Collars and Cuffs

Michael Kors via Style.com

via unknown

via Atlantic-Pacific

Any time I try to utter the word "choker," I want to throw up in my mouth a little bit. So let's call these cool, sleek metal neck pieces collars, mmmkay? And their wristed counterparts? We know they are cuffs. And this fall, I'm daydreaming of collars and cuffs in all of their sleek metallic splendor.

via Nordstrom

Dannijo for Vena Cava via Shopbop

Chokers invoke that "My So Called Life" grunge style from the early '90s. No, I'm not going there (again). This time COLLARS are sleek and minimalist...futuristic if you will. Designers from Louis Vuitton to Michael Kors paraded them down their fall runways paired with everything from suits to furs.

The key to rocking the collar is keeping the remainder of your look classic with clean lines and solid colors. For your everyday life, wear them with a modal long-sleeved T by Alexander Wang top or, for nighttime, spiff up a neutral toned dress with a shiny silver piece like Margherita Missoni. Either way, you'll look au current and decidedly dangereuse.

Margherita Missoni via Jewels by Juliet

ALC Brass Cuff via Shopbop

Dannijo for Vena Cava via Shopbop

Dannijo x Man Repeller Aram Necklace via Dannijo

As for the cuffs, the new way to rock them is in pairs. Clap them to the outside of your long-sleeved blouses and make sure you have one on each wrist a la Brooke Shields in the look below. Asymmetry just isn't what drives this trend home.

Getty via Life Goes Strong

Marni via Net-A-Porter

Philippe Audibert via Net-A-Porter

Dannijo via Net-A-Porter

My favorite piece also happens to be the most dramatic but still minimalist accessory I've found so far. This Anndra Neen choker looks elegant with a black tux jacket or edgy with a burgundy tee. But if the whole collar thing feels a little too intense, tone it down with a tubed necklace as seen at 3.1 Phillip Lim and below.

Anndra Neen Necklace via Shopbop

Hutton tubular necklace via Reiss

Don't worry that these accessories are a passing trend and you won't get much mileage out of them. Just last night, Donatella herself showed look after look with bold metallic chokers...er, collars...at the Verace for H&M fashion show. So cuff (and collar?) 'em!

via Style.com