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Hollywood, CA—If you were among the groupies who shouted “where’s your @#$%!# neck?” at The Criminologist (Charles Gray) in the original Rocky Horror Picture Show, you may feel like shouting “where’s your @!#$% necklace?” at all the recent awards shows.

Indeed, the absence of necklaces on the red carpet has been pronounced lately. Where once it was the first piece of jewelry a woman donned for a black-tie event, the trend right now seems to be understatement (relatively speaking, that is). While some stars made up for the expanse of barren skin with massive earrings or a muscle-busting cuff bracelet, many did not. Then there are those who went totally minimalist and opted for simple stud earrings. Of course when the studs in question top five carats each, maybe “minimalist” isn’t quite the right word, but you get the idea.

But more to the point, since luxury and fashion experts such as Michael O’Connor say red carpet trends absolutely do influence jewelry choices at the counter, will the empty neck sway your customers when they’re looking for their next black-tie outfit?

The best defense is always a good offense: no necklace doesn’t mean no jewelry. O’Connor, who frequently dresses stars in jewelry for red carpet events, is seeing a trend toward vintage for both men and women, in both jewelry and apparel. The TV show Mad Men is teaching men how to wear suits, pocket squares, and fedoras again, and inspiring women to dress up. Downton Abbey and the upcoming Great Gatsby are pushing fashion inspiration back even further, he says. Witness very ‘20s jewelry looks of Michelle Williams and Charlize Theron, who wore bejeweled headbands and, in the case of Theron, a brooch at the hip. Dropped waists, another very ‘20s look, have been on several runways at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York this week. In jewelry, he says look for the return (continuation?) of vintage styling and significant earrings like chandeliers--and perhaps at last the brooch might finally have its day.

When customers seem hesitant about a necklace, be proactive with a lookbook full of stars wearing dynamite bracelets, show-stopping earrings, and bright-as-a-beacon cocktail rings. And, says O'Connor, who was on the scene at a few awards shows, necklaces are not quite as extinct as the paparazzi might suggest.

"Magazine photographers tend to snap the same celebrities over and over," he said. But many other women who were at the event and weren't photographed did have necklaces.

Here is a quick look at the bevy of bare-necked beauties at recent awards shows (all celebrity photos, InStyle magazine; top of page is a Kwiat diamond star necklace):

Rooney Mara, left, and Carrie Underwood, right. Not seeing a lot of jewelry here.

Julianne Moore, left, and Kate Hudson, right. Hudson's dress is the only one shown here that legitimately should be worn without a necklace. At least both ladies amped up the earrings.

Natalie Portman, left, wears a bracelet but no necklace adorns this swan's neck. Kate Winslet, right, holds two golden globes, and wears a ring and a diamante buckle at her waist--but no necklace. 

Emma Stone, left, and Tina Fey and Jane Krakowski, right, were three more who dared to go bare (neck).