I go through phases of getting obsessed with certain types of accessories. Sometimes it will be hair accessories, other times brooches, more often than not it can be shoes or handbags. But the one accessory I’m on the look out for pretty much always? Bangles. So it’s a good thing it’s a new season because that means new Splendette!

Bangles: Mint Sorbet, Parma Violet, Frosty, Coconut, Rose and Sherbet bangles by Splendette
Dress: Aemela-Ivy Dress previously gifted by Miss Candyfloss
Cardigan: White cropped cardigan from Amazon (A/L)

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Splendette, let me give you a short rundown. It’s a small, woman-owned business producing hand-carved vintage-inspired jewellery, including bangles that are produced in 3 sizes. The latter is one of their greatest strengths, as it means any vintage lover can find a bangle to fit them regardless of the size of the hands they’ve been blessed with. I used to wear Splendette’s regular sized bangles but after a bit of weight gain their widest width bracelets are just too painful to get on, even with the silk-scarf or plastic-bag trick*, so I buy their largest size, the Duchess, with gratitude and relief.  Slim wristed lovelies will probably be similarly thankful to discover their Maiden size range, while everyone else can enjoy the regular size.

(*These tricks require you to place a silk scarf or a plastic bag over your hand before you slide your bangles on or off, allowing slightly tight bangles to slide across you skin with ease and sparing you any pain!)

Splendette also produce earrings, necklaces and rings in their jewellery ranges, of which there is usually 2 new lines per season. For spring/summer 2020 their spring release is all about pastel power, and as you can see from these pictures, it’s an ice cream dream!

At first glance I didn’t think this range was for me, as I’m not particularly one for pastels generally, but once I looked more closely at the beautiful carvings on the bangles and thought about the colours already present in my collection I realised being able to mix these pastels with a lot of the brighter colours I like to wear would form a lovely gradient effect. The only colour from the entire collection that I didn’t buy at all was Bon Bon because I am just not a pink person, but otherwise I found myself buying some or all bangles of every colour.

The pastel collection, like most (but not all) collections, come in 3 bangle widths; narrow, midi, and wide. I personally think a bangle stack looks best when it’s comprised of different bangle widths as it’s more challenging to the eye, even when the stack is made up of the exact same colour of bangles. If you want to get really advanced in your stacking game then you can begin to add in other materials and textures, like wooden bangles, bamboo bangles, even woven bangles–or, as I’ve illustrated with the Parma Violet stack in these pictures, even with bangles that are fully or partially clear. I added the Silver Foil clear bangles from Splendette’s last winter line into that purple/blue/green stack and I think it shows how much fun and creativity you can add mixing and matching different textures, shades, clarities and tones to your stacks.

This pastel range is unique in that there’s a milky quality to all the colours, which happens to make the hand-carved designs stand out incredibly well, especially when they catch the light. Splendette always give a unique carving design to each new colour of bangle that they release, so even if you mix and match different colours from this pastel collection in one stack the bangles will have different patterns carved into them, adding yet another way for them to be pleasing to the eye. I think the Coconut and the Rose have to be my favourites from this collection–I love that they’re both milky echoes of more familiar colours (cream and coral, respectively.)

Have no wear to store all the lovely pretties you’ve acquired? Splendette also produce jewellery storage boxes and bangle stands. I have their large wooden bangle stand full to the brim on my desk at home; I wish I’d thought to take a picture of it before I had to move to my brother’s house to self-isolate more safely, but I love it so much that I’m thinking of buying another one soon, so it’s fair to say I can highly recommend it.

As mentioned, Splendette is a very small business, which is why I was so eager to feature them here on the blog during this crazy time. The vintage community is full of small businesses, most of them women owned, and it must be a very scary time for them right now, not knowing how badly their sales will be effected by the financial uncertainty or instability many of their usual customers are now facing with their own jobs. If your own finances are stable and you can afford to, please consider supporting small businesses like Splendette right now with a purchase, or even a purchase of a gift card for yourself or a loved one, to help keep them afloat while we all try to muddle through.

Splendette’s new Pastel Power range is available in 3 fit sizes in bangles, as well as in matching necklaces and earrings. They have a handy size guide to help you figure out which bangle size is right for you if you’re a new customer, and if you find you’re a bit between sizes I have a final trick for you; the widest width bangles are always hardest to get on if it’s going to be a tight squeeze, so some people find they have to buy a larger size in the widest width bangles but can wear a smaller size in the narrower width bangles. If that’s the case, or if, like me, the size you wear comes a bit close to sliding off your hand in certain positions, you can stack a smaller sized bangle as the last bangle you put on and it will work as a stopper to keep all the others in place!

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Disclaimer: The dress featured as part of this outfit was previously gifted to my by Miss Candyfloss in exchange for an honest review. The use of my MAK affiliate code will generate me a small commission from your order. All opinions expressed are truthful and my own, with no input from any of the companies listed or any other individuals. 

COVID-19 NOTE: These pictures were taken in the safety of my garden, thus abiding by the strict social distancing rules currently in place to help reduce the spread of Covid-19. Please stay home, and when necessary to leave the house for work or essentials remember to keep at least 6 ft away from any persons you may encounter.