Bangles: “A Fashion Call to Arms”

Chofa Lucite Knot Bangles, $48, etsy.com

The months of July and August are a period of fashion limbo or as New York Times writer Steven Kurutz notes, a “dead zone”, “Halloween in July? Welcome to ‘Summerween’”, July 17th. Retailers need a way to drum up excitement, and fashion lovers need a way to add excitement to their wardrobes.

Bangle collector, Artist Cheryl R. Riley and photograph by Marilyn Kirschner

There have been plenty of times over the past few months, when I didn’t want to wear very much in the way of clothing. But I did want to wear an armload of bangles. And I’m not alone. Everywhere I go, including my local Whole Foods, I observe women accessorizing with an artful stack of bangles.

Dinosaur Designs Coral Pop Resin Bangles, Photo by @ Nick Tsindos

Bangles are an easy, quick, and effective way to add color, pattern, and texture and instantly transform the simplest of wardrobe basics. They’re also a great way to quickly “zhuzh up” something already great and make it better.

I’m still determining when my love of bangles began. However, I do recall working alongside iconic fashion editors at Harper’s Bazaar (Carrie Donovan and Nonnie Moore among them), who loaded on the bangles. It announced their arrival and punctuated their pronouncements, which I found highly captivating.

Marilyn at Iris Apfel’s 100th Birthday celebration

But then again, I would have to credit Iris Apfel. It was impossible to walk out of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute after seeing “Rara Avis: Selections from the Iris Barrel Apfel Collection,” September 12, 2005 – January 22, 2006, and not somehow be inspired by Apfel’s fantastic wardrobe, and of course, her necklace and bracelet pile-on.

Saint Laurent Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear, photo Courtesy of Saint-Laurent

Long before Iris, there was Nancy Cunard, the legendary icon, shipping heiress, writer, and political activist known for her armloads of bangles. Man Ray’s famous photos of the audaciously dressed Cunard inspire me and many others, including Saint Laurent’s creative director Anthony Vaccarello. Anthony used Nancy as his muse for the fall 2022 ready-to-wear collection.

Giovanna Battaglia stacks on the bangles

Over the past few months, style setters like Dandy Patrick McDonald and Giovanna Battaglia, ‘Gio’, have posted images of themselves on Instagram with their arms dressed in vintage Bakelite bangles. In fact, they are part of Gio’s recipe for the ‘Perfect Weekend’ along with a Japanese khaki men’s cotton shirt and a maxi vintage Birkin bag.

Gigi Hadid wearing an armload of Dinosaur Designs resin and metal bangles

More recently, there have been countless images of a Miu Miu-clad Gigi Hadid with Blake Lively, each arm loaded with resin and metal bangles by Dinosaur Designs. The occasion was the July 22nd New York premiere of Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds’s new movie, Deadpool & Wolverine.

Mali Lowe in Dinosaur Designs Silver and Frost bangles, Photograph by @nicktsindos

Dinosaur Designs, Australia’s most iconic brand, is known for its handmade resin homewares, objects, and jewelry that emphasize color, form, and texture. DD’s bangles, priced from $70 – $360, are perennial best-sellers online and in its stores in Australia, London, and New York, located at 21 Crosby Street.

Erykah Badu stacks on Dinosaur Designs Rock Bangles and LO x AT Voyage Bangles, The Cut Fall Fashion Issue, September 2023, photograph by Zong Lin

They are on the arms of celebrities (Erykah Badu, Kate Hudson, Selena Gomez, and Janet Jackson, among them). Stylists and magazine editors want to use them for music videos, magazine editorials, and fashion shows.

Jean Shafiroff styled by Marilyn Kirschner wearing Bibhu Mohapatra and Dinosaur Designs bangles, photograph by Michael Paniccia for Lookonline

American designer Bibhu Mohapatra has collaborated with DD on several of his collections. When I styled Jean Shafiroff in a Bibhu Mohapatra dress from fall 2021 for my article, “Jean Shafiroff: As You’ve Never Seen Her Before,” on November 6, 2020, I made sure the Dinosaur Designs bangles shown on the runway, were shipped from Sydney for the shoot as they made the outfit zing!

“The idea for CHOFA is to design statement pieces at an affordable price. I want people to have fun with the jewelry, to own several pieces in various colors, and not worry about high price tags. Being the one who manufactures the line, I can be very reasonable with the markups,” says Sofia Pagano, owner and designer of CHOFA.

CHOFA lucite knot bangles, $48, etsy.com

Bangles are readily available and at countless price points. Another favorite source is CHOFA, a Miami-based brand featuring a collection of handcrafted Lucite jewelry and contemporary designs by Sofia Pagano. I met Sofia at the MAD About Jewelry show at the Museum of Arts & Design in April 2023.

CHOFA founder and designer, Sofia Pagano

Sofia sees the Lucite Bangle as a symbol of love, union, and eternal and unbreakable love. The Argentinian-born creator works with acrylic because she loves its transparency and the mesmerizing play of light.

Pagano is always searching for new colors and innovative ways to incorporate recycled and reusable materials into her designs. These lightweight, reusable materials come in a range of colors, including clear, black, and white. They beg to be stacked and are well-priced ($42 -$48) to boot! “Betcha Can’t Have Just One!”

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  9. Irene and Matt are so authentic! Love that they still do the live formats where we can ask questions or…

Marilyn Kirschner

I am a long time fashion editor with 40+ years of experience. As senior market of Harper's Bazaar for 21 years I met and worked with every major fashion designer in the world and covered all of the collections in Paris, London, Milan and New York. I was responsible for overall content, finding and pulling in the best clothes out there, and for formulating ideas and stories.

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