Blake Lively's Flings with Bling at Toronto

Blake Lively never ceases to stun me with her carefree yet matured sense of style. There’s something about the sun-kissed girl that keeps you guessing about what she would dole out to the next red-carpet fiesta. Every single outfit that the Gossip Girl actress dons seems like it was just randomly pulled out of her closet but she still manages to look effortlessly fashionable.

The 23-year-old actress arrived in Toronto to promote The Town, her upcoming film with Ben Affleck for the film festival pulling off a traveler-chic inspired look comprising of a baggy coat, hat, jeans and a Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra Vintage Long Necklace with floral details that gave her wardrobe a feminine tinge.

A few hours later, the L.A lass maintained the masculine look for her film’s press conference but looked sophisticated in an ultra-chic silk beige cut-out blouse and a sexy pair of animal-print Christian Louboutin Pigalle python pumps.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants actress showed that she knows a thing or two about pants herself as she rocked a pair of black belted draped ones, which emerged as the alternative to harem pants last year but still looked pretty fierce on Blake. The finishing touch to her layered look was naturally several long layered black bead chains. The strand of turquoise beads colorfully stood out at the centre and made this smart-casual look a hit.

Now her style for The Town premiere was a different saga altogether and it was girly glam power all the way. Blake wore her lovely hair down, dolled up and rightfully painted the town red in a seductive Chanel Fall 2010 Couture crimson-wine dress with rose petal details around the hip that looked absolutely gorgeous on the leggy beauty’s lean frame.

Her Christian Louboutin Big Lips 120 pencil pumps did their thing as did her black metallic earrings and three large cocktail rings with a large ruby ring as the centerpiece. Two words. Pure intoxication.

You can certainly look to Blake Lively for fashion inspiration, as she not only lets you into her fabulous wardrobe collection but also shows you that wherever you go, the right jewelry can always uplift an outfit beyond your wildest dreams. And guess what? She doesn’t even use a professional stylist! With her grasp on the latest fashion trends and amazing style sense, she truly doesn’t need one.

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Jennifer Aniston Becomes Barbra Streisand For Harpar's Bazaar

Jennifer Aniston wearing the Cartier Trinity necklace

Gone are the days of huddling up on the couch with a group of your best friends each week to watch every knee-slappingly funny episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. The 10 year run of the internationally popular sitcom not only had an emotional impact on all of us, but also a cultural effect.

Three words – ‘How you doin’?’ (Yes, you’ve said that now, at least once in your lifetime, haven’t you, thanks to Joey?), the Central Perk coffee house, Phoebe’s Smelly Cat which became a youtube sensation and the list could go on. And how could we forget “The Rachel” which was the nickname of Jennifer Aniston’s ever-changing hairstyle which was immediately copied all over the world?

Aniston’s come a long way in terms of her personal and professional life and she continues to make strides in the comedy genre of movies in Hollywood. She appeared in the September 2010 issue of Harpar’s Bazaar magazine, looking as classy as ever. America’s favorite funny girl wore Versace on the magazine cover and paid homage to the legendary entertainer, Barbra Streisand by replicating her iconic fashion looks in a series of shots.

Now when current-day actresses attempt to mimic celebrated actresses of yesteryears, it almost always ends up as an experiment gone wrong. But I must say Jen nailed it – the dramatic eye-makeup, the vintage hairdos and even the cat-like nails were perfect to the tee & would certainly not have made Barbra flinch.

I feel that the Jennifer was indeed an apt choice to recapture the free-spirited nature of Barba more so due to Aniston’s similar naturally sophisticated flair. Throughout the years, the 41 year old actress’ style has changed with the times while remaining simple and classic.

The Switch actress always chose lean, figure-flattering cuts with minimal fuss, subdued solid shades and delicate dainty jewelry like the one she wore this time too in my favorite Barba-style shot, wearing the newsboy cap (from Streisand’s What’s Up Doc?) and tank top. It was the timeless Cartier trinity necklace that completed the elegant look though.

Barbra Streisand in What's Up Doc?

