Be Unconventional With Nooka
In recent years, many designers and artists have channelled their creative skills into designing clothes and accessories. A perfect example of this is the range of Nooka watches, designed by New York artist Matthew Waldman. Waldman aimed to create a new and innovative way to look at time and took great care in discovering new ways of presenting it in an abstract manner. Nooka is a boutique design company that focuses upon slightly edgier watches with a different time viewing layout that the norm – the watches tell the time in hour dots and dashes and incorporate a countdown status bar which increases as the hour passes by – very reflective of the current era, as if you are waiting for the hour to download.
These trendy and quirky looking watches come in a variety of styles ranging from slick and chic to bright and bold. One of the more futuristic styles with quite the sizeable display looks particularly abstract and very art inspired. The faces of all the watches are neither digital nor analogue and have been carefully designed to represent the time in a more visual yet though provoking way. The Nooka Zirc watches have a sophisticated feel with a black face and textured wrist band. In contrast, the Nooka ZUB20 Zot is made entirely from polyurethane and displays the hours as a progression of 12 dots. The watch is designed to combine fashion with function as is water resistant, durable and is available in black, white and canary yellow.
Celebrities are also favouring the Nooka brand – Kanye West sported one in his ‘Beatdowns’ portrait and Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg and Alicia Keys are also fans – the range has certainly become a strong contender in the most hip and trendy of the watch brands. Waldman aimed to create a more forward thinking way of telling the time and these watches with their quirky aesthetic design are definitely a fun, stylish and practical option plus despite sounding like you need a maths degree to read them, they are actually very simple to use!
A-Z of Summer Style – cont.
W is for Watches…
…Along with ‘it’ bags and statement shoes, a designer watch is another must-have accessory in the fashion world. However, with so many celebrities these days endorsing the many and varied numerous brands and watch ads seen on every other pages of magazines, buying a watch can become confusing. Whether you opt for a simple classic or something with a little more bling, Shade Station has a fabulous range to suit everyone’s taste when it comes to wrist jewellery. Here’s a quick low down to help you choose the timepiece that’s perfect for you….
Spring/ Summer 2008 saw the trend emerging for female celebrities to dress down their girly outfits with a masculine watch. If you don’t want to wear a man’s watch brands such as Fossil and Seksy do some great mannish watches for women. The chunky leather straps and large faces combined with features such as gold detailing and coloured faces ensures they manage to maintain the element of sexy femininity.
If chunky is what you’re after but girly style remains high on your agenda, Ted Baker’s range is perfect. With the cut-out flower detailing on the leather strap these watches are bang on the floral trend for S/S 08. Funky yet functional, Nixon and Nooka’s selection of watches with their quirky face shapes, neon colours and bright straps are a must-have chunky watch for anyone who loves to be different from the crowd.
For an all-rounder watch that will carry you through from day-to-night, you can’t go far wrong in ditching the leather in favour of a metal strap. Guess watches with their embossed or jewelled silver embellished straps are fabulously affordable quality for those on a budget. DKNY’s dainty silver watches are the ultimate for understated luxury, also the perfect choice of timepiece to see you from desk-til-dawn in style.
However, just because watches aren’t probably the first thing you think about when accessorising an outfit, it doesn’t mean they’re not just as important as a necklace or earrings. So, there’s no exception to the rule either when it comes to your chosen timepiece – never mix and match silver and gold! Silver- coloured watches are simple to buy and are often more available in different ranges, whereas gold, unless it is real gold, can be tricky. If the colour isn’t just right or too shiny, gold watches can often look cheap and tacky, so purchase with caution. Seksy’s range at Shade Station is gold and glamorous and offers the choice of chunky and delicate styles for those who prefer their watch to be more of an understatement.
If you’re looking for something that’s classy with a difference, Michael Kors innovative use of bone-effect straps and tortoiseshell features are a sure fire winner for you. But if bling is you’re thing look no further than D&G’s stunning diamante range.
If you’re a great believer that a watch is an investment piece last you through every fashion fad and trend, indulge in a designer piece by Roberto Cavalli. For a watch that will go with any outfit, the classic black number is the one. Or for something more opulent that is sure to catch the eye of many admirers, the snake-effect designs are the epitome of the designer’s extravagance and classy in so many ways.