They Wore it Best

We’ve had so many movie stars and fashion icons rock the red carpet with their flowy gowns and expensive jewels but not everybody has managed to marry the two well. Only some have perfected the art of using jewellery as an ‘ornament’ that seamlessly blends with their attire. With their jewellery, they have managed to create iconic looks that are timeless and inspiring even today. Vijetha Rangabashyam spoke to top jewellery designers about who their muse is when it comes to jewellery and why, and here’s what they had to say. Whether you are a buyer, seller or a designer, if you are ever in need of some inspiration, turn over to these icons whose taste in jewellery has been immaculate.

Jewellery is to clothing as seasoning is to cooking. Without a good pinch of salt and pepper, a dish doesn’t shine through, because it lacks flavour. Likewise, a look graduates to the next level only with a perfect accessory and jewellery more often than not is an unsung hero to completing a look. The shimmer of diamond or the glitter of gold is always there in the background, lending the ensemble a ‘little something’.

We spoke to Tinsel Town’s favourite jewellery designers and asked them who their muse is when it comes to jewellery and their choices though so different from one another, has one common thread – each of these women weren’t (aren’t) afraid of accessorising and their very ‘individual’ sense of style was (is) just an alter-ego of their personalities. They know what jewellery suits them, how to wear and layer them and how to team them with the perfect ensemble. Some of their looks have gone on to set everlasting trends and inspire so many jewellers.

Elizabeth knows is Bvlgari’. From the 321- carat Burmese sapphire sautoir necklace to a stunning emerald and diamond choker, she owned several pieces from Bvlgari. Her jewellery was bold with big, juicy gemstones often paired with several diamonds. She was known for her bold statement jewellery, which spoke volumes about her persona. Of all her films, Cleopatra is fondly remembered by connoisseurs of fashion and jewellery alike even today. ‘I absolutely love her look in the film. Her statement neckpieces, headgears and handcuffs are historic style statements even today ,’ says Yash.

The Collector
From letting the diamonds in her necklace drip down to her décolletage to wearing a tiara to the Academy Awards, Dame Elizabeth Taylor was the Queen of glamour. There is a bit of Taylor in every creator’s imagination – after Cleopatra, every woman wanted jewellery with serpentine motifs and couturiers are still nuts about the slipdress, which was once made famous by her iconic look in the movie ‘Cat on the Hot Tin Roof.’ But Taylor’s love for jewellery was something special. She penned in her book, ‘My Love Affair with Jewelry’, “I’m fortunate to have some very important pieces of jewelry. I don’t believe I own any of the pieces. I believe that I am their custodian, here to enjoy them, to give them the best treatment in the world, to watch after their safety, and to love them.” Love them, she absolutely did! So for one of India’s finest jewellery designers, Yash Agarwal of Birdhichand Ganshyamdas, it had to be this enduring style icon, who not only understood the worth of her jewellery but also knew how to wear it. ‘She is my ultimate source of style inspiration. She had a refined taste for jewellery and was one of the world’s best jewellery collectors. She loved wearing high-octane jewellery, something Birdhichand is known for creating,’ he said. Liz was seldom found devoid of jewels, for one, the famed 33- carat Krupp Diamond ring that was gifted to her by husband Richard Burton travelled with her wherever she went. She was also known for teaming her onscreen outfits with pieces from her own repertoire. ‘She created bespoke looks with her styling and Birdhichand is known to create bespoke looks with extravagant jewellery masterpieces. Hence, I think I would have loved to dress her in our jewellery,’ says Yash. The actor’s love affair with Bvlgari is also a well known fact – Burton once said, ‘the only Italian word Elizabeth knows is Bvlgari’. From the 321- carat Burmese sapphire sautoir necklace to a stunning emerald and diamond choker, she owned several pieces from Bvlgari. Her jewellery was bold with big, juicy gemstones often paired with several diamonds. She was known for her bold statement jewellery, which spoke volumes about her persona. Of all her films, Cleopatra is fondly remembered by connoisseurs of fashion and jewellery alike even today. ‘I absolutely love her look in the film. Her statement neckpieces, headgears and handcuffs are historic style statements even today ,’ says Yash.

