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Now Hear This! Bold Earrings Take Center Stage At Oscars | February 25, 2015 (0 comments)
Hollywood, CA—Oscar night is as much about the red-carpet parade of fashion as the awards for Best Picture. This year, accessorizing was all about the earring—big, bold, and statement making.
The fashion parade for the 87th Academy Awards was notable for its elegance and lack of costume-y getups. Also noticeable was a trend toward baring the back instead of the front. Certainly there was no shortage of plunging necklines, but more than a few stars—most notably Naomi Watts in Armani—donned gowns that looked demurely modest from the front, but with a dramatic rear view. Others, such as screen legend Meryl Streep and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Cheryl Boone Isaacs (left), went for age-appropriate elegance.
Meryl Streep accented a Lanvin evening suit with a major earring statement. Below, Naomi Watts's modest front hides a daring back, accessorized with showstopping earrings.
Either way, a covered front means emphasis shifts away from the neck. That’s an invitation to dress the ears, and big earrings were big news at the Oscars. That doesn’t mean there were no necklaces to speak of, even topping modest decollete. The “can’t miss it” award for neckwear this year goes to Cate Blanchett, who topped a black Martin Margiela gown with a turquoise, aquamarine, and diamond showstopper in platinum, from Tiffany & Co.:
Jeweler Lauren Kulchinsky Levison of Mayfair Jewelers points out that the Oscar earring trend may be driven more by the emphasis placed on the red-carpet gowns than anything else. “It is all about the dress, and the designer doesn't want competition even if it serves the dress, so the styling team can only work the ears,” she says. In essence, it forces the trend.
Still, your customers are seeing the end result. Many other luxury categories like beauty and accessories brands, have successfully translated Oscar glamour to real-life products, whether it’s allowing customers to buy the same red lipstick or a special collection of shoes inspired by the custom-designed footwear the stars wore. Click here to read a Luxury Daily article that discusses how luxury beauty and accessory brands successfully tap into the Oscars for marketing.
The key to successfully translating red carpet jewelry into real life is to remember that trends are directional, not necessarily literal. Look at colors, shapes, proportions, and materials for inspiration. For example, the grand sapphire, diamond, and South Sea pearl earrings worn by Boone Isaacs (top of page) are dazzling, but for a customer who doesn’t have a lot of red-carpet events to go to—or the budget to afford a similar pair—they can be translated into a smaller version or into less-expensive stones and freshwater pearls set in silver.
Here’s a look at the top Oscar jewelry trends, featuring brands you can—and perhaps already do—carry in your store:
Singer and actress Idina Menzel donned Simon G.’s diamond line earrings (18k white gold and 3.00 ctw diamonds) and cuff bracelet (18k white gold and 5.00 ctw diamonds).
Idina Menzel shows off the modest top/statement earrings trend of this year's Oscars.
A host of actresses and other celebrities wore Forevermark diamonds to the Oscars and related parties. Actress Paula Patton wore chandelier earrings and 14.58-ct. oval diamond ring. Actress Jaime King wore Forevermark by Jade Trau diamond charm rings, Forevermark by Galili & Co. diamond princess bracelet, and Forevermark brand diamonds by the yard necklace, and yellow gold drop earrings.
Jaime King, left, and Paula Patton, right, in Forevermark diamonds.
Actress Sienna Miller wore a 40.79 ctw Forevermark diamond line bracelet by Leo Schachter. E! host Giuliana Rancic wore Forevermark double-halo diamond stud earrings. Actress Chloe Grace Moretz wore Forevermark by A. Link’s Embrace necklace and an oval swirl ring. Model Hannah Davis wore Forevermark Exceptional Diamond necklace by Rahaminov, Forevermark by Natalie K Riviera necklace, and Forevermark The Center of My Universe Studs.
Hannah Davis rocks the latest look in evening wear--pants--and adds Forevermark diamonds by Rahaminov and Natalie K.
Model and actress Dylan Penn wore Forevermark Diamond Pyramid Earrings, Forevermark by Natalie K rose gold diamond rings, and Forevermark by Jade Trau The Center of My Universe diamond band. Actress Michelle Trachtenberg: Forevermark by Maria Canale Deco cuff and Forevermark brand diamond choker, line bracelets, diamond studs, marquise ring and bangle. Model Genevieve Morton wore Forevermark by A. Link Bubble necklace, and Forevermark brand rings and drop earrings with pear-shaped diamonds. Actress Eliza Taylor wore Forevermark by Natalie K pear diamond ring and Forevermark brand diamond band and circle earrings. Actress Jillian Rose Reed wore Forevermark double drop earrings and diamond band. Actress Nikki DeLoach wore Forevermark drop earrings and bangles.
Vintage gold was also a favorite look. Presenter Margot Robbie wore a vintage gold Van Cleef & Arpels “Zip Antique Colombine” necklace featuring diamonds and sapphires set in 18K yellow gold. Best Supporting Actress winner Patricia Arquette chose Fred Leighton old European cut diamond drop earrings, 2.50 carats each in gold, and old European cut diamond filigree ring, 2.0 ctw in gold.