The necklace features three intertwined circles of gold each representing different stages in a relationship: yellow gold for friendship, pink gold for love and white gold for loyalty and costs over $1000. But if you’d like more bling for your buck, you could easily get a gold-plated sterling silver imitation piece for less or try combining three of your favorite rings on a chain for a more personalized effect.

As the trend of big and bold jewelry takes the world by storm, Jennifer Aniston shows us that delicate, understated pieces still hold a special niche in everyone’s hearts and truly defy the sands of time.

Image courtesy:

http://www.harpersbazaar.com

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And the Emmy Award for the Best Dress & Jewelry Goes to…

It was all about statement jewelry during the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. As the silver screen stars descended on the red carpet at the Nokia Theatre in L.A, my jewelry radar was working overtime. When it came to bling, Lorrain Schwartz was the name of the evening hands down. Among all the dress colors, mysterious black and confident navy ruled the roost accented by bold statement jewelry.

Heidi Klum impressed me with her dramatic Lorraine Schwartz ruby and diamond necklace that was the highlight of her daring mini black strapless tulle dress by Marchesa. The necklace had that dark ‘blackened metal’ look that’s all the rage this season.

Eva Longoria made it difficult to ignore her with her show-stopping pair of ruby chandelier earrings by Loren Jewels arranged in a delicate floral design. They were the perfect complement to her basic black goddess gown by Robert Rogriguez which otherwise seemed like a recap of her Cannes 2010 couture.

As golden as an Emmy herself, Sofia Vergara stunned us in a Carolyn Herrera beaded gown accented with gold jewelry. I loved her inverted tulip-shaped earrings and her wavy hair that was rated the best hairstyle of the evening by E Entertainment.

And how could I not mention Glee actress Lea Michelle’s ruffled navy Oscar de La Renta fantasy dress? It was highlighted by a dark mesh diamond necklace, which reminded me of Heidi Klum’s jewelry sans the stones.

Some deemed Lea as the best dressed of the evening but it was love at first sight for me when singer Jewel entered the red carpet, looking breathtakingly divine in a sheer nude pink Zuhair Murad lace gown with a sweetheart neckline and a delightful satin bow waist.

The 36 year old Foolish Games singer paired her sparkling dress with a peach floral-shaped coral and diamond cocktail ring by Jacob & Co with matching hoop earrings that certainly brought out her flawless tanned skin. She carried a Christian Louboutin ‘Pliage’ nude satin shell-inspired clutch which completed the mermaid-goddess look.

The soulful crooner shined like a precious jewel herself, far above the blacks and blues of the evening with her bold but delicate choice of dress and exquisite jewelry. I think her wardrobe stylist needs a raise! Don’t you?

Image Courtesy:

http://www.cosmopolitan.com

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Jessica Alba Goes for Gold

The L.A premiere of the action thriller movie, Machete kicked off with a bang at the recently restored Orpheum Theatre in downtown L.A to which the stars of the film arrived in style in twenty bad-ass authentic low rider cars.

Jessica Alba led the pack with co-star Danny Trejo and looked amazing in an action-packed outfit herself, comprising of a black and gold sequined zigzag mini dress which she matched with black Christian Louboitin Tinazata cut-out booties.

But I was having a bizarre case of déjà vu once I set my eyes on her couture. Where had I seen it before? AH yes! Rihanna rocked a similar style on the July cover of Elle magazine in a purple and gold beaded silk version that put the spark in ‘sparkle’. Sharp edged broad shoulders, glittery material and bold colorful prints could only mean one brand – BALMAIN.

Every single look in the Balmain collection looks like a piece of abstract art and you can mark my words that the red carpet will see more of this style of dresses this season. But if you’re planning to steal Jessica’s look, here is what you should do to pull it off: Keep your hair and make-up casual but catchy. The hot 29 year old mom styled her hair in loose sexy waves which matched the zigzags on her dress too. She chose to tint her cheeks with a rosy brown blush and wore nude pink lip gloss giving off a natural fresh aura.