The Minimalist
There is more to Angelina Jolie than her bee-stung lips and thigh high slits. A philanthropist, known for her charitable heart, Jolie’s style has evolved from Goth and grungy to classy and elegant over the years. She has garnered fans for her show-stopping red carpet looks (except the blood vial necklace of course). The Girl, Interrupted star is known for her carefully curated pieces of jewellery. Who can forget her $10 million, 85-carat Athena necklace made from rare D-flawless diamonds that she loaned from H. Stern for the Oscars? But much has changed since 2004 – her style now is more subdued and she wears jewellery merely to accessorize her outfits and this is not to say that her love for jewellery has withered away. Jewellery designer Renu Oberoi thinks of Jolie as her muse as her style is minimalist and elegant, characteristics that resonate with her own jewellery. ‘I really like how she chooses her statement yet delicate pieces of jewellery which truly complements her personality. My jewellery symbolises refined elegance and celebrates modern simplicity which resonates with a powerful woman like her,’ says Renu. Jolie’s choice of jewellery in the recent past is defined by a simple pair of solitaires or a sleek diamond bracelet. But if her stunning red carpet looks are anything to go by, the actor is definitely a sucker for drop earrings – her 115-carat Colombian emerald drop earrings designed by Lorraine Schwartz, which she teamed with a black Elie Saab gown made emeralds popular overnight (true story)! Another standout pair of drop earrings that has stood the test of time was her 42-carat flawless diamond earrings designed by Robert Procop. There is never too much on her – but her way of wearing earrings with voluptuous gemstones speaks volumes about her affinity towards a minimalist aesthetic. She loves her earrings that she mostly pairs with a cocktail ring or a sleek bracelet at the most, her neck is almost always bare. Renu is known for her classic jewellery crafted using exquisite gemstones that she feels has a Joliesque aura about them, ‘She always selects statement droplet earrings and shoulder sweeping chandeliers for most of her red carpet appearances, which also happens to be our signature.’

The Superstar

Sridevi was born for the silverscreen; the camera was in love with her as much as she was in love with the camera. No star embraced the thriving style sensibilities of a particular era as much as she did. She made plastic hoops, neon coloured bindis, feather boas and outré fashionable in the 80s – who else could carry off gold headgears and a hat made of strands of hay with so much aplomb? Cut to 20 years later, the chilli red silk saree that she quite beautifully paired with a simple gold choker and a mangalsutra in the climax scene of English Vinglish is alive in our minds even today. For Amrapali’s Tarang Arora, no one carried off both ethnic and modern outfits with the same ease as she did. For appearances and award shows, she was a lover of Indian attires and her jewellery was always striking. She was a lover of chokers, especially with polkis and uncut diamonds. The maharani necklace she teamed with a dark blue Manish Malhotra number and the chunky ruby and diamond necklace with pearl embellishments that she wore with a pink and golden Sabyasachi saree for her Padmashree felicitation ceremony remain iconic amidst many traditional pieces that she loved and adorned. She chandelier earrings and cocktail rings with the same ease and comfort and looked every bit gorgeous. However, Tarang fondly remembers the simple polki earrings she wore from Amrapali for an award function, ‘I think later in life, with her two grown up daughters, she became rather experimental with her styling and that was the time she started wearing our jewellery. We have worked a lot with her and she would always curate her looks herself, there was never a stylist involved. She would call me and I would arrange for her to visit our store wherever slipped into pantsuits and palazzos with she was. She just knew what jewellery to wear when and she never needed a stylist,’ he adds. What makes her a fashion icon even today is her versatility. In Chandni she was effervescent in a Rani pink number teamed with chunky gold jewellery but in the song ‘tere mere hoton’ she looked every bit elegant and sensuous in plain chiffon sarees. She was multifaceted when it came to fashion. ‘I loved her styling in Chaalbaaz and Mr. India. She also looked great in Lamhe, carrying off looks of both the mother and daughter wasn’t an easy feat,’ he said.