Fashion Week Jewelry: Missing or Minimal

Jewelry hounds, I waited the proverbial 24 hours (ok, five days) before filing a Missing Person Report, but I think I can officially now declare: There is no jewelry at New York Fashion Week.

From Donna Karan and Carolina Herrera to Diane von Furstenberg and (even!) Marc Jacobs, the design powerhouses have chosen not to accessorize this season with the by now ubiquitous layered bangle or statement necklace - heck, even a hoop earring from what I can tell.

And honestly? I'm kinda relieved.

Don't get me wrong. No one loves a Christian Lacroix-inspired jewelry box explosion more than yours truly, but it's nice to see that women no longer need to pile it on in order to satisfy the sartorial gods.

Of course, it would be nice to see SOMETHING by way of a little sparkle. So I'm going to interpret this minimal trend for Spring 2011 this way: Only ONE small pendant necklace or ONE bangle is needed. Stud earrings can make a comeback in place of swinging chandeliers. Nothing wrong with a diamond diet every now and again, right?

For those of you lamenting the loss of our favorite accessory, there are still some serious designers on the Fashion Week calendar yet to show - plenty of time to do what we fashion followers do best: contradict ourselves.

In the meantime, these Spring 2011 ready-to-wear trends are emerging:

1. White is the new camel
2. Sheer fabric rules - but not too sexy
3. Slouchy silhouettes over the tight and tailored
4. Bold prints and florals over solid blocks of color
5. Wide-brimmed hats
6. Belted trench coasts
7. Sexy 70s (think Laurel Canyon-era Joni Mitchell not disco)

Stay tuned for more!

Gaga for VMA Jewelry Fashion

Jersey Shore meatheads met Gaga's meat couture at the 2010 VMA Awards last night. And while the jewelry trends weren't as bodacious as the Lady's fashion choices - there were some highlights worth sharing.

First - the Franc Ferdinand-designed meat dress. Not even Cher in her iconic black sequined unitard could upstage this Peta-angering Gaga statement. Thoughts?

I've always been a 'black-diamond Betty' - and any MTV event is the perfect time for the dark side to shine.



Hoops have been a mainstay on these less formal red carpet events - and the VMA white carpet was no exception.


And my favorite overall look went to the lovely Selena Gomez - in a Reem Acra silver frock (love the pockets!) with blue gemstone detail and Baccarat jewelry, including what look like sapphire drop earrings and a chunky sapphire cocktail ring. Something about the silver and blue really works, right?.



And now for a little non-jewelry VMA musing. While I LOVE that Gaga is pushing buttons with her fashion choices - I kinda miss that tried and true VMA train wreck from yestertear. There's no Courtney Love faux pas to count on or some drunken grunge dude climbing the sets. The EARNEST, barefooted Taylor Swift/Kanye West 'controversy' just isn't working for me.

Maybe I'm just cranky that the runway looks from Fashion Week so far aren't giving me any gawk-worthy jewelry to crow about. But we're only half-way through...stay tuned.

Blingy Barbie Fetes Fashion Week

Before I get consumed with New York Fashion Week craziness, I had to bring your attention to the most important thing you'll read about this week: The Word's Rarest Barbie!

(Who needs an Obama press conference when you've got a Barbie in a right hand ring, people?)

Mattel asked famous jewelry designer, Stefano Canturi, to put our favorite toast to feminism in his Cubism jewelry - and he did them one better by throwing in a real 1-carat Argyle pink diamond for good measure.

All told, her bling includes over three carats of white diamonds set in a signature Canturi necklace with an empowering right-hand diamond ring to boot - which is why her price tag is a record-setting $545,000 (!)

DeBeers Barbie? Eat your heart out.

"I wanted the jewelry design to pay homage to Barbie's modern yet timeless style, this is why I applied my Cubism design concept to her look; it is perfect for her," Canturi said on his webiste of his Mattel collaboration.

