Paris, Pearls and Perfection

Paris Fashion Week is winding down, and my favorite designers (Alexander McQueen, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Marc Jacbos for LV, etc.) all dazzled with cutting edge collections that left fashionista drool all along the Champs Elysees. But it was John Galliano who topped them all this season.




Always the Parisian darling, Galliano was hand-picked by Anna Wintour to take over the House of Dior a while back, and he's certainly done well by the brand - but it was his John Galliano line that sent the tastemakers and fashion obsessed into orbit.


Inspired by a research trip to Hollywood, Galliano immersed himself in the Tallulah Bankhead, Mary Pickford world of studio system glamour and spun it into a magnificent showing of lace, pearls, and simply spectacular headwear. Style.com aptly calls it his 'fashion version of Sunset Boulevard'.


And while we mere mortals can only gawk at the beautiful baubles and garments that only a size zero gamine can pull off, there are ways to bring a little Galliano high fashion fantasy into our own wardrobes.


I'm making a beeline for my grandmother's pearls and brooches - and already have a long blazer belted over a long dress set aside in my mind for the next night out. And it looks like layering those bangles is simply always a safe bet - the look is present here and with many other designers this year (see the Jewelry.com Facebook album for more).

So what do you guys think of the Galliano girls this go round? Aren't they just beyond? Or am I losing my mind after so many runway roundups?

Paris, Pearls and Perfection

Paris Fashion Week is winding down, and my favorite designers (Alexander McQueen, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Marc Jacbos for LV, etc.) all dazzled with cutting edge collections that left fashionista drool all along the Champs Elysees. But it was John Galliano who topped them all this season.




Always the Parisian darling, Galliano was hand-picked by Anna Wintour to take over the House of Dior a while back, and he's certainly done well by the brand - but it was his John Galliano line that sent the tastemakers and fashion obsessed into orbit.


Inspired by a research trip to Hollywood, Galliano immersed himself in the Tallulah Bankhead, Mary Pickford world of studio system glamour and spun it into a magnificent showing of lace, pearls, and simply spectacular headwear. Style.com aptly calls it his 'fashion version of Sunset Boulevard'.


And while we mere mortals can only gawk at the beautiful baubles and garments that only a size zero gamine can pull off, there are ways to bring a little Galliano high fashion fantasy into our own wardrobes.


I'm making a beeline for my grandmother's pearls and brooches - and already have a long blazer belted over a long dress set aside in my mind for the next night out. And it looks like layering those bangles is simply always a safe bet - the look is present here and with many other designers this year (see the Jewelry.com Facebook album for more).

So what do you guys think of the Galliano girls this go round? Aren't they just beyond? Or am I losing my mind after so many runway roundups?

Crash Course In Pearl Selection

What could be more beautiful, more traditional, more right than watching your bride walk down the aisle adorned in pearls? But buying fine jewelry for the woman of your dreams may seem to be a daunting task. Let me make it easy for you. There is nothing more beautiful to complement a wedding dress than a stunning strand of pearls.

Since pearls come in a variety of shapes, colors and overtones they are the versatile, perfect choice to support any wedding theme. Among the various types of pearls there is nothing more classic than a Bride in a white flowing gown, her neck draped with dazzling Akoya pearls known for their brilliant luster, elegance and infinite versatility. With uniformly round shapes, exceptional luster, shimmering orient, and an array of natural colors such as peach, lavender and white Cultured Freshwater Pearls are sure to charm and surprise your beautiful bride who’s looking for a more modern and contemporary wedding. And if you’re looking for something truly one of a kind then Tahitian Pearls in a tantalizing array of bold colors such as peacock, pistachio green and silver are perfect for an exotic wedding. Even White or Golden South Sea is sure to enhance the beauty of your bride.

Pearls are available in different grades and the buyer must bear some knowledge while selecting perfect pearl for your bride. Choose the right grade for your brides pearl jewelry. There are various grades that categorize pearls into different qualities.

1. A/A+: “A” quality is the lowest quality that is commercially available with wrinkles, small cracks, white or brownish spots, dimples and other nasty blemishes on their surface. They will be off-shape and only moderately matched.

2. AA: This quality pearls are near round in shape will have fair to good luster and the matching is done well.

3. AA+: Pearls of this quality are found perfectly round and well matched. The luster will be slightly sharper than the AA pearl and can be determined if can see your reflection in the pearl and some background detail.

