Did everyone catch the Super Bowl last night? Sit down, guys— I wasn’t talking about green turf and brown footballs. I was talking about the Super Bowl of film, one of the most glamorous, jewel-filled nights of the year. I was talking about the 87th Annual Academy Awards.
This awards event features some of the most extravagant dresses, talked-about hair and makeup, and — our favorite part — the most stunning red carpet jewelry styles you will ever see. So, what does this mean to you, the jeweler? Well, a lot, actually.
Numeral Uno. Trends, trends, and more trends. Alongside the runways, award season reveals what will be some of the year’s hottest trends, giving clues on what to stock in your showcases.
Here are the night’s most notable red carpet jewelry styles—
Wearing White
The fresh color that’s easy to wear. Metal color can also be used with colors sterling silver, white gold, platinum, and even alternative metals like stainless steel and titanium.
Trendsetters:
Marion Cotillard, Lupita Nyong’o and Anna Faris
Jewelry Translation:
Show pieces that highlight diamonds or other white gemstones (white topaz, opal, white sapphire, or pearls).
Embellishments
Flashes of fringe, sequins, hardware, and metallic fabric spice up any look.
Trendsetters:
Jennifer Lopez, Emma Stone and Chrissy Teigen
Jewelry Translation:
Simple extras such as a special finish, shank design or even asymmetrically placed stones can give the jewelry in your showcase that celebrity feel.
Statement Necklaces and Diamond Chokers
Dress with no embellishments? No problem. Make a statement with a larger necklace or choker.
Trendsetters:
Cate Blanchett, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Chastain and Zoe Saldana
Jewelry Translation:
This trend needs none. Bigger is better and diamonds are always a girl’s best friend. While these runway choices might not always be price-point friendly (Margot Robbie’s “zipper” necklace was valued at a cool $1.5 million), we have some suggestions to create a great statement necklace illusion below.
Sleek Knots
Bundled and tucked away tight, this trend refers mostly to hairstyles, but there’s room for translation.
Trendsetters:
Behati Prinsloo and Julianne Moore
Jewelry Translation:
The knot motif is in. Any look that shows a tightly bundled or woven design will fit the bill.
And the second reason you should care about what you saw on the Academy Awards is… [drumroll please] a whopping 34.6 million people tuned in to the premier event last night. Quite frankly, that’s A LOT of potential customers. Granted, you probably won’t have anyone walk into your store saying, “I want the diamond choker Jessica Chastain was wearing at the Oscars.” However, you might hear, “Do you have anything that LOOKS LIKE Jessica Chastain’s diamond choker?” And that is something you can do.
Matching these red carpet jewelry styles is all about picking up certain elements or features within each piece. For example, your customer wants Jess’ diamond choker? What about layering multiple, shorter necklaces (16”) together?
Color and shape can help, too
While she didn’t sport it at the Academy Awards, Lady Gaga wore an amazing emerald ensemble, which included 45-carat earrings, at the Grammys earlier this month. Looking for that pop of color? Try something green. No, it doesn’t have to be emerald; green tourmaline, topaz, and peridot work just fine, too. And stay in the same shape as the original. If the celeb went with green and pear (as GaGa did), show something in that combo for the win.
Play with textures
Skip the jewels; your customer wants something that resembles Rosamund Pike’s red show-stopping dress…whaaaaa? This is where textures come in. Try showing something that gives that ruched feel, like brushed, ice, or stone finishes.
When you’re shooting for celebrity style, just remember to match features like length, color, shape, texture, layers, and design. It’s an easy, simple way to stay current and on trend.
See more favorite red carpet jewelry styles from this year’s Academy Awards on our Facebook and Pinterest pages.