Barb makes her debut tonight at Fashion's Night Out in New York and will be auctioned at Christie's prestigious "Magnificent Jewels" sale on October 20th, with 100 percent of the profits donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Who do you think would buy Babs at this price tag? Barbie acolyte, Rachel Zoe? Pink diamond diva, Mariah Carey? Weigh in!

Venice Film Festival Jewelry Part Duo

Venice Film Festival fashion has yet to recreate a 'major' moment like the one Rachel Zoe and Anne Hathaway brought to us during the 2009 festivities. But a girl can dream.


In the meantime, here are my favorite jewelry moments since my last post. I was surprised to see so many colored gemstone looks.


Rebecca Hall - who stars in the Ben Affleck-directed film, The Town - is the latest lady from Hollywood to steal the spotlight wearing a teal Vionnet gown and classic Bvlgari serpenti bracelets.




Because Michelle Williams - doing her best Rosemary's Baby-era Mia Farrow impression - doesn't quite deliver in this staid Jason Wu gown with barely there diamond stud earrings and a wisp of a diamond bangle.

These statement earrings are different. You like?

And the woman on the right in this picture? Her last name is Bulgari. 'Nuff said.

Fashion Week starts tomorrow, jewelry hounds. Check back here and in the Jewelry.com Fashion News Section for all the latest jewelry and fashion trends fresh from the runways.

Joe and the Giant Rock

Girls will definitely go wild for the huge diamond engagement ring Joe Francis recently presented to his fiance, Christina McLarty, a Los Angeles entertainment reporter.

The Girls Gone Wild CEO commissioned one of my favorite jewelry designers, Loree Rodkin, to create the ring - and she knocked it out of the park with a nine-carat rock in a diamond pave band with diamonds surrounding the center stone, according to Luxist. And the price tag? Just under half a mil.

Guess there's a lot of money to be made from, um, girls going wild.

Rodkin created jewelry for Elton John, Cher and Steven Tyler, but her most famous client is Michelle Obama - who wore her diamond drop earrings and a diamond cuff bracelet with that stunning Jason Wu gown to all the inauguration festivities (which seems like a lifetime ago).

Click here for more rockin' Rodkin styles - and stay tuned for more Venice Film Festival jewelry sightings! (Insert my go-go dancing Kate Hudson "Cinema Italiano!" impression here.)

Jet-Set Jewelry at the 2010 Venice Film Festival

The 2010 Venice Film Festival kicked off yesterday with a smattering of parties, premieres and pretty people. And while the well-known celebrities are always a big draw (Natalie Portman and Jessica Alba are already turning heads), my favorite film festival pastime is gawking at the jet-set jewelry on miscellaneous red carpet passersby.

Here are some of my favorites so far. But before we take that journey, pause if you will to witness Naomi Campbell's emerald engagement ring from her Russian billionaire boyfriend, Vladimir Doronin spotted at the "Miral" premiere today. Wowza!










Stay tuned for more Venice Film Festival fashion coverage - and New York Fashion Week is one week away! You gotta love this time of year....

JewelClub Gets A Face-Lift

JewelClub, as you all know, is my favorite 'friends and family' site offering crazy discounts on fine jewelry to folks who are invited. All of my readers can get on their 'list' (read more to find out how) - and now there's an even better reason:

They just re-launched with a new look and tons of sexy new product!

I just trolled through the new offerings, and found these three oval-shaped pieces that I've officially added to my wish list (at 70-80% off suggested retail price):

But they've got everything from engagement rings and pearl strands to cocktail rings and blingy bangles. AND they offer free shipping with EVERY purchase.

I don't like to 'sell' jewelry often, but this place is too good to pass up. Especially in this economy. So if you haven't checked it out already, do these four things:

1. Go to www.jewelclub.com
2. Enter your email address
3. Enter this special 'friends and family' code: INSIDER
4. Shop, shop, shop!

Despite my dreams to the contrary, buying jewelry is rarely an everyday occurrence - but at these prices it could actually come close. So check out their new look and all the great new product and let me know what you think.

Here's to shiny things!