Trendy Costume Jewels for Summer

If you had to use one word to describe the trends in jewelry for this summer it would be multi-colored. Costume jewelry is also going back to the hard plastic and Lucite varieties of body decoration. The look is very forties but also very eighties when Lucite bracelets were sought after collectibles.  Nowadays plastic bracelets mimic the swirled multi-colored look of a genuine Lucite bracelet. Lucite as a type of plastic is very hard to find so a lot of people procure them on eBay.

The coolest looks are thick bangles that are slightly translucent with multicolored swirls inside them. However another great look is the single primary colored bangles that are stacked on the arm. Once again this stacked look with big plastic bangles is very eighties in style.

Fake or real amber bracelets are also really popular this fall. You are going to see plastic imitations of amber broken up into section and tied together with cord.  You will also see amber toned pendants and earrings too. The look is very chunky and retro eighties looking in flair.

The cuff shaped bracelet in general is back.  The thicker and wider the bracelet the better. Even the enameled metal bracelets that are going to be so much in style tend to be multicolored and decorated with abstract shapes.

Enameled jewelry in general is very hot. You will see those “Flintstone” type shapes coming back into fashion.  The look of this jewelry is very fifties in shape boasting boomerang like and squares lines. Oval shapes that are stacked and hanging off of a chain is also going to be very popular.

Anything fake or real that has the Chanel logo on it is also in style for summer and fall. This is especially true of cuff bracelets which must have that big interlocking silver pair of C’s on the clasp. This too is part of that rage for anything that might have been popular in the nineties.

You are also going to see some art deco styles of jewelry coming back as well. This type of design is from the 1920s. The square shaped gem is back as is the princess cut. Characteristic of the art deco style are the elaborate bib type necklaces.  Gems in blue like sapphires are going to be very hot as are silver and platinum designs. This is the type of jewelry that is going to be worn at a lot of weddings this summer as well.

One final trend is going to be towards jewelry that looks like the kind of thing that a Barbie Doll would wear. That is because the year 2009 marks Barbie’s fiftieth anniversary as a fashionable woman on earth! Be prepared to see a lot of pink jewelry as well as charm bracelets that feature filigree designs of her logos.  One of a kind comemmorative watches with a Barbie theme is also going to be very popular this fall as well.

Summer Trends in Accessories

Some people would say that it is accessories that make all fashion fierce in the first place. This summer there are some very interesting trends in accessory wear in general.

One of the most interesting trends has to do with belt placement. Instead of wearing your belt at the waist it is now most fashionable to wear it “empire waist style.” This means fastening it under your breasts.

Another great trend is for gloves with a keyhole in the upper wrists. The wrist belt on the glove is then fastened with a huge bow of some sort. You are going to see this kind of glove a lot at big weddings.  The effect of this kind of gloves is very 1930s.  The character of Minnie Mouse in the old cartoons used to wear white gloves with bows on the wrist like this.  The hot color for this glove style is white, followed by black and red.  You might also see this type of style in polka dots.

Another big trend for accessories for this spring in summer is going to be feathered belts and earrings. Remember those big peacock feather earrings from the sixties? They are back in fashion along with corded and beaded leather belts with feathers dangling at the end.

Bib necklaces are also very hot this season. These are collars like chokers that then have reams of jewels or crochet draping about the neck like a kerchief.  The V shape usually hangs around the neck and below the breasts.

Multi-strand necklaces are a carryover from the last couple of seasons and they are still going to be in style. Whether they are made out of chains or fake baubles these necklaces look great on everyone.

In terms of purses the smaller the better. The novelty heart shaped purse is still in style as are purses in fake prints such as python, zebra or leather. The slightly larger purse style wallet on a chain is also going to be a common sight this summer in vivid patent leather prints and colors.

When it comes to keeping the rain off of your head neon colored umbrellas are also in style. Neon color striped umbrellas are also going to be part of the wardrobe of the fashionable woman walking in the rain this summer and fall.

