Music World Drives Fashion Trends in Jewelry and Apparel

Want to know what kind of jewelry teens are wearing this season? Check out MTV, VH-1, BET, CMT or any of the other cable TV stations that play today's hottest music videos. Hot song artists in every category from Rock to Pop to Rap to Country are known as much for their over-the-top wardrobes and accessories as for their music. And the styles that these music celebrities are wearing can have a huge influence on the teen fashion market.

That's why style watchers pay particularly close attention to major music awards shows such as the Grammys, the American Music Awards, the Country Music Awards, the MTV Video Music Awards and similar broadcasts. Audiences watch these events as much to see what their favorite music stars are wearing as to find out who won.

Music and fashion have been intertwined for decades. In the 1960s it was Woodstock, the Grateful Dead and the hippie movement. And who can forget the connection between the 1970s and the glittering superficiality of the Disco era? The 1980s saw the emergence of Glam Rock, among other fashion movements. And in the early 1990s, teens across America adopted the flannel-shirted "grunge look" sported by Nirvana and other popular bands of the era.

Today, one of the biggest current fashion trends is the "retro" look. Many of the biggest music stars are wearing accessories that hearken back to the flashy, trashy, ostentatious styles of the 1980s -- and it's no coincidence that style watchers see bits and pieces of that era coming back in vogue. For instance, Jennifer "J.Lo" Lopez favors oversized gold hoop earrings. Christina Aguilera's often bare tummy is often ornamented with a belly chain or two. Avril Lavigne sports an assorted mish-mash of punk/skater girl styles such as silver cuffs, rubber spiked bracelets, big heavy watch chains and other retro pieces and has almost single-handedly brought skater chic into the teen mainstream. Big, chunky "glam rock" jewelry, lots of gold chains (a la Mr. T), Punk styles and Gothic jewelry (including Celtic, occult and fantasy designs) also can be found on many of today's top male and female music stars.

Meanwhile, Hip Hop fashions also have gone mainstream, thanks to the universal appeal of many of Rap's top artists. In the process, Hip Hip has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Nameplate jewelry, big, dangling medallions and crosses in gold, silver or platinum, large link chains and other urban "bling-bling" styles have moved into the suburbs. Perhaps more than any music category in recent years, Rap has had the most profound impact on fashion.

Of course, when it comes to fashion influence, Madonna is in a class of her own. The Material Girl has been setting fashion trends in her concerts and music videos throughout her long chameleon-like career.

In a further blurring of music and fashion, music celebs like J.Lo, Sean "P Diddy" Combs, and Eminem have either launched (or are expected to launch this year) their own lines of fashion apparel and/or accessories.

Lopez has created a J.Lo line of jeans, dresses, swimwear, knit shirts, sunglasses, fragrance and other apparel/accessory items and has been selling them in major department stores nationwide since 2001. P Diddy's Sean John line brought in some $100 million in sales last year, according to industry estimates. Eminem is launching a sportswear collection called Shady, which is expected to be in stores this summer.

Others in the long line of music artists looking to translate their music success into fashion sales through private apparel/accessories collections include Sisqo, Busta Rhymes, Russell Simmons, Jay-Z, Lil' Kim, Snoop Doggy Dog, Eve and Chris Kirkpatrick of ‘NSYNC.

When it comes to music and fashion, the Latin influence that has exploded here in the United States in recent years has not been limited to J.Lo. International pop singer-actress Thalia has hooked up with K-Mart to launch an exclusive collection of Thalia-branded fashion apparel, accessories, footwear and lingerie for women.

According to a recent survey of accessories store owners and trend consultants from Women's Wear Daily, younger female shoppers tend to get much of their fashion cues from the music world, while older female customers gravitate to actresses.

WWD listed singers J.Lo, Gwen Stefani, Lavigne, Pink and Kelly Osbourne among the 10 biggest youth fashion trendsetters worldwide.

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