It seems like no other colour at the moment captures the zeitgeist quite like Jade. From the milkiest of mossy greens to the richest of deep emeralds Jade has taken over our collective imaginations and, she's not likely to let go any time soon. She's a soft angora sweater from acne, she's an heirloom bracelet from your grandmother, she's the most covetous nail polish colour of the moment...
I didn't need much convincing to fall in love with Jade, mostly because I'm part Chinese. We have jade adoration in our blood, from the very first time you get a Jade amulet slipped round your neck at birth. And though that might seem worlds away from a hip young thing DJ-ing with Chanel's jade nailpolish on her fingers, a mere whiff of the colour is enough to turn me green with envy, if you'll pardon the terrible pun.
Why jade, and why now? Isn't it a little insensitive to use the colour green so much, typically signifying jealousy, when we are in a time of economic recession? Don't read so much into it, the fashion world is sighing as they go jade-crazy. Sometimes a spade is only ever a spade (or jade is only ever jade? har har). Karl Lagerfeld acknowledged after the Chanel FW 09 show that green is first and foremost, before Shakespeare came along and changed it all, the colour of peace. And peace is always a nice message to have, isn't it? Specifically jade green holds a powerful position in China where it is worn by men and women, young and old, because of its healing and restorative powers. Different jade amulets will serve different purposes, but the ultimate power of jade lies in its ability to calm down its wearer. I can attest to this. The jade bracelet that I have worn (on and off, my catholic girl's school had strict uniform policies) for the past 5 years is wonderfully cool against the skin, even in summer heat, even in the sticky humidity of hong kong.
Its milky consistency, that pastel green veering so close to cloudy white in some parts, is so arrestingly beautiful, like a garden just after it's rained. It's steadfastly organic, so often nowadays we sacrifice good quality materials for the cheap because of price and end up with synthetic metal jewelry. It's refreshingly old-school, a family heirloom given to me as a coming of age present by my grandmother I can be assured of its individuality - and even if it wasn't individual and a thousand other bracelets like it existed on girls just like me in china, it's never going to be 'just another bracelet' because of the memories it carries. And it is bang on trend. After flicking through the October magazines and their 'ode to Jade' I went straight home, dug it out of my jewelry box and slipped it back onto my arm.
In the fantastic article by Robert Sullivan in October's Vogue US he quotes Roberto Marroni, a jade jeweller in saying 'Jade is a kind of very noble stone, very imperial - and it works very well with a strong woman.' He's not kidding. The girls best able to work the Jade trend are those who wear it with a knowing smile and a glint in their eyes. They are the girls who aren't delicate little creatures but strong and steely women with a story to tell and a purpose to fulfill. She's Kate Moss, the only woman alive who can pull off a skintight satin jumpsuit literally dripping in Chanel Jade Jewelry mere hours after it appeared on the runway (and no, I'm not jealous at all). She's Alexa Chung, her nails a cool jade green, spinning disks at a fashion week party and downing bourbon and apple juice by the bottle. She's Emily Didato, in a cut out frock and super high heels flashing a smile that could charm a crocodile. She's the girl that we see, and then run out to the high street scouring for clothes to emulate her. Not that I would know from personal experience or anything...
grazia uk, tfs, celebcity
Chanel's Fall/Winter 09 collection featuring skillful interpretation of the house's great classics - the skirt suit in boucle, the tweed, the shift dresses and flirty french silhouettes - was punctured here and there by glorious shots of Jade green. Sometimes it was an all out outfit, like Jessica Stam's glorious melange of jade green bustier, silky pants, scarf and hat, or sometimes it was the merest whisper of the colour in a jauntily placed hat or swinging pendant. And all of the model's nails were painted that stunning jade green, a colour oft imitated now, and in stores on limimted release. In Sydney it was available only at the Myer department store where there was a waiting list (yes, a waiting list, you read that right). Surely this is the first time a nail polish colour has causes this much frenzy?
