JUST because you’ll have to spend Halloween at home doesn’t mean you can’t spend it in style. As folks are arranging themed Zoom parties — with some asking participants to wear full-on costumes, to simple hat parties, to others encouraged to slather on the scary make-up — some may opt for a simpler but opulent way to mark this freaky Friday. Here are a few scary accessories we’ve found from both local and international brands that fit the bill.

HELENA ALEGRE
Helena Alegre Sculptural Jewelry is still at it with a new collection centered on bugs. A ring she presents in lapis lazuli has a Brachycerus weevil resting on a large sample of the semiprecious stone. She has other items like brooches, also centered on the theme of the creepers and the crawlers in nature. In a previous interview with BusinessWorld, she said that she started her line when a beetle appeared while she was thinking of a new collection; the deal was sealed when a lizard crawled up her neck while she was having her nails done.

Another ring features a Chalcosoma caucasus beetle resting on a large block of turquoise. The Chalcosoma caucasus is a beetle found in Southeast Asia with a fierce fighting spirit. Perhaps you can wear one to remind yourself of what you have during these trying times?

For orders, visit www.instagram.com/helenaalegresculpturaljewelry.

SCHIAPARELLI
In the 1930s, designer Elsa Schiaparelli, Coco Chanel’s greatest rival, had a flirtation with Surrealism. A friend of artists such as Salvador Dali and Man Ray, Schiaparelli included motifs such as eyes, insects, and moving body parts as part of her collections. The designer closed her doors in the 1950s, but has been revived in the 2000s. Daniel Roseberry has now been sitting as Creative Director for the Maison for almost two years.

While the clothes at last season’s Autumn/Winter show took center stage, we can’t help but note the accessories that are, mercifully, on sale (provided you have thousands of euros sitting prettily in your wallet). Schiaparelli presents earrings shaped like teeth clutching on to white baroque pearls (800 euros), and necklaces of enamel eyes that threaten to wink (1,900 euros). The eyes are repeated in bangles and earrings in gilded brass, inspired by the Surrealist Jean Cocteau.

View the rest of the collection (and maybe get a piece or two) at schiaparelli.com.

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
Yep, him; the one and only. The late designer had long had a fascination with the mortality associated with the skeletal form — his graduate collection was based on Jack the Ripper (and it was the first time his signature skulls would be seen, in 1992). Other accessories featuring his skulls can be seen in the locks of his clutch bags and his scarves (a ubiquitous accessory during the great emo phase of the early 2000s). Today his brand carries a collection of spiders and skulls made with brass and Swarovski crystals.

Alexander McQueen is distributed in the Philippines by the SSI group, with a store in Shangri-La Plaza.

FAKE ALCHEMY
Handmade jewelry by local brand Fake Alchemy takes a creepy tone with pieces rendered in silver and gemstones. They’re shaped like eyes, the moon and the stars, and sometimes, the claws clutching the cabochon gemstones just look sinister. The use of cabochon gemstones (a rounded dome) also has a mystical air, as if looking into them can reveal a secret.

While custom orders are closed for now, some of their pieces are still available at www.instagram.com/fakealchemy. — Joseph L. Garcia

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