Cocktail jewellery is not a new phenomenon by any means (unlike the earthquake that just happened in Adelaide- ha! Had to). The likes of Rachel Zoe and Nicole Richie have been banging on about "more is more is more" for years (Mademoiselle Chanel would be turning in her grave at this sentiment.) What is it with skinny chicks and their giant rocks? Is there some kind of unwritten rule that the smaller you are the more (gold, not pounds) you pile on? Hmmm.
When I was in London recently, I found this really cool ring at a market stall in Camden. This little (ha! I'm not wrong!) Asian guy handmade all this really quirky jewellery with a friend of his, and the first one I liked was this twisted gold ram ring. It was quite weird actually, because I'm not the superstitious type, but I remembered something about a ram being a symbol for a star sign... so my friend Google-d it (good ol' iPhones) and turns out ram=Capricorn. And, in case you can't tell where this is going, Capricorn=Me! Fate. And - cute.
Lanvin Spring 2010 had some amaaazing standout pieces; think heavy gold linked-chains, jewel-encrusted cuffs and strands upon strands of shiny metals and stones. The good thing (well, one of many) is that these pieces can (almost) be justified through their versatility- you can wear them alone or layer them up- and up and up. Great against an LBD or even with an embellished outfit- preferably the sequined romper from the same collection...
Perspex jewellery was also huge on the Spring runways- Burberry Prorsum and Michael Kors are two shows that come to mind here. Not sure how I feel about the retro baubles at MK, but I loved the angular, smokey quartz-like perspex Christopher Bailey sent out at Burberry. I thought the sharpness of the jewellery made a great contrast to the soft twists and drapes and muted pastels of the clothes.
Oh, and since I'm on the topic of all things sparkly, I have a huge thing for double-finger rings. I first saw one on the Hills' Lauren Conrad, who actually has her name as the ring. It's like Carrie Bradshaw's "Carrie necklace" (you know, the one she thought she lost when she had to 'bend and scoop in Dior'), but in a ring version. There's heaps of websites out there trying to make a quick buck (or hundred - these things aren't cheap!) offering customised double-finger rings. These aren't quite as dangerous as the more typical cocktail rings, but trés chic all the same (I'm serious- some of these things are like weapons). Who needs a man to engage (pardon the pun) in some serious knuckle-dusting? Not me.