The collection itself was a marvel in restraint. Chanel is what Chanel is, no-one expects Lagerfeld to send out futuristic designs or crazed embellishing, but in the realms of theatrical clothes and staying true to the legacy of a fashion house no other designer comes close. Although Chanel was notoriously averse to colour you could almost picture her lounging on the Lido in Venice in one of these creations, perhaps the pleated silk pants paired with a striped breton top. Save the Jade extravaganza for a Sofia Coppola heroine with creamy skin and tumbling yellow locks - all that green would simply enhance her youth, not detract from it, no matter the matronly cut or fabric. Let her cavort around Versailles or through a karaoke club in Tokyo in Jade.
style.com
But jade isn't always about a full on approach. Most of the time, just like a signature scent or love at first sight, all you need is a touch. Taking cues from ancient gallic wisdom - less is more, an even less is sexy - jade, as directed by Lagerfeld at Chanel, became the accent to an outfit, that little kick of a heel at the end of a kiss, the last slick of lipstick before you head out the door, the way a girl taps her cigarettes on the lid of the packet before she slips them into her mouth. Conjuring up a decadent art-deco world where the women loved jade because it reminded them of opium, the jewelry at Chanel f/w 09 was incredibly beautiful. Circular motifs of jade and diamantes, lacquered cuffs with built up squares of jade and resin, interlocking circular pendants and even a wide jade insert into the heel of a perfect satin shoe - these accessories were glorious in their artistry, historical resonance and overwhelming simplicity. Piled on like Moss or worn as a standalone piece they make a bold statement to all who are watching. Envy me. Perhaps it all that history, but whenever I wear Jade i do feel a little bit regal. A princess, but not one who lives in a gilded cage, one who rules her country with a firm but loving (jade bedecked) hand, noblesse oblige.
style.com
One of my best friends flashed her nails at me recently and they were adorned with jade green polish. With her vibrant red hair and her killer fashion sense she looked every bit as jade-y as any bright young thing on the social circuit. Her look was practically screaming out for a street style photographer to snap away. As I head into the city in search of August's vogue paris (late air freighting is a pet peeve of mine) my advice is this - wear it sparingly and wear it well. Jade is a colour for cool, calm and collected queens. Let that woman be you!
X
I didn't need much convincing to fall in love with Jade, mostly because I'm part Chinese. We have jade adoration in our blood, from the very first time you get a Jade amulet slipped round your neck at birth. And though that might seem worlds away from a hip young thing DJ-ing with Chanel's jade nailpolish on her fingers, a mere whiff of the colour is enough to turn me green with envy, if you'll pardon the terrible pun.
Why jade, and why now? Isn't it a little insensitive to use the colour green so much, typically signifying jealousy, when we are in a time of economic recession? Don't read so much into it, the fashion world is sighing as they go jade-crazy. Sometimes a spade is only ever a spade (or jade is only ever jade? har har). Karl Lagerfeld acknowledged after the Chanel FW 09 show that green is first and foremost, before Shakespeare came along and changed it all, the colour of peace. And peace is always a nice message to have, isn't it? Specifically jade green holds a powerful position in China where it is worn by men and women, young and old, because of its healing and restorative powers. Different jade amulets will serve different purposes, but the ultimate power of jade lies in its ability to calm down its wearer. I can attest to this. The jade bracelet that I have worn (on and off, my catholic girl's school had strict uniform policies) for the past 5 years is wonderfully cool against the skin, even in summer heat, even in the sticky humidity of hong kong.Its milky consistency, that pastel green veering so close to cloudy white in some parts, is so arrestingly beautiful, like a garden just after it's rained. It's steadfastly organic, so often nowadays we sacrifice good quality materials for the cheap because of price and end up with synthetic metal jewelry. It's refreshingly old-school, a family heirloom given to me as a coming of age present by my grandmother I can be assured of its individuality - and even if it wasn't individual and a thousand other bracelets like it existed on girls just like me in china, it's never going to be 'just another bracelet' because of the memories it carries. And it is bang on trend. After flicking through the October magazines and their 'ode to Jade' I went straight home, dug it out of my jewelry box and slipped it back onto my arm.
