News & Observer | newsobserver.com | Cheap watches come back around

Published: Jul 20, 2008 12:00 AM
Modified: Jul 20, 2008 06:48 AM

Cheap watches come back around

 

Story Tools

Advertisements
There is no end in sight for fashion's infatuation with the Reagan era. Fast-fashion chains are stocking Ray-Ban rip-offs, tapered jeans are seeping back into style and neon colors are all the rage, so naturally the cheapie plastic sports watch is once again a bona-fide accessory.

And is it ever a watch for our times. Most can be had for less than $100.

Swatch, the Swiss brand that sparked a worldwide craze for bold, cartoony watches 25 years ago, is still kicking out timepieces fit for a "Square Pegs" episode.

Freestyle USA has reissued its Shark watch -- the zany, multicolored watches were big with Southern California surfers in the early '80s.

And Paul Frank is doing the nerdy-chic thing with a red, rubbery calculator watch.

Vans has a bubble-gum pink watch that scrolls the time across its screen in red digital numbers, ticker-tape style.

For a more subtle take on the trend, Casio G-Shock, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in May, has an oversized gray model flecked with neon green, or the slightly smaller Casio Baby-G in solid white.

This time around, it's not about pairing neon watches with fluorescent Body Glove T-shirts. Subtlety is key. Think of these timepieces as colorful plumage, best revealed in unexpected ways -- say, a black sheath dress with a chunky red sports watch, or a neon Shark with a white silk blouse.

"It's great when men wear them with suits or girls wear them with contrasting colors like black or gray," says Jodi Leesley, a stylist who has worked with actress-singer Jennifer Lopez and the neon-loving singer-songwriter Beck. "The watches are naturally very casual, so wearing them at night with a dressy outfit -- when it doesn't make much sense -- is really interesting."

All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be published, broadcast or redistributed in any manner.
Emili Vesilind, Los Angeles Times
No comments have been posted for this story. Log in to be the first to comment.


The News & Observer is pleased to be able to offer its users the opportunity to make comments and hold conversations online. However, the interactive nature of the internet makes it impracticable for our staff to monitor each and every posting.

Since The News & Observer does not control user submitted statements, we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted on our website. In addition, we remind anyone interested in making an online comment that responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not The News and Observer.

If you find a comment offensive, clicking on the exclamation icon will flag the comment for review by the administrators, we are counting on the good judgment of all our readers to help us.

Print Ads View all ads from past 7 days »

Hosting Partners of
newsobserver.com

A subsidiary of The McClatchy Company