Moreover when you wear a show-stopping dress such as Alba’s, everything else should be kept simple including your bling. Of course a necklace would have looked rather garish with those bold prints so the Fantastic Four actress opted to stack a few stylish bangles from Aandra Neen to complete the gold look which comprised of a pewter and gold bracelet with pyramid studs and a number of thin pewter bangles with delicate gold detailing throughout.

Her wrist jewelry and cutout heels reminded me of Julia Roberts’s style for the New York premiere of Eat, Pray, Love and seeing both the leading ladies’ fashion approaches, four things are crystal clear:

Numero uno: Dresses with sharp edges are definitely here to stay and they give off a modern sophisticated look to your wardrobe.

No. 2: Cutout heels are all the rage and if you do not own a pair yet, then get yours now, pronto!

No. 3: Cover up with style with those long sleeves and high necklines to stay fashionable for the spotlight as well as the climate.

No. 4: Flaunt your unique pieces of jewelry one at a time such as a single bib necklace or that cocktail ring or a number of bangles stacked together like Jessica.

So there you go ladies – few of the vital trends for the fall with a little help from our Hollywood fashionistas. Keep rocking with style in the meantime and see you in the next blog post mi chicas!

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Tyra Banks' New Obsession With Dinosaur Jewelry

Tyra Banks is the fashionista of all fashionistas, who is always on the lookout for fresh blood in the modeling industry as well as in the world of fashion.

Her larger-than life personality, unique ability to capitalize on her modeling and a zest for the best easily make her one of the most successful and enviable supermodels in the world. So when she flaunts her fashions, my advice would be to perk up and take notes!

Her newfound fashion pet is 21 year old, emerging fashion designer, LaQuan Smith who dressed her up in a cute caramel baby doll dress with Victorian puff sleeves for the cover of Tyra’s magazine, Tyra: Beauty Inside & Out. She combined it with Azzedine Alaia grey sandal pumps and looked nothing short of stunning. A modern-day pixie is what came to mind sans the feathery wings.

The highlight of her ensemble though was undoubtedly the giant black and white bib necklace from Basile & Pape and this is one brand that never ceases to amaze me. They gave Fergie ‘intergalactic’ a little while ago with sparkling quartz jewelry and this time it was ‘prehistoric’ for Tyra as her necklace was made out unusual materials such as chocolate agate which can be found in certain volcanic or metamorphic rocks and megalodon fossil, which (you wouldn’t believe it) is found in shark teeth! They aptly call it the Dinosaur Bib Necklace and Tyra absolutely ‘rocked’ it (pun intended).

Apart from giving your couture a more upscale look, bib necklaces shout STATEMENT when you need them to. And as the green movement hits the world of jewelry in unthinkable ways, look for natural gemstones such as turquoise, jade, wood and even bone, courtesy Tyra. These are the perfect pieces to be incorporated into those dramatic statement necklaces which will surely give a jet-sized impact!

Image Courtesy:

http://www.tyra.com

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Julia Roberts Eats, Prays and Loves Her Jewelry

As Julia Roberts’ Eat, Pray, Love hits the theaters, she has been traveling to promote her movie from America all the way to the Far East in Japan. She was the first actress to appear in Vogue, is one of the highest paid actresses of all time, has been named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” eleven times and is an Academy award winner. Well, I’m sure there isn’t anything else left on her “to do before 40” list.

And If I was in her shoes I wouldn’t need to adopt power dressing at all. But that is what the Mona Lisa Smile actress did for the New York Premiere of her latest chick flick.

She sported a men’s-wear inspired black Stella McCartney blazer but gave it a sexy twist by combining it with a teeny pair of black tailored mini shorts by Diane von Furstenberg that exposed all 88 inches (or 82 rather) of her famous long legs. Had she removed her blazer though we would have had reruns of her micro-short body-con dress in Pretty Woman.

The Tokyo press conference however was a fashion debacle of sorts as she went from sexy to saggy and her stylist should be given a good knock on the head! Yes, the multicolored floral print of her green Dries Van Noten Fall 2010 dress seemed sort of Asian but the old-lady fit did absolutely nada for her figure.