Margot Robbie, left, and Viola Davis, right, both chose vintage gold statement necklaces.
Nominee Emma Stone wore a pair of yellow and white gold Tiffany & Co. cuffs with rose-cut diamonds. Presenter Viola Davis chose Van Cleef & Arpels’ “Valadon” necklace (1973), featuring cultured pearls and diamonds set in 18k yellow gold; earrings featuring internally flawless diamonds set in 18k white gold, and “Perlée” bracelet featuring 768 diamonds set in 18k yellow gold. Actress America Ferrera wore yellow gold, opal, and turquoise Irene Neuwirth drop earrings. Actress Joanna Newsom also chose Irene Neuwirth; a turquoise and yellow gold ring.
Nominee Felicity Jones carried a precious minaudière (c. 1947) from the Van Cleef & Arpels Collection, crafted in styptor, yellow gold, and diamonds. She also wore “Dans les Étoiles” earrings featuring white and yellow diamonds and briolette-cut champagne diamond drops set in 18k white gold. Actress Kelly Preston wore Kimberly McDonald double geode earrings with signature irregular diamonds set in 18k yellow gold. Performer Rita Ora wore Lorraine Schwartz yellow gold and diamond earrings and rings, and presenter Scarlet Johansson wore mismatched Piaget yellow gold, diamond and emerald earrings.
Actress Hailee Steinfeld wore Azva yellow gold bangles and ring and actress Leslie Mann wore Neil Lane diamond and gold necklace, pearl and gold chain with emerald pendant, diamond and gold chain, a diamond and gold leaf cuff and a diamond and gold ring.
An equally impressive roster of celebrities chose platinum jewelry for the Oscars and related parties. Jennifer Lopez (below) wore platinum and diamond drop earrings (20 carats), and platinum and diamond rings by Neil Lane, and Art Deco platinum and diamond pendant earrings by Fred Leighton.
Emma Stone wore platinum and emerald cut diamond stud earrings (retail: $112,000) and platinum and round diamond ring (retail: $110,000), by Tiffany & Co.. Reese Witherspoon also chose Tiffany & Co. for her platinum cluster earrings with pear shape and marquee diamonds, platinum bracelet with pear shape, baguette, and round diamonds, and platinum ring with fancy intense blue diamond and white diamonds, and Nicole Kidman chose platinum and emerald cut diamond ear studs (7.11 ctw), platinum and diamond bracelet (82.14 ctw), platinum and emerald cut diamond solitaire ring (16.5 ctw), and platinum and bezel set diamond ring (5.36 ctw), all by Harry Winston.
Nicole Kidman, left, and Reese Witherspoon, right, both chose platinum earrings.
Neil Lane was favored by actress Zoe Saldana, who wore a platinum and diamond necklace (100.0 ctw), stud earrings, and ring. Actress Sofia Vergara wore Lane’s platinum and diamond bracelet, pear shaped diamond chandelier earrings, and ring. Gina Rodriguez wore his Art Deco platinum and diamond drop earrings, platinum and diamond straight-line bracelet, and platinum bracelet and rings with diamonds and black onyx.
The boys favored Neil Lane too: Singer Adam Levine wore a platinum ring set with onyx and diamonds, and Adrien Brody wore a platinum ring.
Actress Dita Von Teese wore a Doves by Doron Paloma ring the 23rd Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation's Oscar Viewing Party on February 22 in Los Angeles. Italia Ricci wore Doves earrings to the party, while Odeya Rush wore the brand’s earrings at the Chanel and Charles Finch Pre-Oscar Dinner at Madeo Restaurant in LA on February 21.
Dita Von Teese, above, wore this Doves ring to Elton John's Oscar Viewing Party. She kindly gave a shoutout to Doves on social media, below:
Renowned diamantaire Norman Silverman also made a splash at the Oscars: Suki Waterhouse wore a ring, Michelle Monaghan wore earrings and a ring, Behati Prinsloo wore earrings and a bracelet, Lily Collins wore earrings, Olivia Munn wore three-stone drop earrings and a ring, and Chrissy Teigen and Anna Kendrick also donned jewelry by Norman Silverman Diamonds.
Michelle Monaghan, above, and Behati Prinsloo, below, were two of many celebrities who wore jewelry from Norman Silverman Diamonds. Each is shown with her pieces.
Finally, Le Vian made a splash at some of the top Oscar parties: Left to right: at the 23rd Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party, Bar Paly wore Le Vian earrings and bracelet; Camilla Luddington wore a Le Vian ring; Meagan Good wore Le Vian earrings; and singer Natasha Bedingfield wore two Le Vian stackable rings.
Celebrities wearing Le Vian designs at the 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter included model Charlotte McKinney in a snake bangle; Brittany Snow in a ring, and Queen Latifah wearing a Le Vian cuff:
