Adorn Yourself

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If accessories make the outfit, we may have found the Holy Grail. AdornUSA—a distributor and online vendor of handcrafted and artisan jewelry based in Cincinnati—has graced the pages of Cincinnati Magazine and Cincinnati Wedding multiple times with statement jewelry and colorful bags, and the new pieces coming in have only added to our excitement. We asked AdornUSA founder Arlene Aranzamendez about accessorizing well, her favorite pieces, and what she looks for in new designers.

What are your top two tips for accessorizing well this spring?

The right balance is very important. For me, the accessories must work well with the clothes. The colors and prints must complement the jewelry. For instance, let’s say you’re going to somewhere tropical this summer, and you are planning to wear a strapless maxi-dress in a solid color. You can wear statement danglers with a cuff, or a statement necklace and a floppy hat. Do not wear everything all at once!

Second, you have to know your features: the shape of your face and the length of your arms and neck. If you have an oval-shaped face, it’s not an option to go for chandelier earrings. If you have a long neck, you can wear a choker. If you have long arms, it’s best to wear chunky cuffs. It’s about lines, geometry.

Do you have any special or favorite items in the shop right now?

There are so many pieces in our shop that we’re currently obsessed with. A classic staple that I wear everyday is Konstantin’s Utopia bangle—I have it in clear and in black, and I usually wear both colors.

For our other in-house labels, I must say, KK brings a new flavor to our catalog. The Gaia and Kronos bangles are driving me crazy right now. For Spring and Summer, I am also drooling over Ken Samudio’s Dahlia necklace under the Atelier label. It’s so precious. [Ed. note: I fell in love with the Dahlia necklace, too! You’ll see it in the Spring/Summer 2014 issue of Cincinnati Wedding, on newsstands April 10!]

What do you look for when you’re working with new designers and buying merchandise for the shop?

I think it’s very important that new lines are different from the others. They must have something new, something fresh to offer. There are so many brands out there, yet few really have that image that makes them memorable and unique.

Our designers also have to be very competitive. It is a huge market and it really is not easy to establish a name in the U.S. market today. The vision must be something that we haven’t seen before, and the quality must be excellent but still very accessible and affordable.

What’s next for AdornUSA? Is there anything else on the horizon?

We’re looking forward to have more boutiques carrying our lines across the country, and also abroad. Europe is another competitive market, Asia as well, maybe in two to three years’ time. This year, we’re eyeing our own concept boutique, since a lot of our local fashionistas are asking if they can see and try on our pieces first before purchasing. I believe it’s also a way for us to extend our image to our clients.

AdornUSA, (513) 652-0611, adornusa.com. Select AdornUSA pieces are available at HighStreet (1401 Reading Rd., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 723-1901, highstreetcincinnati.com) and the CAC Gift Shop (44 E. Sixth St., downtown, (513) 345-8400, contemporaryartscenter.org).

Images via @Adorn_USA, @thestylesample, @yvettefryinc, and adornusa.com

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