For evidence that vintage-inspired costume jewelry is the de rigueur adornment for this fall, look no further than the display cases of Banana Republic. The chain retailer’s jewelry is a marked departure from its previous dainty, mostly silver offerings. Now the stuff is chunkier, obviously fake, more colorful, and yes, even humorous – the way all costume jewels should be. When I found out that one designer, Thomasine Dolan Dow, was responsible for these creations, I called on her to discuss her work.

Q: Since you design exclusively for Banana Republic, do you work hand-in-hand with the clothing collections or are you free to design independently from the clothing designers?

A: I have the great benefit of designing after the clothing lines have been decided. I worked for nine years as a Banana Republic clothing and accessories designer before I moved to jewelry. I’m lucky now that I can respond to trends immediately – like the Prada bib necklaces, for example; with my shorter production schedule I have more flexibility. Recently I saw a Badgley Mischka evening bag made with guinea fowl feathers and crystals and I decided to use those materials in the 2004 holiday selection. I also have the advantage of knowing the colors of the clothing, all the necklines, the prints, and all the textures – everything – so I design the jewelry with the collection, and other trends, in mind.

In addition to responding to the clothing, where do you look for ideas?

I research vintage magazines and thrift shops and I keep up with current stuff. Though I love Prada for the vintage inspired looks, I have to be careful not to tread too much into “I Love Lucy” territory with the Banana Republic collections. I use many sources to gradually chisel away at a look that has the details and charm of vintage but that also remains modern. I also work in themes. There is a series of jewelry, out in the fall, that I designed based on my conceptions of “boho chic” – it’s what I call “Chelsea Girls,” you know, Julie Christie style. Beads! Jewelry that makes noise! I get these hooks – a theme or a mood or a certain place in time, sometimes off a record cover – and I take these fashion icons and re-outfit them.

What are some of the things we’ll be seeing in the Banana Republic collection this fall?

Pearl collars, based on one I found at a flea market. And pretty clips for shoes.

What about brooches? Can you recommend a few creative ways to wear the supposed millions of brooches we’ll be seeing come fall?

Sure. Brooches can go on handbags, lapels, you can wear them alone or in bunches, over clusters of necklaces or pearls. You can put a brooch on a belt, or just on your waist, or on a wrap skirt or scarf, or as a decorative anchor on a hat. On fur – I love the look of furry surfaces with faceted tones. Put a brooch on a fur collar or a muff, on capelets.

I understand the appeal for costume jewelry to consumers on the East and West coasts, but how do you see this working outside urban centers? Banana Republic is a chain, after all. Will folks in Cleveland be wearing pearl collars?

I think that vintage is definitely more mainstream on the coasts – New Yorkers have always thrifted to stand out, to create their own styles – but because celebrities often talk about their vintage clothing now, people who ordinarily don’t see the glamour of secondhand, typically people outside the coasts, are increasingly open to it. They are certainly getting into the looks, and jewelry is a natural extension of that. We also provide a means of acquiring the vintage look without having to go through heaps of stuff and sneezing. I mean we do update the look a little – we borrow from the materials and lines of Miriam Haskell or colors from Trifari – but we don’t copy. The customers will never have to worry about looking too much like a fashion victim.

Unless of course they carry on with the matronly looks well into 2008. What’s your guess on the life span of the trend for prettiness and accessorizing?

We are definitely still on the uptick. We’ve got a few more years left before minimalism returns.