In the fantastic article by Robert Sullivan in October's Vogue US he quotes Roberto Marroni, a jade jeweller in saying 'Jade is a kind of very noble stone, very imperial - and it works very well with a strong woman.' He's not kidding. The girls best able to work the Jade trend are those who wear it with a knowing smile and a glint in their eyes. They are the girls who aren't delicate little creatures but strong and steely women with a story to tell and a purpose to fulfill. She's Kate Moss, the only woman alive who can pull off a skintight satin jumpsuit literally dripping in Chanel Jade Jewelry mere hours after it appeared on the runway (and no, I'm not jealous at all). She's Alexa Chung, her nails a cool jade green, spinning disks at a fashion week party and downing bourbon and apple juice by the bottle. She's Emily Didato, in a cut out frock and super high heels flashing a smile that could charm a crocodile. She's the girl that we see, and then run out to the high street scouring for clothes to emulate her. Not that I would know from personal experience or anything...
grazia uk, tfs, celebcityChanel's Fall/Winter 09 collection featuring skillful interpretation of the house's great classics - the skirt suit in boucle, the tweed, the shift dresses and flirty french silhouettes - was punctured here and there by glorious shots of Jade green. Sometimes it was an all out outfit, like Jessica Stam's glorious melange of jade green bustier, silky pants, scarf and hat, or sometimes it was the merest whisper of the colour in a jauntily placed hat or swinging pendant. And all of the model's nails were painted that stunning jade green, a colour oft imitated now, and in stores on limimted release. In Sydney it was available only at the Myer department store where there was a waiting list (yes, a waiting list, you read that right). Surely this is the first time a nail polish colour has causes this much frenzy?
The collection itself was a marvel in restraint. Chanel is what Chanel is, no-one expects Lagerfeld to send out futuristic designs or crazed embellishing, but in the realms of theatrical clothes and staying true to the legacy of a fashion house no other designer comes close. Although Chanel was notoriously averse to colour you could almost picture her lounging on the Lido in Venice in one of these creations, perhaps the pleated silk pants paired with a striped breton top. Save the Jade extravaganza for a Sofia Coppola heroine with creamy skin and tumbling yellow locks - all that green would simply enhance her youth, not detract from it, no matter the matronly cut or fabric. Let her cavort around Versailles or through a karaoke club in Tokyo in Jade.
style.comBut jade isn't always about a full on approach. Most of the time, just like a signature scent or love at first sight, all you need is a touch. Taking cues from ancient gallic wisdom - less is more, an even less is sexy - jade, as directed by Lagerfeld at Chanel, became the accent to an outfit, that little kick of a heel at the end of a kiss, the last slick of lipstick before you head out the door, the way a girl taps her cigarettes on the lid of the packet before she slips them into her mouth. Conjuring up a decadent art-deco world where the women loved jade because it reminded them of opium, the jewelry at Chanel f/w 09 was incredibly beautiful. Circular motifs of jade and diamantes, lacquered cuffs with built up squares of jade and resin, interlocking circular pendants and even a wide jade insert into the heel of a perfect satin shoe - these accessories were glorious in their artistry, historical resonance and overwhelming simplicity. Piled on like Moss or worn as a standalone piece they make a bold statement to all who are watching. Envy me. Perhaps it all that history, but whenever I wear Jade i do feel a little bit regal. A princess, but not one who lives in a gilded cage, one who rules her country with a firm but loving (jade bedecked) hand, noblesse oblige.
style.comOne of my best friends flashed her nails at me recently and they were adorned with jade green polish. With her vibrant red hair and her killer fashion sense she looked every bit as jade-y as any bright young thing on the social circuit. Her look was practically screaming out for a street style photographer to snap away. As I head into the city in search of August's vogue paris (late air freighting is a pet peeve of mine) my advice is this - wear it sparingly and wear it well. Jade is a colour for cool, calm and collected queens. Let that woman be you!
X
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