2011 People's Choice Awards: Red Carpet Jewelry Roundup

 

Fasten your leverbacks, jewelry hounds. Awards Season is upon us!

Last night's People's Choice Awards kicked off what is sure to be a sparkle-filled season of A-list gems and gowns - and the 'less is more' trend everyone has been squawking about was - indeed- on display.

With metallic minis ruling the fashion landscape last night, jewelry style stayed on the down low - with lots of metal looks making an appearance instead of huge doses of diamond bling.

Nude pumps and naked necklines are also trending big, with simple earring style ruling the red carpet on stars like Taylor Swift (in Amrapali) and Selena Gomez.

My best bejeweled look of the night has to go to the lovely Lucy Hale in a burnt orange mini from Ronal Abdala and a diamond ensemble also from Amrapali in 14kt Gold. Loving the color combo in a "Michelle Williams Oscar" kind of way.

And the worst? Sorry, but Natalie Portman's tiered purple Jason Wu does nothing to flatter the burgeoning baby bump - despite her sparkly Solange Azagury-Partridge mirror ball earrings.

Finally, Jennifer Aniston? I'm still just not that into your pants-suit/layered gold chain look from 2002. Bless you, but you gotta mix it up, sister.

Here are some more of my selects from last night. Any favorites? Nothing really knocked my socks off.

Gaga for VMA Jewelry Fashion

Jersey Shore meatheads met Gaga's meat couture at the 2010 VMA Awards last night. And while the jewelry trends weren't as bodacious as the Lady's fashion choices - there were some highlights worth sharing.

First - the Franc Ferdinand-designed meat dress. Not even Cher in her iconic black sequined unitard could upstage this Peta-angering Gaga statement. Thoughts?

I've always been a 'black-diamond Betty' - and any MTV event is the perfect time for the dark side to shine.



Hoops have been a mainstay on these less formal red carpet events - and the VMA white carpet was no exception.


And my favorite overall look went to the lovely Selena Gomez - in a Reem Acra silver frock (love the pockets!) with blue gemstone detail and Baccarat jewelry, including what look like sapphire drop earrings and a chunky sapphire cocktail ring. Something about the silver and blue really works, right?.



And now for a little non-jewelry VMA musing. While I LOVE that Gaga is pushing buttons with her fashion choices - I kinda miss that tried and true VMA train wreck from yestertear. There's no Courtney Love faux pas to count on or some drunken grunge dude climbing the sets. The EARNEST, barefooted Taylor Swift/Kanye West 'controversy' just isn't working for me.

Maybe I'm just cranky that the runway looks from Fashion Week so far aren't giving me any gawk-worthy jewelry to crow about. But we're only half-way through...stay tuned.

Blondes, Baubles and Bad Taste at the CMT Awards

Jewelry hounds, I'm not trying to be disagreeable. Red carpet jewelry and fashion gawking is certainly not saving any oil-soaked pelicans or curing cancer anytime soon. But when Jersey Shore's Snooki looks better than half the divas doing the rounds at the Country Music Television (CMT) Awards, you know you're in for a long night.

And what is Snooki doing at the CMT Awards?

Let's start with the good. Taylor Swift. Always a fashion winner. Love the straight hair. Hoops. Galliano. Louboutin. What's not to like?


What's not to like? How about this unfortunate statement necklace choice by Kellie Pickler?


Or this bizarre lace mini green monster thing on Hayden Panitierre?


Or the weird day-glo dress meets sparkly gold teardrop earring look on Leann Rimes?


Or Laura Bell Bundy's gold stripper, I mean, red carpet get-up?


Or Miranda Lambert's Snooki impression?

Or this ho-hum look an the usually stunning Faith Hill (love the trendy big hoops, though)?


Clearly this battle of the blonde bombshells left me battered and bruised. Am I going off the rails here? Or is Country Music in desperate need of a Rachel Zoe makeover?

Grammy Jewelry: Glam, Gauche and Gaga

Diamond jewelry was the big hit on the Grammy Awards red carpet last night, with lots of pendant earrings, icy studs, cuffs and a few statement necklaces thrown in for good measure.

Gone are the colorful gems of the Globes and SAGs - which should come as no surprise since the music industry is more bling-obsessed than the thespian set. And while there were some stunning looks to applaud, there were a few fashion missteps from some of the red carpet's most reliable stars.

Taylor Swift (despite her unimpressive duet with icon, Stevie Nicks) looked lovely in 12 carat diamond pendant earrings from Lorraine Schwartz. And Pink one-upped her teen competition with, oh, a mere $2.5 mil worth of ice from Neil Lane.



The statement necklace brigade was represented by Shawn Colvin. And simple diamond studs made Rihanna's unfortunate gown choice a little less, um, poofy?

Speaking of poof, Jersey Shore's Snookie showed up in basic hoops (sans the hair bump) and a Seaside-inspired mini that outclassed Britney Spears' unfortunate frock choice with what appears to be fishnet overlay. Oh, sister.

The biggest disappointment for me was the night's big winner, Beyonce, in these gaudy, oversized, yellow gold Lorraine Schwartz earrings and nude Stephane Rolland frock. Not a good color combo and a she crossed the glam line to gaudy. Agree?

And of course, Lady Gaga, in a category all her own - didn't disappoint with her fashion statement or her performance. The show could only go downhill after her incredible opening number with Elton John and the red carpet suffered the same 'gasp' vacuum as well at the end of the day.

What do you guys think? Are you as gaga for Gaga as I am? Are you thumbs up with the Beyonce choice? Weigh in!

Jewelry Sparkles at the People's Choice Awards

It wasn't a jewelry blow-out like we diamond-obsessed folks hope for, but The People's Choice Awards did reveal some classy jewels, new color trends and a peak at awards show glamour-to -come.

Winter white, strapless cocktail frocks and one-shoulder gowns were the fashion trends that emerged (kindof a snore, but classic). A-list staples (Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman) mixed with the up-and-comers (T-Swift, Ginnifer Goodwin, etc.) - and Mariah Carey provided yet another cringe-worthy appearance complete with an unwalkable gown choice, diamond overload and rambling nonsense in the guise of an acceptance speech.

Nick Cannon? Make it stop.

Jewelry style was appealing and uneventful - with Tarji P. Henson providing the night's biggest lower jaw drop moment: a gemstone cocktail ring the size of a hockey puck. Love the color. Love the gown. Love it all.



Who wore your favorite look of the night? Sandra Bullock in a nude Vivienne Westwood number with barely there jewels? Taylor Swift in winter white and Neil Lane? Weigh in!