What the stars wore to the People's Choice Awards

A new calendar year means the Awards season has started again and lots of opportunity to see the gals in the spotlight glammed up - to check out their fashion and their jewels!

This week was the People's Choice Awards held in Los Angeles.

Fashion: Solid colour dresses in either bold brights, black or white were the in the clear majority. Styles fell into two main categories - long or short with very few in between. Both were fitted, the longer styles featuring more draping. But it almost became repititious - oooh, there's another strapless dress - and another one shoulder gown. And another strapless and another one shoulder... Obviously strapless or one shoulder gowns were the flavour of the day!

Jewellery was pretty low key overall. Some chose beaded embellishments on their gowns instead of a necklace - in fact necklaces were noticeably absent. Two necklaces that did jump out though were 1) Demi Lovato with a large, draped, diamond and gold detailed piece that almost looked like a lace cut out from a distance and 2) Sofia Vergara whose large gold and silvery-grey pebble style necklace certainly grabbed the eye.

Earrings of course were abundant as they have been for a few years. Big, long or chandelier style, mostly in white gold/platinum and lots of sparkly diamonds. Of note, Taylor Swift wore long drop snowflakes, Mary J. Blige showed off white and brown diamond long geometric drops, and hostess Queen Latifah wore a pair of rose cut diamond silver and gold earrings and then after a costume change appeared in round diamond and platinum drop earrings which were a blingy 20 carats each!

Bracelets were mostly cuffs or bangles. Gold was more noticeable in this department but diamonds were more in evidence - from simple diamond bracelets to diamond mesh cuffs. Multiple bracelets were also worn by some - Mariah Carey and Jessica Alba happily layered them. There were also a few big cocktail rings - Taraji P Henson's gemstone ring was huge!

Oh, and the men looked just fine too ;)

Today's pic - well, just because the stars didn't wear a necklace last night doesn't mean I wouldn't! Perhaps I'd wear something like this since I just love sky blue topaz.

Till next :)
Annette

Finding things in common

I'm feeling like I'm back in the swing of things down here on the farm - i.e. I'm starting to get stressed at what I have to do before Christmas is upon me; my bench is piling up with "to do's"; and afternoons spent running the children around to after-school activities is slowly driving me to screaming point. All in all - back to normal LOL.

We're in the midst of some REALLY hot weather this week - it was easily in the low 40's (celsius) today and so very dry. We did have a splatter of rain in a storm but not enough to cool things off. Considering we're still in spring, this could pose a certain worry for the summer that is still to come!

I've managed to catch up on a little bit of blog reading and one thing that I love about reading blogs is the things you find you have in common with people - even if they seem so far removed from you. Whether that be in location or occupation or social status! It's great to find out that a fashion editor in London saves up her special buys and gifts 'for best' (even if 'best' rarely if ever arrives!). And the novelist in rural England who is an AWOL blogger and resident of a very dusty house because life keeps getting in her way. And even the European chef who couldn't decide WHAT to take (foodwise) to a party (nice to know even the professionals can't make up their mind!).

Do you follow a blogger who you've grown to see isn't that different from you after all?

Nancy from Tole4Thee noticed she had something in common with Victoria Beckham. Read her story here as it makes you realise we're really all just human beings sharing the planet!

I've started to make some jewels this past week as I have my first show since my holidays this weekend, at Tamworth. In aid of the Australian Brain Foundation, this annual Christmas fair is eagerly awaited and it is the first year I have been able to get in. I'm hoping for a day of meeting lots of new people and introducing them to the wonderful world of natural gemstones and pearls.

Perhaps someone will fall in love with this new bracelet of Hubei turquoise and sterling silver. It would look great winter or summer, don't you think!?

Paris Couture Week ... and more mundane things!

Earlier this month was Paris Couture Week, when the famous names lit up the runways with their haute couture designs - good and bad (!). Some of the stand out fashions in my book were by Armani Prive, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Valentino and Dior (I probably wouldn't be game enough to wear most of the Dior collection, but it certainly grabbed my eye!).

I was happy to note that jewellery was quite in evidence on the runways too - particularly statement necklaces with Armani Prive, long (and multiple) necklaces with Jean-Paul Gaultier, very long chain linked earrings (aka 'shoulder dusters') for Chanel, and Dior was into 'bling' and pearls both in necklaces and big drop earrings.

Of course, life down here on the farm is a bit more basic that the wearing of any of these couture fashions, and with three children running rampant, definitely not the place for high fashion. But it is nice to admire and daydream about :)

Term break is still in full swing here and yes, still lots of visitors and jobs to do. Unfortunately the rose garden is now overdue for both a prune and a weed - NOT my favourite job. Yep, it never ends.

By the way, I was interested to note the comments I received on my last post (re: my washing being on the clothes line for days) and found out that clothes lines are a thing of the distant past for many in the USA. This amazes me as of course I don't even have a clothes dryer! Then I found out about "The Right to Dry" group and well... what can I say!? Do YOU have a outside clothes line? What do you think about clothes lines vs dryers?

I have had a tiny amount of time to do some blog surfing and want to mention Mezz of Creative Outlet. I met Mezz in person quite a few years ago at the Sydney Bead & Gem Show and was glad to get re-acquainted with her recently. I have since started to read her blog more regularly -she writes great posts - do check them out!

The other blogger I was glad to see was Hilary from 57 Design Studio. Hilary went off and renovated her house a few months ago and was so busy she didn't get to blog much at all. But she's getting back into the swing of it now and has been creating, not just jewellery, but has branched out into paper crafts as well.

