Diamonds, Yellow Gold and Bunny Ears Marvel at The Met

The jewelry, the gowns, the divas, the drama – all were present and accounted for at The Costume Institute’s gala at The Met last night in the Big Apple. And true to its reputation as the fashion world’s Oscars, anyone who is anyone in the fashion and celebrity circles got their grubby little hands on an invite.

Jewelry was - for the most part - an understated affair, with lots of diamond studs, cuffs and statement earrings. And model, Agnyess Deyn, sported a huge diamond necklace to rival the likes of those on the Hollywood red carpets.
But it was the clothes that took center stage last night with yellow gold and blue emerging as the colors of choice, hemlines ranging from ‘too short’ to ‘tutu-esque’ and the pants suit threatening to steal the girly gown’s thunder.

The winners for me were classics like Marion Cotillard in Dior and Chopard diamonds, Renee Zelwegger in olive green Carolina Herrera with a matching statement necklace, and a vampy Anne Hathaway in Marc Jacobs and Van Cleef. Love that she’s taking a page out of the Drew Barrymore bed-head playbook, right?














And my favorite jewelry look had to be on Jessica Alba, who sported Angelina-inspired emerald earrings to go with her Jason Wu bejeweled number.















And the losers? OK. You know how I loathe the misguided pants suit. And I would have made an exception for Rihanna, had the mini-mouse sleeves not put the look over the top. I just really wish I could embrace the D & G sleeve silhouette they've littered their spring and fall lines with – but it just looks silly to me. Am I right?





























Leighton Meister and Kate Moss in a Liz Taylor-inspired turban (yes, a turban) went a bit too far off the fashion trail for my taste.















And finally, a word (or a few) about Madonna. A part of me knows she is aware that the blue bunny ears are ridiculous. A part of me knows she wears the thigh-high boots and lingerie-inspired outfits because - well – she can.

But a part of me is longing for a Madonna fashion paradigm shift like she used to give us when she emerged with black hair or a kimono or a pointed bra. This is just feelin’ tired.

What do you guys think of the looks last night? Weigh in!

And don’t forget to Twitter with me and my sugar mamma, Jewelry.com for all the latest jewelry tidbits from the around the globe.

It’s a tough life, but somebody’s gotta Twitter it!

Madonna's Misstep at The Met

Madonna, don't be my new Paula Abdul, sister. Say it ain't so. Marc Jacobs really dressed you in this for tonight's Costume Institute Gala at The Met? You know, the gala where he is the guest of honor? Yeah, that gala.

What do you guys think? Is this just our funky, fierce Madge or a major faux pas?

More to come... (wait 'til you see who wore a misguided pants suit, who impressed in emeralds, and the oh so divine Marion Cotillard)

The Emperor's New Movie

What would entice some of Hollywoods hottest divas to spend an evening in a museum? Designer clothes and a movie of course. Blondes, brunettes and razor thin silhouettes turned out in force to honor the last Emperor of fashion and catch a movie premiere.

Special effects be gone - this one was all about the clothes..... Valentino's clothes. The documentary, Valentino: The Last Emperor, debuted in New York last night at the Museum of Modern Art with an audience of hard-core fashionistas, wanna-be fashionistas, muses, critics and the seriously beautiful.

Valentino is renowned for his penchant for all things - well all things extravagant. He's never been one to nod in the direction of minimilism. The septuagenarian designer, with his perma-orange tan, is known for his outlandish sense of more is more and less isn't by any means more. The movie, (which has been receiving mixed reviews - depends I suppose on where you stand on the more or less side of the scale) shows the man's six pugs on board their master's private jet, having their teeth brushed and being adorned with diamond earrings.

Doggy diamond earrings, now there's a thought (that should be banished).

Last night it was a diamonds on divas - not dogs that were causing a rucus. Surprisingly not as much bling as one would expect in an evening devoted to the Emperor himself.

Madonna, Gwyneth, Anne and Agyness were on hand to bow before the Emperor. Madge sporting a knuckleduster ring and looking as ageless as ever. Gwyneth in her signature black - and Ms. Hathaway knocking 'em all for six in a stunning white dress and just the right amount of bling.........

Score one for the brunettes last night....way to go Anne.

Diamonds and Divas at the Vanity Fair After Party

The Oscar hangover continues, jewelry hounds, with a glittering jewelry wrap-up of the after party circuit. The stars attended a bevy of bashes post-Oscar, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation party, Fox Searchlight's celebration and, of course, the always A-list Vanity Fair soiree.

Many of Hollywood’s biggest stars skipped the ceremony altogether, making their first appearance on the Vanity Fair red carpet, including Madonna who was wearing over $1 million in Neil Lane diamond jewels, including layers of black and white diamond beads (500 carats in all), a 50 carat diamond and onyx bracelet, 20 carat pear-shaped diamond earrings and a large cocktail ring.


















Other diamond divas included the always-stunning Kate Beckinsale in huge diamond loop earrings, red carpet staple, Sheryl Crowe, in diamond chandeliers, and the ageless Joan Collins in vintage diamond drops and a diamond cuff as icy as an Alexis Carrington glare. Meow.


















Gold glittered on JT main squeeze, Jessica Biel, Halle Berry, and Debra Messing; and Uma Thurman, Reese Witherspoon, Carrie Underwood and Gwen Stefani kept it classic with simple diamond statements.


















While Angelina and Brad didn’t show to rub elbows with Jen and John (big surprise), Sean Penn and ex, Madonna, shared the same space as did Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe, who reportedly shunned each other as they walked by arm in arm with their current loves, Jake Gyllenhaal and Abbie Cornish.

Meow indeed!

Bring Out the Bangles for Spring

While I would certainly love to “Walk Like an Egyptian” again, the bangle craze sweeping the nation this spring isn’t in the guise of an 80s girl band – it’s all in the wrist. If the recent runways are any indication, the ‘in’ way to accessorize this season is to layer big chunky bangles elbow deep and clink your way into sartorial bliss.

“Bangles are making a comeback,” stylist Edward Enninful, who used them at Alessandro Dell’Acqua’s Spring show for Malo, told Style.com. “The clothes were so urban, clean, and refined, we decided to pile bracelets on to give the collection a tribal edge.”

Designers like Christian Lacroix, Zac Posen and Marc Jacobs used the look with their lines, and if you haven’t gawked at Madonna’s bangled appendages for the new Louis Vuitton ads, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see that the iconic bangle wearer has brought the trend well into the 21st century.

Bangles have gone in and out of style over the years – from Nancy Cunard, the rebellious Jazz Age heiress, to Madge’s Dress You Up In My Love era in the 80s. But the bangle has been around for thousands of years, originating in India and Pakistan.

Indian tradition dictates that women wear bangles called Chudi to signify their recent marriage. Wearing a single bangle is frowned upon, perhaps because that familiar ‘clinking’ sound is such a part of Indian culture – even Bollywood incorporates the ‘bangle clink’ in many of their movie soundtracks.

Bangles are made from a variety of materials – from affordable plastics to more luxurious precious metals like silver or gold - all good news for us frugalistas who want to stay hip to the trends but not to our falling bank balances.

So whether you want to add a little flair to your “Manic Monday” or clink it up for a night on the town, layered bangles are a trendy, colorful – and most of all - affordable way to make your own jewelry statement for spring.

Clink on, jewelry hounds. Clink on.