Are your jewellery purchases harming your health? Rescu. investigates.
If you’ve always been one to indulge in cheap pieces of jewellery, now might be a good time to reassess the habit.
A group of scientists has done tests on jewellery from most of the major cheap retailers, including Target and H&M, and found that their pieces contained high levels of cadmium, lead, mercury and even arsenic.
(Many of these metals will only do significant damage if you eat them, but they still aren’t great to have hanging around your neck.)
This is a major blow to retailers who’ve tried to market their cheaper lines as a viable alternative to high-end purchases.
So how do you keep buying jewellery within your budget without endangering your health?
Be careful of vintage jewellery, for a start – it often contains high levels of lead – but vintage can also be a gold mine of cheaper options provided you know the materials and they’re from a trusted seller.
Stainless steel jewellery is also a good option if you want a silver look without the price tag. It’s also easy to clean and a favourite material for more directional, minimalist pieces.
Also look into glass. Glass beading has been one of the major sellers in bracelets in recent years, often affixed to silver or steel parts. It’s easy to clean and pieces like Murano glass have serious costume jewellery cache.
Treated leather is also a cheaper route. The other option, of course, is to stave yourself off the fake-jewellery habit and invest in real pieces, but this can be out of the reach of budgets.
Buy wisely, avoid market stalls and the cheap-jewellery aisles, and always ask the retailer for materials. If they can’t answer, don’t buy. Simple as that.
Image: Scientists with jewellery in toxin tests.
Vogue Italia editor Franco Sozzani is in hot water yet again.
The magazine has had troubled PR relations for years, with PR scandal after PR scandal – but Sozzani’s latest comments reveal they don’t pay attention to the criticism.
Vogue Italia’s controversial latest cover story, Haute Mess, featured an international cast of models wearing couture in ways that parodied ‘hot messes’ – over-lined lips, outrageous hair, two-inch nails and so on.
The problem? Commentators quickly noticed that the images were directly inspired by trends in African-American, Latina and low-income communities. Some of the looks are directly pulled from sites making fun of the trends: one shot of Abbey-Lee Kershaw with a Skittles label in her hair is virtually shot-for-shot the same.
So is it a play on high-low culture, or an insensitive move? Sozzani certainly stands behind the move – and told an interviewer that people who criticised the magazine are “sick” and “need help”.
Vogue Italia’s previous scandals have also had racist overtones, with the most notable being the ‘slave earrings’ description they had to pull from their online edition last year.
So what do you think – clever and witty, or dangerously insensitive?
Image: Haute Mess from Vogue Italia.
They’ve transformed from an out-there sci-fi accessory to one of the must-haves of the season.
So how can you wear an ear cuff without looking as if you’re trying to be 16 years old with 8 new ear piercings?
Thanks to the endorsement of Vogue and some serious high-fashion treatment, the ear cuffs on the market – and you only ever wear one at a time – are bejewelled, fantastical pieces to put in a whimsical wardrobe.
The key is not to indulge in something which you’d otherwise not wear. Always pick a cuff which fits into your overall design aesthetic. If you’re one for statements, make it big and opulent, with fringes of gold and dangling segments. Allow it plenty of space to shine by pulling back hair and using slick make-up.
A single moulded piece of gold or silver over the ear, perhaps with a few studs, is the key piece for the minimalist with flair. If you want it to be subtle, let your hair cover it – observers will have an ‘Is she or isn’t she?’ moment.
This is one of those elements which is just transforming from bizarre to high-fashion, so catch it at its edgiest point before it becomes the go-to accessory for everybody on your block. Enjoy being avant-garde.
It tends to help if you have a long-neglected second piercing on the upper lip of your ear to help secure the cuff, but a well-fitted cuff will overcome the issue.
Beware poor materials, too. If it leaves a stain on the skin, it’s not worth the money.
Image: Ear cuff from ASOS.com.
Rescu. brought you one of the key trends of the season – sequined or decorated collars – and now we have a tutorial for you. Here are your step-by-step tips to affixing a fake sequin collar to a T-shirt, instantly updating your look.
Faux sequin collars are an easy way to avoid buying an entire new shirt or decorating it yourself. Fish out a plain T-shirt from your wardrobe, preferably with a small round neck which will lend itself easily to the fake collar look. No boatnecks or deep Vs.
Visit your local fabric store for a small amount of contrasting-colour fabric. Pale camel collars on black T-shirts are very in, as are blue or green with white. Make sure the collar pops. Get a material which is easy to sew and will hold sequins. Cottons are very good, as are softer non-stretch materials. No velvet or lace unless you’re a master sewer.
Also pick up a range of sequins, sew-in jewels and other charms and bobs. No need to go mad – a scattered look is acceptable and chic. Make stencils of the collar on the T-shirt using baking paper.
Go all the way around the collar, including the back, for a more authentic look. Then transfer the stencils to your material, cut out, and begin to sew on the sequins in your desired pattern. Some go for an outline look, putting pearls or fake diamonds all around the edges of collars, while others prefer to scatter them randomly or put them in lines. Go with your own aesthetic.
Once the sequins are fully secured, sew the collar onto the T-shirt, using neat stitching or a sewing machine. Visible stitching isn’t a problem here – it will just add to the charm.
And voila – a home made sequined collar. Consider lining the inside of the collar if you think the sewing might irritate your skin.
Image: Sequined collar t-shirts.