I do not even want to comment about her out-of-place green Celine ankle strap wedges. But from her neck up, Julia actually looked pretty stunning thanks to a pair of gold and diamond, tear drop earrings by Jamie Wolf which shows that the actress’ jewelry style is still intact.

The same goes for her colorful Indian-inspired jewelry by Me&Ro at the New York Premiere comprising of an ink-blue lapis bead bracelet, matching lotus lapis earrings and a gold necklace with dangling trinkets which wasn’t on her neck but innovatively wrapped around her wrist. Using your necklace as a bracelet is in fact a fun, stylish and effortless method to give off the illusion of many bangles.

Her jewelry provided a colorful touch to her all-black ensemble and she seemed to be in total bliss. Well Julia darling, we are totally eating up your new movie, praying for you not to repeat any ancient looks but absolutely loving your mystical jewelry!

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Drew Barrymore's Sexy Transformation

Drew Barrymore is an actress of many facades who was first labeled as a failed child star after her childhood flings with a range of narcotics but transformed herself into the respectable actress that she is now. Her onscreen roles have translated into her personal style as well.

She’s been a rebellious wild child (think Charlie’s Angels or her nude photo shoot for Interview Magazine when she was a ripe 17), uber-girly (think 50 First Dates or Never Been Kissed), or subtly simple but rarely has she given us ‘sexy’. She’s got this adorably cute face, you know, the one with pinch-worthy cheeks and pouty lips which makes it slightly harder to make a sexy impression.

But all of that changed this August and I’m not talking about plastic surgery. The 35 year old actress put the ZING in amazing for the August issue of Elle magazine, rocking a strapless black leather dress from the Calvin Klein collection that gave her a mature yet hot look on the front cover.

But all you Jewel River readers should know by now that black is always a safe bet when it comes to dressing for a night out. So how do you distinguish yourself from the 49 other women who decided to go raven as well? With some scintillating jewelry of course! It really is your bling that will make it or break it amongst the crowd for that one night fashion stand and Drew’s cuff bracelets did me in!

The Going the Distance actress wore wide mesh cuffs from Urstadt Swan that were not made of silver but stainless steel. First of all she earns some brownie points for wearing bold but delicate jewelry as opposed to her usual understated selections but the real medal should be given for her choice of material.

The popular trend this year is to ditch the familiar and go for the eclectic but that doesn’t mean you should let go of your diamonds & gold. It wouldn’t hurt (your wallet) though to try other materials every now and then. Although silver is shinier than stainless steel, the cuffs which hung chicly on her wrist could totally be worn on the red carpet.

If you think that you’re ready to take charge, hold the reins with both hands and go the real distance as a sexy femme fatale, then follow Drew Barrymore’s lead and get ready to reap the benefits.

Image Courtesy:

http://www.elle.com

http://shop.laurenurstadtny.com

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Megan Fox Gets Foxy with Elephants

The MTV Teen Choice Awards left some questions unanswered. Where was Kristen Stewart when the Twilight cast needed her the most? Why didn’t the best kiss go to Taylor Lautner and Kristen in Twilight? (You've got to agree with me that it was much steamier than the one with Rob Patz. Go team JACOB!).

Most bafflingly, why in the world was Zac Efron wearing blue nail polish?! Showing off his girlfriend, Vanessa Hudgen’s girly whims and fancies in front of millions of unsuspecting viewers on national television? Not cool Zac.

But there was another hottie wearing blue that evening who probably foresaw herself winning the Choice Female Hottie Award and Choice Actress – Horror/Thriller Award because she aptly matched the colors of her chic outfit to the blue, grey and black hues on the surfboard-shaped award.

The sexy starlet was none other than the current booster to every guy’s testosterone and every girl’s envy, Megan fox and win, she did! The Transformers actress amazingly stood out like a chiseled babe on the beach as she posed with her surfboard in a two piece mini outfit when everyone else wore dresses.

She rocked a vibrant blue and white printed top and a metallic grey draped skirt from the Isabelle Marrant Fall 2010 collection and purple peep-toe pumps from Christian Louboutin. The new Armani makeup ambassador gave a final touch of glamour with Fern Freeland black and gold earrings and an array of bold rings.