In general you can also expect magenta and purple to be hot colors for purses, scarves and other accessories. Magenta and purple animal and python prints are also going to be hot.  You will also see this kind of trend when it comes to belts and shoes too

Cutting Edge Wedding Favors

When it comes to wedding favors things are not at all what they you used to be. Companies like Keep the Occasion Wrapped have very interesting ideas for wedding favors.  This specialty wedding favor company is offering your guests a glass of personalized lemonade. Each guest gets a packet of water and storable lemonade powder.  The packets themselves can come in a color that compliments your wedding theme.  You can get wintry themes (like snowflakes kissing), cartoons and all kinds of designs.  One nice idea is to get a lemonade packet that has a picture of the flower that is the main motif of you wedding on it.

Depending on where you get them these affordable wedding favors cost anywhere between a dollar and a dollar fifty.  This price also includes personalizing them with your names so it is quite a reasonable deal.

More traditional but completely in style are chocolate covered strawberries. These are easy enough to make yourself if you have a double boiler and a refrigerator.  You simply dip the berries in melted chocolate and then place them on waxed paper in a refrigerator to harden. 

There are many companies online that are offering interesting objects such as the personalized glass wine stopper and Swarovski Crystal wine stoppers that can be used as wedding favor keepsakes. You can also get wine cork place holders and corks that are inscribed with the bride and grooms initials.  These are rustic looking but very wonderful practical gifts. 

Yet another popular contemporary wedding favor is Vineyard wine charms which are bunches of grapes suspended from a hook. These have your names on them but are color coded so that people do not get their drinks mixed up.

If you are a rich bride and groom you can and pass out bottles of wine that are in paper jute bags that are inscribed with your wedding date and your names. You can also fill wine glasses inscribed with your names with wine flavored jelly beans, soap, little candle or even just a flower bud.  The wine glasses can always be used by your guests later.

Getting married on the beach? There are lots of ideas for these types of favors at The Beach Theme Wedding Shop. A small glass bottle with your names inscribed on it that is filled with pebbles, sand and seashells is a nice token of your love.

Fashion Fierce Eco Dishware

Want a more ecologically version of the paper plate?  The answer is probably from a company called  Bamboo All Occasion Veneerware. These eating implements, that are made from bamboo stocks, are  ideal for indoor and outdoor use. Knives, forks, spoons, plates, and even salad tongues are all made from bamboo in this case.

These are FDA approved. There are also no bleaches or dyes and they degrade completely in four to six months.  The most fashion fierce thing about them, aside from the fact that they don’t cause pollution is that they are a nice beige color that is the hue of bamboo. That is also a very chic as light green is very much in style.

The drawbacks of this type of disposable dinnerware are that it really is a lot more expensive than just buying paper plates.  They are not reusable and meant to be eaten off of only once.  Even the big trays and tongs that are used will collect bacteria so they need to be recycled immediately. They also cannot be used in a microwave.

Still these plates would be a very chic and ecologically correct item to showcase at a celebration as their beige veneer looks a little classier than the usual paper plate. It is just a bit classier.

Lacquered bamboo is similar but more attractive. The line consists of plates, serving platters and bowls. Expect to pay a fair penny for these as the line consists of plates, bowls, serving platters and other tabletop items.

This type of bamboo is costly as each piece must be hand coiled, shaped and then varnished with a food sae natural lacquer.  You can have them made in custom colors for an occasion or to gift to a new bride.

The Bamboo Company is considered to be green because their bowls are made by villagers in Vietnam in order to help supplement their farming income.  The bowls are also varnished with a natural lacquer that is made from the cashew nut tree and the lacquer is applied using recycled water.

Eco Chic is Hot

Do you want to give someone a gift box that they can feel good about? Give them a gift box filled with nothing but “green” items.  There is a company called Eco Chic Design that is very fashion fierce and offers some unusual gift boxes.  One is a gift box made out of ecologically correct Panda Grass. You can then fill this box with ecologically correct items like napkin holders, serviettes, freesias and other green things.

The company also has an Eco Serenity collection of gift boxes which is made up of organic and beauty spa items.  They also make beautiful minimalist food boxes that have items in them such as cans of smoked salmon and soy candles.  Their version baby gift box is quite interesting and includes organic baby cream, cotton blend wash clashes, organic baby wipe rags and organic baby lotion.

