The Spring-Summer 2018 Ready-to-Wear collections offer a spectacular pastiche of pastels and brights, polka dots and florals, sequins and feathers…everything you need for lighthearted daywear and evening glam. Among the most wearable trends, as seen at Victoria Beckham, Chanel, Hermès, and others, is a confectionary-colored palette of pastel pink, sky blue, lavender, mint green, and frothy yellow.

These pale and pretty hues conjure up luscious macarons in the window of a French pâtisserie; but like all delicious sweets they can be a little cloying. To help turn them from saccharine to sophisticated, consider accessorizing your spring pastels with magnificent pearls and exquisite coral.

Runway Left to Right: Victoria Beckham; Ulla Johnson; Tibi; Jewelry by Assael: Classic Gem South Sea White Pearl Necklace; Town & County Award-Winning Tahitian Black Pearl Collection; Gem Sardinian Coral Necklace.

Let there be lilac

“Pastel hues are all enjoying a newfound popularity, but none are more pervasive than lilac,” reports Paris Vogue. “An evolved, more adult take on millennial pink, ultra violet was crowned Pantone’s colour of 2018 so perhaps its renewed fashion fervor was inevitable.”

Designer Victoria Beckham showcased monochromatic lilac suiting this season, while Ulla Johnson embraced floaty lilac dresses. To add gravitas to this ephemeral pastel, try grounding it with Gem South Sea white pearls, Tahitian black pearls, or fiery-red Sardinian coral.

Runway Left to Right: Oscar de la Renta; Lujin Zhang; Lujin Zhang; A. Detacher. Jewelry by Assael: Gem Angel Skin Coral and Diamond “Flame” Earrings; Gem Angel Skin Coral and Diamond Oval Cabochon Ring; Gem Angel Skin Coral 32” Necklace.

Just a pop of pastel

If you’re intrigued with spring’s pastels but think the head-to-toe look is a bit too much, pair one key pastel piece with black, white, or gray. Leave your standby navy blazer in the closet this season and opt for a peony pink or powder blue jacket instead.

Better yet, let your jewelry make your spring pastel statement. Assael’s exquisite Natural Angel Skin Coral collection ranges from a whisper-of-pink to warm orange-pink. This ethically sourced cache of midcentury coral has been recently fashioned into stunning new designs.

Runway left to Right: Missing; Missing, Missing. Jewelry by Assael: Contemporary South Sea Pearl Bubble Ring by Sean Gilson for Assael; “Treillage” South Sea Keshi Pearl Cuff; Four Baroque South Sea Pearl Necklaces

Choose contemporary silhouettes

Fashion editors and stylists agree that one of the tricks for making pastels look modern is to shop for contemporary silhouettes. For instance, classic oxford shirts in pink, blue, even pastel ginghams, take on a cool factor when deconstructed into unusual shapes.

For a contemporary take on Gem South Sea and Akoya pearls, look to the Bubble Collection by Sean Gilson for Assael. By creating all-new silhouettes with pearls of different sizes, Assael celebrates youthful energy and modern design – the perfect pearls for today’s on-trend pastels.

Stay tuned for Pastel Fever, Part II…more ways to wear pearls with the most fashionable colors of Spring-Summer 2018.

Runway Left to Right: Ulla Johnson; Chiara Boni La Petite Robe: Brandon Maxwell ; Chanel . Jewelry by Assael: Contemporary Tahitian Black Pearl Bubble Ring by Sean Gilson for Assael; Contemporary South Sea Pearl “Moonlight” Necklace; Essentials Akoya Pearl Stud Earrings.