Springtime is making the city beautiful after months of gray skies and the kind of air that you can see your breath in. It also means "the skirts are out"; the usual girly frills, florals, ruffles, rompers and playsuits are at once omnipresent; and pretty pastels aren't going anywhere fast. Not your thing? No sweat. Yoko Izawa's meticulously crafted and decidedly "tougher" line of veiled jewelry has got you covered. Literally.

For Izawa, a Japan-native living in London, less says more: "I feel more comfortable when the work has a quality of ambiguity or transience," she writes, "as ambiguous expression has been the most distinctive characteristic found in Japanese values and religious beliefs." She accomplishes this by "containing, covering, or wrapping" acrylic inserts, beads and baubles with knitted nylon and lycra—most unexpected fabrics—creating a harmony but also a sense of elusiveness between the inside and outside of her objects. That's right—her rings and necklaces look like they're wearing stockings. And wouldn't you know—that's what makes them so cool.

Izawa's underlying acrylic shapes are always rounded, curved, modern—almost evolutionary in form. In various shapes and sizes, they come outfitted in woven fabrics of black and gray for those craving something more understated, or bright reds and purples, not for the color shy. Her veiled rings are the true masterpieces: one, in particular, so large that it spans three or more fingers. What's best of all: there's nothing dainty about any of her pieces. Bold is the best kind of accessory.

For more information, including stockists, please visit www.yokoizawa.com.

- Kristi Garced

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Similar Topics:accessories, fashion, shopping, spring 2008

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