Fashion jewelry, first made popular by iconic designer Coco Chanel and then by fashion jewelry designer Kenneth Jay Lane, is no longer considered a cheap compensation for those who cannot afford gold and diamonds. Indeed, some of the most exquisite costume jewelry pieces can be considered just as precious.
If you don’t have the opportunity to embellish yourself with expensive jewelry haute couture, there are plenty of shops in Kyiv where you can choose something to fit your purse and your wardrobe.
As a big fan of accessories, I frequently visit the city’s costume jewelry shops, hoping to find something new every time. I cannot calmly pass all those glittery things, so for, me even a small tour around a fashion jewelry store becomes a real test of strong will – to try not to spend all my savings on all the pretty things. Of course, there is plenty of cheap trash on the market, but the chance to find something really precious and just for you among all those heaps of shiny trinkets, is what makes costume jewelry shopping so exciting.
Accessorize
Accessorize is without a question the busiest chain selling mid-range accessories and fashion jewelry. The focus there is put more on quantity and fashion trends then on exquisiteness. Each season, their assortment is supplied with new items, which can be bought during the sales as well. The shop, filled from floor to ceiling with bags, scarves, gloves, purses, tights, and, of course, fashion jewelry is always crowded, yet there is always an assistant to help you around. The latest collection at Accessorize is Oriental, but it doesn’t mean that the chain started using more natural materials than before. Thus, for example, a wide dark blue bracelet painted with flowers (Hr 98) is made of transparent plastic and not wood. Among my special findings, I loved flower-shaped brooches made of fabric and plastic for Hr 96 and enamelled beads for Hr 100 to Hr 200. The kids’ collection is a top note of Accessorize – wearing all those glistening pink and white embellishments, little girls look like young ladies.
BoBiju
The broadest chain of fashion jewelry stores in Ukraine is probably BoBiju – only in Kyiv there are a dozen or so kiosks scattered around the city inside numerous shopping malls. To visit the largest BoBiju sites go to Ukraina or Metrograd – you won’t miss the glass showcases glistening with crystals and stones of all colors and hues. What I like about BoBiju is its wide assortment. I can find items there to accomplish practically every image I want to create. You need a tint of glamour, rock chic, gothic gloom, candy sweetness, natural charm or classic standard – you can always find something in one of these tiny shops. The prices may vary from Hr 40 to Hr 200 for a ring, but sometimes even cheaper items look more winning. Among original offerings, I’ve recently discovered a small cherry-shaped brooch for Hr 165 and wooden bracelets with metal installations for Hr 130. It’s worth noting, that while in other costume jewelry shops the main material is plastic, at BoBiju there are also goods made of synthetic stones and crystals, and the metals used are covered with a smooth layer of silver or gold. The advantage of BoBiju is the kids’ collection. Once I bought a set of pretty hairpins for Hr 13 and bands for Hr 14 for my sister. In addition to jewelry, BoBiju sells hats, shawls, bags, belts with South Park and Sponge Bob buckles, and crystal statuettes as well.
Swatch
Though Swatch mainly specializes in watches, there is always a small stand with fashion jewelry in their stores. The assortment is narrowed to metal rings (Hr 300 to Hr 400) – massive, some rough, some delicate, with installations of fabric embroidered with cherry blossoms in the Japanese tradition and colorful enamel in pop-art style, as well as necklaces costing around Hr 500. A distinctive feature of the Swatch fashion jewelry collections is constrained originality and stylish minimalism – these qualities are enough to make you look stylish even while wearing jeans.
Parfois
The semi-underground store on Khreshchatyk sells shoes, bags and other accessories, yet its assortment of fashion jewelry is wider than other similar shops like Promod, Benetton or Mexx. The main material they use for their jewelry is plastic and a part of collection – long colorful beads, bulky rings (Hr 19) and bracelets (Hr 79), aren’t even made to imitate crystals, wood or metal. The rest of the stands are filled with rings (Hr 49), wide massive ornate bracelets (Hr 79), and earrings (Hr 39 to Hr 59) imitating silver and designed in the current Asian fashion trend. I admit that some “silver” items looked stylish, but I cannot say the same about “gold,” which looked quite cheap. Another special feature of Parfois is a constant collection of simple wooden embellishments. Tastes may differ, but for me the jewelry at Parfois seems more original in comparison with pop-style adornments at Accessorize.
Wow Shop
Recently the assortment at Wow Shop chain was supplied with a department selling products by the London fashion brand Storm. The company sells a wide range of items from clothes to fragrances, but in Kyiv it is known only for watches and fashion jewelry. “A wide range of styles from funky edginess to sleek sophistication” – that’s how Storm describes itself. I agree with such a slogan because I admired the simplicity and coolness of these London embellishments from the first glance. Rings (from Hr 300), bracelets (Hr 328 to Hr 650), necklaces (Hr 350), and ear rings (Hr 328) – everything is made out of metal and looks fashionably laconic.
Swarovski
Fashion jewelry by the Austrian company Swarovski, namely their crystals, really belongs to the world of high fashion. A tiny kiosk in Globus shopping center contains all these beauties. I couldn’t take my eyes off a brooch in the form of a caterpillar (Hr 803) – the color of the crystals was so pure that it resembled a drop of purple-blue water. Rings of pure crystals without any metallic details for Hr 1,500 also looked like a dream. The company also produces items for home design, but the assortment of the local Swarovski shop includes only earrings, necklaces, rings, brooches, hand watches, bracelets, and small statuettes.
Accessorize
Globus (Maidan Nezalezhnosti, 585-1101);
Karavan shopping mall (9 Luhova, 461-8258);
Parfois (52 Khreshchatyk, 234-2503);
BoBiju (Metrohrad, the area of Bessarabska Square);
Ukraina shopping mall (3 Prospect Peremohy, 568-2318);
Gorodok shopping mall (Petrivka metro station);
Metrohrad (Bessarabska Square);
Swatch
(5 Lva Tolstoho, Globus, Maidan Nezalezhnosti,
585-1150);
Wow Shop
(72 Chervonoarmiyska, Olimpiysky shopping center, 593-2603);
Ukraina shopping mall (3 Prospekt Peremohy, 229-1335);
Metrohard (Noviy Proyizd gallery, 537-0921)
Swarovski
(Globus, Maidan Nezalezhnosti).
