness. In the case of Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga and Oktober — who placed crests on T-shirts — it’s about achieving downtown cool.
-Jason Campbell

Photos:
Prada ad a/w ’05-’06
2-3 Sympathy of Soul s/s ’06
Noguchi s/s ’06
Shaune Leane s/s ’06

Oktober s/s ’06
Balenciaga s/s ’06