If you are an Aussie blogger, are you a member of any Australian blog groups? Through Anne of The Tall Poppy I have found both Aussie Bloggers and Blog Chicks - do check them out if you don't know of them already and join up! The more the merrier :)

For today's pic I chose a piece where I had a bit of a play with colour - in a subtle way. To add some fun to this unusual shaped agate I added some neon blue apatite. I like how the clasp reflects the shape of the agate too. It's a long strand that can be wrapped around into a two strand short necklace as shown in the picture.

I also had a query that it wasn't too obvious where you could see my other work, so please check out my website at www.annettepiper.com to see more!

Till next week - have a good one!
Cheers
Annette

Jewellery on the runway

Jewellery is making more and more impact on the fashion runways - the recent shows for spring 2009 featured lots of statement jewellery - masses of cuffs and bangles, huge earrings and a mixture of large, bold necklaces or pendants.

Some of the fashion is rather minimalist and jewellery will make or break these outfits. Maybe it is a reflection on the economy - perhaps the designers are expecting us to purchase more plain items (that will last more than a season) and our accessories will help make the look fashion forward. Even the more flamboyant designers still made a point of including bold jewellery.

Another awards event was on last week - the Director's Guild Awards - and there were a few necklaces in evidence. One that was particularly eyecatching was Marisa Tomei's chunky silver necklace. But, as has been the case recently, earrings were still the major players in the jewellery stakes.

I wanted to share a little piece of wisdom I found on the Business Mums Magazine Blog recently
A smile is a curved line that sets things straight.
Anon
How true is that! Even reading it makes you smile.

I occasionally make cuff style bracelets - and they always find a new home quickly. The one pictured above (and below) is a new one-of-a-kind cuff bracelet - delicate in colour but bold in size. Three strands of generous sized pale lilac freshwater pearls are liberally sprinkled with small faceted amethyst gems and the clasp is a discreet sterling silver slide style.

It is an unstructured cuff, however when on will sit comfortably with the three strands next to each other:


I have named the piece Hedy, which is a Greek name meaning 'peaceful' - the soft colouring is very tranquil. It will be on my website soon - keep your eyes peeled!

Spring and Fall

Well winter must be coming to an end - we have had some beautiful days recently, very reminiscent of spring. So, in an effort to keep up that feeling I thought I would do a quick rundown of spring fashions. Oh, and since half my readership is on the other side of the world where thoughts are turning to autumn (fall), I've done a quick onceover on fall colours too!

I am also getting ready for our annual holiday! We are heading north to warm sunshine and the beach - so I've been a bit disorganised on the home AND work front. But I'm always up for a bit of surfing and on my travels around my favourite sites found some personalised prints on My New Shiny Shoes - a particularly suitable idea for children with unusual names (ahem, like mine!) And then I was reading Daydream Art Studios blog and saw the wonderful collection of freebies Corinne had from other artists to give away at her local art & craft show. Now that is certainly sharing the love :)

Now onto the fashion colours/update:

Spring 2008 for those of us 'downunder'-
*What you will see lots of - shirt dresses, thin belts, head scarves, pencil skirts, high (but naturally high) waists, feminine dresses.
*Fabrics/Colours - silk, jersey, chiffon, a touch of metallics, black and white, white, prints
*Dresses - Feminine, floral and abstract prints (and pair them with delicate shoes), white white white sundresses, ballerina-chic.
*Overall impression - elegant and classy, think quality not quantity.

Fall 2008 colours for those 'up top'-
*Colours: rich, vibrant. Cool hues with bright undertones. Blue and purple tones are a firm favourite, followed by warm reds, oranges and yellows.

The jewellery item I've selected for today is a brand new one of a kind necklace from my new spring collection - in fact, you're the first to see it! Lemon citrine and 12ct gold fill - the lemon citrine has been cut into the most beautiful abstract shapes and are lightly faceted and incredibly clear. I think it would look very elegant with either the spring or fall fashions! Scrumptious. :)

Due to my above mentioned holidays I will be away in the sun, sand and surf so won't be posting till mid-September. BUT I am taking a LOT of jewellery projects with me (yes, woe is my long-suffering family) so I promise to come back laden with new pretties to look at!

Till next....

A holly blue necklace and the fashion world.

I just read an amusing post on the Beauty Banquet blog - about the bitchiness of the fashion world and Anne's first hand experience of it... albeit at the edges of fashion. It's a sad but true fact that some people are like that - it's all about the image they project.

Now, obvious fact here - I make jewellery. And as such it is an 'accessory'. But I make jewellery that is BEYOND fashion (ooooh, those fashionistas may hate me now!)- I endeavour to make timeless pieces that you can wear for years and may very well even be handed down to your children. I like the fact that you can don a statement necklace and all of a sudden that little black dress looks a million dollars.

I have had the experience of some people buying my jewellery and then mistreating it terribly - because to them it wasn't expensive enough to look after! It was 'throw away' as it was priced in a similar bracket to some resin/plastic/acrylic/plated pieces in a local boutique. Hey, we're talking about gemstones, pearls and sterling silver here! I make my pieces to be worn to enhance their appearance, but also as items that will be loved and respected and like sharing my jewellery with people who can see that my designs are incredibly well priced for one of a kind REAL jewellery!

So, I'm with you Anne - real women of the world unite!!!! (Ahhh, that feels better :) )

Now, a piece for today.... let me see. OK, even though it's a tad on the wintry side today the sun is shining and the sky is a brilliant shade of light blue ... and the blue reminds me of this piece (which is rather spring/summery but we've all got to have something to look forward to!). Gorgeous holly blue chalcedony is the drawcard in this necklace and isn't it stunning? Separated by flat squares of rock crystal quartz and tiny silver balls. The whole effect is quite modern with its angular cuts yet the colour is dreamy and quite sofly romantic.

Have a great day!!