This spring, you are most likely seeing accessories with a particularly playful look. Luxury items especially have taken a toy-like turn, featuring food, cartoons, animals and funny objects with a boldness that recalls surreal art. As the current season’s ‘base’ aesthetic becomes more streamlined, such accessories add a zany, cheerful contrast.
In the 1930s, Elsa Schiaparelli, collaborating with artists such as Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dalí, created the archetype of the playful, eccentric woman who would wear, for example, an evening dress with the image of an enormous lobster or a hat that looked like a shoe. This season, Moschino includes references to commercial icons like McDonald’s, Barbie and SpongeBob. The Florence-made label Les Petits Joueurs produces exclusive bags inspired by Lego toys.
The prevailing colors for these accessories are bright, bold and vibrant, and there is only one rule: have fun! Carry a clutch in the shape of a potato chip bag, lips or a cat. Slip your feet into pumps of eye-popping color or pasta prints, sneakers with candy bees, or ballerina flats with winking eyes. Drape yourself with big, sparkly necklaces. Find your own cheeky way to play with style.