You do not have to do much to turn your home into an eco chic haven and this company has ideas for that as well. There are some simple ways to make your home more green and more fashion fierce in general.

First of all you might want to try using eco friendly paint. The smelly and toxic chemicals found in ordinary paint are bad for your health. You can also by biodegradable paints that are non toxic in nature.

Another way to go green and be very ecologically fashionable is to avoid PVC and buy a cloth shower curtain.  Cloth shower curtains are better because they do not contain the chemical off gasping that a vinyl shower curtain does.  These carcinogens are bad for our health.  Cloth curtains are a little more expensive but they are worth it for your health and for the earth in the long run.

Green Sleep is a company that offers a very ecologically chic rubber mattress. This high end green mattress also has two sleeping zones so each person can choose their own individual firmness. The entire bed is then covered with organic cotton velour covers that are quilted will wool and silk. These eco bes also known for having a fully supported flexible suspension system which allows for additional firmness but also allows the mattress to circulate air beneath your sleep bodies.

These high end mattresses don’t come cheap.  If you get the both the box spring and head board you are looking at paying almost four thousand dollars.  The cheapest version of a Green Sleep Mattress is about three thousand dollars. There are knockoffs of these online that you can get if you do a thorough enough search.

Trendy Wedding Cocktails for Spring

Being trendy for 2009 means serving serving signature cocktails at your wedding. Good quality red wines and champagnes will be in style again this year – in particular the high quality shirazes (which is good news because these wines can be had quite cheaply.)

If you do decide to serve cocktails make sure they are vivid in color and match what your wedding party is wearing. For instance if your wedding color theme is pink then you might want to consider serving a cocktail that is also pink like a Cosmopolitan (a mix of vodka and cranberry juice.)

Forget serving every single type of liquor at your reception as well. Instead go for just a few quality liquors and make sure that they are premium.   A very expensive vodka is a good idea, especially if it is exotic and from Russia or another European. Premium scotches and exotic liquors are also part of the new wedding trends.

Sometimes you don’t want an open bar, or even a wine and beer station.  A punch bowl is also not a fantastic option at most weddings either especially if you have a lot of people attending your wedding. Things can get messy.

In this case you might want to order up a frozen drink dispenser. This means that everyone is drinking the same thing but it cuts costs. This type of company can even invent a special new drink for the big day.  A trendy company that sets this up for people is called Cool Daddy’s.

These cocktails can also be dyed any color that you want.  So if your bridal party is dressed in purple you can order up purple drinks from this company.

The nice thing about this type dispenser is that only one server can handle giving it out to people. Another option is to simply set the machine up and have people serve themselves. At any rate it can definitely save you the need to buy a lot of ice for your wedding because the drinks are already automatically whipped up frozen in the machine!

It can be very fashionable to have a Bloody Mary Bar at your wedding especially if the wedding is earlier in the day.  This can be administered by servers or you can have people serve themselves. To set up a Bloody Mary you need tall, glasses and plates filled with different seasoning combinations for the Bloody Mary rims.  You should also have clam juice on hand to make Bloody Ceasars.  Some people also lime and lemon juice in their Caesars. 

You can put vodka, tequila, white rum and even Japanese sake in your Ceasars.  Garnishes that can be used include pickle slices, strips of bell pepper, olive sticks, pep spears, celery, as herbs or spears of tomatoes, olives and pearl onions.

When made with tequila the drink is called a Bloody Maria. When made with Olive Brine it is called a Dirty Mary. When made with Sake it is called a Bloody Geisha.  The non alcoholic version is called a Virgin Mary.

Twentieth Century Wedding Gown Trends

Today’s trends in wedding gown designs is derived from styles that have been popular for decades. The thing that makes them modern looking is that today’s designs are more refined and much narrower and svelte in appearance.

For instance, the A-line (also known as the princess line) dress has been around for a century but today’s styles are not as triangular as the A line dress that was around during the fifties. Women could practically parachute out of planes in those dresses.

Nowadays women still wear sheaths with trains but nowadays they are detachable or cut so that they are part of the dress. This makes them less bulky and easier for the bride to wear.