But the one that drove me absolutely crazy was her diamond elephant cocktail ring from Ofira. Not only is this brunette bombshell fashion-savvy but her taste in jewelry is surprisingly impeccable too! Animal-inspired jewelry is a highly popular trend amongst the glitterati who want to make a bold statement and I’m not just talking about snake jewelry.

We’ve got owls, peacocks, dolphins and even octopuses springing up in the form of necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings but my favorite is the elegant elephant cocktail ring that elevates your outfit to a whole new level of OOMPH like how it did for Megan. She not only won awards that night but also a lot of hearts too, thanks to her sassy fashion pick and oh-so-foxy animal jewelry.

Image Courtesy:

http://www.ross-simons.com

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Fergie Gets Jewelry From Outerspace

“I gotta feeling...that tonight’s gonna be a good night! “

It wasn’t a good night but a frikkin’ great day when the Black Eyed Peas brought the New York crowd alive in Rumsey Playfield as they performed for ABC’s Good Morning America recently. The group’s futuristic theme in their latest songs such as in “Meet me halfway” could be seen in their ultramodern outfits too that day.

As the dancers choreographed their moves in a mechanized manner, the peas churned out their famous hits amidst smoke effects. You could imagine what Fergie would have looked like against this backdrop in an electric blue mini dress by Falguni and Shane Peacock. The top and sleeves were both black and sheer which was a fine contrast to the colorful funky patterns on her toned midriff.

But the best is yet to come. Most female singers go through several costume changes at concerts. This time Fergie didn’t change her costume but her rings! She underwent THREE ring changes, each one screaming for more attention that the previous one due to their ascending size.

The seductive starlet seems to be a huge fan of the larger-than-life ring collection from Basile and Pape that welcomes jewelry lovers to unleash their wild side. ‘Untamed, raw and bold’ are what pops up in the mind when you set your eyes on this uniquely eccentric collection of bling.

The rings are made from sterling silver, colorful, eclectic unpolished gems and metals such as quartz, silicon and titanium which are getting more and more popular this year. Seeing the “Intergalactic Knuckle Ring”, the “Polar Ring,” and the “Star Love Ring” that Fergie wore at the concert, it seemed like the seductive singer went for a Martian promenade under the two moons and collected some precious cosmic stones for her rings.

So what are you waiting for? Jump into your spaceship and zoom away into space with your own bold & colorful cocktail rings. Get wild, let loose and get FERGALACTIC I say!

Image Courtesy:

http://www.basileandpape.com

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The Clinton Affair - Chelsea Ties Knot in Flowers

Did you hear? Former president Bill Clinton was in the news recently for...hold your breath now…it was for…his daughter’s wedding of course!

America’s very own royal wedding of the century took place recently at the Astor Courts in Rhinebeck in New York where a super-flushed Chelsea Clinton finally tied the knot with her long-time boyfriend and investment banker, Marc Mezvinsky amidst the crème de la crème (sans Mr. Obama though).

Yes, there were $600,000 tents with glass walls, flowers worth half a million bucks, mobile toilets, security that costed $200,000 and yadayadayada! I shall cut the – I mean cut to the chase and reveal what you’ve been waiting for – her look for the big ‘I do’ moment.

She dazzled every dollar that was invested in her custom-made Vera Wang strapless organza gown which featured a draped silk tulle bodice. The highlight of the gown was undoubtedly her bejeweled belt which gave it a modern yet elegant twist and is a fantastic style trend that any bride-to-be can emulate.

But you would be surprised by Chelsea’s choice of minimal ornaments – an understated pair of diamond earrings, matching tennis bracelet and her princess cut diamond engagement ring set in platinum. The earrings were simply a delight though and comprised of two clusters of seven diamonds that were set to resemble small flowers.

The former first daughter serves as a beacon of light to show that a few pieces of tasteful jewelry can still complement your wedding gown on that big romantic day. Now if Marc didn’t fall in love with her all over again after seeing her dainty look, then I certainly would have (with her jewelry of course).

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