4. AAA: Pearls of this quality are said to be ‘gem-quality’ pearl as it has less than 5% inclusions over its surface, and also can be completely free of inclusions with luster that sharper than AA+ quality. They have a glowing surface that is slightly translucent. There is little to no variation in shapes and matching of a strand.

5. HANADAMA: The term Hanadama is synonymous with rose color and vendors call them the flower pearls because of their rose colors, which lend proof to the fact that Hanadama is simply an identifying characteristic of color assuming the pearls have good luster and nacre. These are the absolute best Akoya pearls that you can buy.

It an be concluded that with a little crash course in pearl selection, you are ready to select the best pearl jewelry that she will treasure for a lifetime!

Pearl Jewelry ( A New Fashion ) : From Unreachable Treasure to

Nowadays with the introduction of pearl cultivation, people don't depend on hunting natural pearls any more, but raise our own pearls! The pearls cultivated by humans are called cultured pearls. During the development of this technology, people have concluded that water quality and temperature, season, oyster and seeding are the important factors to produce high quality pearls. Pearls have become not only valuable but also affordable.

A good pearl designer always looks for people's interests. When they notice that more and more people start paying much attention to pearls, their inspiration can lead to varied creations. If you open a fashion magazine, you can easily find pearls on sexy models and fake or real pearls as small decorations on clothes, handbags, scarf or belts. Pearls have become a new fashion in modern times again.

The incredible variety of pearl colors, shapes, sizes, and types offer people to choose unique pearl jewelry. Currently there’s especially great interest in baroque pearls and the “new” pearl shapes such as petals, coins, and squares.

Pearl jewelry is a hot commodity in Hollywood these days.

Due to the high value of pearls, designers still use them mostly in jewelry, but the design has been changed so much from old days. Everyone knows a modern fashionable word "globalization". fashion is going global. Now pearls are also going “global”. Pearls are not by themselves any more, they are getting mixed with all other kinds of gemstones, metals, and any possible jewelry. The idea of this trend is not only for them to suit formal occasions, but also suit all kinds of circumstances, all ages, status, and classes. The prices of pearl jewelry also vary widely from a few dollars to more than thousands dollars according to the quality and design.

Pearl Jewelry has changed from a rare unaffordable treasure to a mainstream in fashion.

Source : http://www.shecypearljewelry.com/pearl-articles/pearl-jewelry-from-unreachable-treasure-to-mainstream-in-fashion.html

Pearl Jewelry ( A New Fashion ) : From Unreachable Treasure to

Nowadays with the introduction of pearl cultivation, people don't depend on hunting natural pearls any more, but raise our own pearls! The pearls cultivated by humans are called cultured pearls. During the development of this technology, people have concluded that water quality and temperature, season, oyster and seeding are the important factors to produce high quality pearls. Pearls have become not only valuable but also affordable.

A good pearl designer always looks for people's interests. When they notice that more and more people start paying much attention to pearls, their inspiration can lead to varied creations. If you open a fashion magazine, you can easily find pearls on sexy models and fake or real pearls as small decorations on clothes, handbags, scarf or belts. Pearls have become a new fashion in modern times again.

The incredible variety of pearl colors, shapes, sizes, and types offer people to choose unique pearl jewelry. Currently there’s especially great interest in baroque pearls and the “new” pearl shapes such as petals, coins, and squares.

Pearl jewelry is a hot commodity in Hollywood these days.

Due to the high value of pearls, designers still use them mostly in jewelry, but the design has been changed so much from old days. Everyone knows a modern fashionable word "globalization". fashion is going global. Now pearls are also going “global”. Pearls are not by themselves any more, they are getting mixed with all other kinds of gemstones, metals, and any possible jewelry. The idea of this trend is not only for them to suit formal occasions, but also suit all kinds of circumstances, all ages, status, and classes. The prices of pearl jewelry also vary widely from a few dollars to more than thousands dollars according to the quality and design.

Pearl Jewelry has changed from a rare unaffordable treasure to a mainstream in fashion.

Source : http://www.shecypearljewelry.com/pearl-articles/pearl-jewelry-from-unreachable-treasure-to-mainstream-in-fashion.html