Stylishly Yours, Jennifer Thorpe
There will always be a market for well-cut diamonds and rubies in the world, however, jewellery designers this season are going a bit more raw and rugged! Experience fashion icon Grace Kelly like never before at the Grace Kelly Exhibition at the Bendigo Art Gallery.
Accessories Update: Uncut Stones
The most famous raw-cut necklace in the past two decades will always be that Bvlgari number Nicole Kidman wore to the Oscars in 2002 – which she herself helped design. It’s a little less refined, a little edgier, and definitely at the forefront of accessory fashion.
So how to incorporate the trend into your everyday look?
Uncut quartzes and semi-precious stones are rampant in this look, but it’s important to find ones with classic settings which set off the gorgeous naturalness of it, rather than emphasising the hippie side.
After all, uncut gems and gemstones have been a part of New Age style for years, so you need to find a way to elevate it to fashion rather than resembling a fortune-teller. Go for intricate settings and intriguing, large pieces which make a statement.
Abbey-Lee Kershaw, the Australian supermodel, has been making a name for herself with huge semi-precious uncut stones in elaborate ring settings, on otherwise unadorned fingers. Never let the look go unpolished, even if the stone isn’t. Ramp up the glamour factor with tuxedo jackets and high-quality metals – silver and gold settings, along with platinum, are always a good plan. And one big stone at a time is all you need. Match several and you may end up looking like a catalogue. Pick your piece and wear it with confidence – no distractions. If a neckpiece is too big and bold for you, look for a cuff or an inconspicuous set of earrings which will pick up on the trend without blaring Look At Me. Enjoy the raw-cut phase – it’s good to be simple once in a while.
Image: Nicole Kidman at 2002 Oscars in raw diamond necklace.
Grace Kelly Exhibition Hits Bendigo Art Gallery
She’s one of the great fashion icons, and now Australia has a unique chance to sample a part of the Grace Kelly legacy.
From now to June 17, Bendigo Art Gallery is showcasing Grace Kelly: Style Icon, an exhibition encompassing most of Kelly’s life.
Kelly famously transformed from a Hollywood actress to a princess when she married Prince Rainier of Monaco in one of the most-admired wedding dresses of all time (which was actually designed by her Hollywood studio).
That dress, alas, is not on show, though an official copy is, along with many others. The exhibit has segments of Grace’s famous wardrobe from the 50s onwards, until her tragic death in a car accident. Most of her personal possessions now belong to either her family or the Crown of Monaco, so this is a rare experience.
It is, however, a pure fashion exhibit – no history or memorabilia allowed, and definitely no photography, as it might damage the fragile gowns, all of which are now decades old.
A rival exhibition in Toronto featured letters to Alfred Hitchcock and the Hermes purse which would be called the Kelly. It will be interesting to see whether Bendigo’s glorious opening lives up to the hype.
Image: Grace Kelly, Fashion Icon exhibition.
