Wear What When

$10 & Under: River Song Jewelry

Be the best friend with fairly traded deconstructed friendship bracelets from Mexico.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Jul 07, 2011 at 07:00AM0 Comments

SLIDESHOW: You don’t have to go to summer camp to get summer’s sunniest, easiest accessory. River Song Jewelry’s Mexico-made friendship bracelets—including the style we’re calling the "deconstructed friendship bracelet—are $6 or $7 dollars a piece.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

SLIDESHOW: You don’t have to go to summer camp to get summer’s sunniest, easiest accessory. River Song Jewelry’s Mexico-made friendship bracelets—including the style we’re calling the "deconstructed friendship bracelet—are $6 or $7 dollars a piece.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

If you’re dubious, we’ll prove in a few slides that friendship bracelets aren’t just for 13 year olds; for now, here’s River Song’s deconstructed style—perfect for Generation X’ers in the over-30 camp. Like little color studies comprised of unknotted threads, the tie-ons are perfect modern updates to a summer classic.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

World traveler and River Song owner River Burke has plenty of hand-picked South of the Border textures to go with your bracelets.

View Slideshow » Photo: Tommy Ton/Jak & Jil

Jak & Jil photographer Tommy Ton manages to catch friendship bracelets on fashion’s elite once a week or so. Here, the casual accessories punctuate a Phillip Lim ensemble.

View Slideshow » Photo: Tommy Ton/Jak & Jil
View Slideshow » Photo: Tommy Ton/Jak & Jil

Male models in Milan rock friendship bracelets, too.

We sure do throw around the F word these days, don’t we? We’re constantly friending someone on Facebook or asking them to friend us. If you’ve found that the word is starting to lose a little meaning, consider making it tangible with a friendship bracelet.

You’ve seen them on the arms of little girls operating lemonade stands as well as chic gray-haired ladies at the tennis club. If friendship bracelets had their own Facebook page, you would probably friend it.

On a recent trip to Madison Valley, I came across the best specimens yet at River Song Jewelry, promptly declared them “deconstructed friendship bracelets,” and then bought two—one for me, and one for a favorite friend.

Take a cruise through the slideshow here to see these essential under $10 summer accessories, and how to wear them.

Tags: Accessories, $10 and Under