Summer Camp Crafts on Speed

It's been a fashion season to spell things out: Philip Lim for Target sold out sweaters with "Pow" and "Boom," while Lanvin's oversized cursive necklaces oozed confidence with brass script "Cool" and "Happy." If you missed those bandwagons, consider Ryan Porter your saving grace. The brand offers the gift of non-verbal communication in an almost-kitschy-but-definitely-awesome way with a slew of simple bracelets.

Ryan Porter's bracelets have been cropping up on Instagram recently (Bryan Boy and Man Repeller are fans, bien sur) and feature the block letter, square beads you used at camp, only this time they spell out cheekier messages like "f word" or "YOLO."

The brains behind the brand, Krysten Kauder, below, got her start interning at Vogue, and spent time working with the DANNIJO girls and Chan Luu as a brand ambassador. She launched Ryan Porter just this summer in New York City.

Her success, it seems, lies in the customization. Yes, you can buy a pre-picked message, but Kauder will also spell out any word you request, and the founder says customers have certainly taken liberties with the freedom.

"Some of the most interesting bracelet requests have been 'Young $,' 'chicken nuggets,' 'pickles,' 'merde,' and 'f word,' while the most popular messages have been 'I can't,' 'as if,' 'stop,' and 'I mean,'" Kauder says.

Perhaps what's best about Ryan Porter's line, however, is its affordability factor. Holiday shopping gets expensive and so banal, but shoppers can get in on her designs at $16 for 3 beads on a bright cord (yup, that's less than some cocktails in New York City) and $40 for bracelets on 14k gold chains with Swarovski crystal elements.

Not that any of us needs any more subscription-based anything to consider, but Ryan Porter is also starting a monthly "arm party" subscription either on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Color me intrigued.

Kauder has made it possible to afford to have fun and give someone a personalized gift. I'm already thinking about area codes, inside jokes, nicknames, and acronyms as ideas for friends. The word nerd in me is brimming with excitement.

Images: Courtesy of Ryan Porter; shopryanporter/Instagram