Chanel once said "a woman should wear ropes and ropes of pearls". Agreed. But right now it's the impact of the single strand that's caught my eye.  I noticed them at Thom Browne for spring (left) and then a few weeks ago at Donna Karan for Fall 2011. 

                

Maybe it's a trendlet and maybe not. But unadorned gray pearls sans any mashup of chains, gems and bows look great. Their creamy, nacreous sisters are beautiful but I am pulling out my long strand of grays to wear everyday with white tee shirts, menswear jackets and with bright colors. There are few things sexier than a single strand of pearls tucked into the V-neck of a white tee or sweater. While I don't recommend running for the train in the knee length Mr. Browne used to accessorize his schoolboy blazer, I like the exaggeration of an opera length (48 to 120 inches long) worn casually. Donna Karan's marble-sized princess length looks elegant and unapologetically faux. And fake knocks the potential for stuffy out of the equation.