India-inspired Accessory

Last week, I was at the US Tennis Open with family and friends. (The international tournament, which is only a 26-minute train ride from my house, is hard to resist.) One of my over 50 girlfriends was with us and wearing a comfortable cotton jersey dress in solid chocolate brown and a pair of wedge sandals. Her handbag was an Indian design—a sack embroidered with tiny mirrors. I hadn’t seen one of those since the 70s. However, my friend’s ‘look’—the combination of a minimally-styled dress with an embellished accessory—is one of this fall’s trends.

An India-inspired accessory—handbags, scarves, and jewelry—is a fun way to “energize” your over 50 look. The secret is to not overdo it with too much Indian styling—that is, a handbag, jewelry and scarf—and end up looking like an aging hippie.


A site worth taking a peek at is the New York City jewelry designer Satya. The designer has beautiful India-inspired jewelry in gold, silver, and gold vermeil (sterling silver components dipped in 24K gold) as well as beaded and jeweled pieces. I got two reasonably-priced Satya gold vermeil necklaces with little charms last spring (pictured below). If you’re worried about vermeil holding up, my necklaces are doing fine. The chains are different lengths, so I always wear them together. I just have to treat them kindly—no showers or swimming with them. I’m not a “New Age” type, but I love these necklace’s simple design and messages (my charms represent peace, new beginnings). If you’d like to see the jewelry designs in a store, there’s a store locator. And if you're in the market for a scarf, the website also has raw silk scarves in beautiful colors.





Personally, I'm a big fan of bangles. Here are a few India-inspired bangles from Jones New York. Click on them to view up-close.






Shabby Apple also lovely bangles and other ethnic accessories. Click Women's Dresses from Shabby Apple to take a peek