The ball gown style has gone through some major transformation in recent years. The Basque waistline (the inverted V) has been traded in for a more natural waistline or even a higher set empire waistline. Skirts are also cut to flare out without any gathers in a circular shape. This new improved ball gown shape helps give the bride a sexy hourglass figure without adding volume and too much flounce to the wedding design.

It never goes quite out of style completely but for spring 2009 the 1920s swinging flapper look is back again. This trend has flirty touches in the dress designs such as octagon shaped bodices and top seams that bejeweled cornices.  There are usually a lot of art deco touches such as stars and pyramid and of course the gown is absolutely loaded with beaded embroidery.  Fringed embroidered hems are also back in vogue. The empire waist is also very much in evidence in these glamorous styles of gowns which look like they would be at home on the beaches of Miami or in the ancient homes in the Hollywood Hills. Long gloves in a matching color go well with these types of wedding dresses which also look great as bridesmaid or mother of the bride dresses.

Bagley Ischia is the designer that seems to milking this twenties look this season combining elaborate black jet beading, diamond rhinestones and elements such as sheer chiffon over satin in the dresses.  The draping is also very precise and the look features both empire waists and high waists cinched with glittering bands of fabrics and belts.  One of the nicest signature looks combines the black chiffon look over the flesh colored satin under dress.

Of course you can also get this type of dress in white. The blue and white beaded flapper style wedding dress is very popular with brides today as are satin heels that resemble tap shoes.  Also coveted are any shoes in patent leather. 

Buying GIA Certified Diamonds

Part of being fashion fierce is being aware of what you pay for. This is true of diamonds. Wedding season is coming up and you want to be picky about buying these precious stones because you do get what you pay for.

All diamonds are qualified and valued according to the four C’s (carats, color, clarity and cut.)  There is a standard for how diamonds are graded.  It is not your jeweler that sets this standard. It is also not the diamond appraiser or an insurance guy. If you took one diamond to any of these individuals they would each grade it in a different way.   This is why an organization exists specifically to grade diamonds.  The organization is called the GIA.

The GIA is an acronym for the Gemological Institute of America.  To buy the best quality diamond with the assurance of a quality rating you need to buy one that comes with a certificate from the Gemological Institute.  It will tell you everything you need to know about the diamond - what the four Cs are and where it is from.

The GIA certificate is known to all diamond experts and sellers and you should never deal with a seller that pretends it does not exist.  It does set the bar and it is considered to be most accurate when it comes to valuing and grading diamonds.

Knowing about GIA certification can also tell you immediately what you should be paying for it.  All you have to do is call a jeweler and describe the diamond and ask what the GIA price would be for the gem.

Let’s just say you are shopping for a diamond and you see one that you like. You might want to know how much a .75 carat; F color VS1 clarity diamond with an emerald cut might be worth. They should be able to give the exact price.  This allows you to shop on the internet.  You don’t even have to step a foot inside a jewelry shop.

Of course you do want to always purchase a diamond that has a good reputation and gives money back guarantees.

A GIA certified diamond is not hard to find. Almost all jewelers sell them. The best diamond dealers sell nothing but these kinds of GIA certified gems.

The thing to watch out for when you are buying diamonds is the diamond sellers that tell you that their grading system is the same as the GIA certification process. This may be true but if you need to resell that diamond at the same price you will need that GIA certificate. You might also be told that GIA certification ups the price of the diamonds but in truth the cost of sending the diamond for the certification is only about a hundred dollars. So the mark up on the price of the gem should not be that much more than that.

The Trend to Heart Diamonds

Heart shaped diamonds are an older notion but they are very fashion fierce nowadays.  Of course they are the perfect stone shape for an engagement or wedding ring. This is because the shape is so symbolic of love and also sensuality. Heart shaped stones have not been popular until lately. Modern technology has made them easier to cut and therefore it is easier to find heart diamonds in the stores.

One of the most famous of the heart shaped diamonds in the world is the Heart of Eternity. This is a huge diamond measuring 27.64 carats. It is the diamond that was featured in the movie Titanic and worn by Kate Winslow’s character.  It inspired tons of knock offs of blue diamonds, most of them manufactured in a lab. The real thing would be prohibited expensive to buy the real thing.  The real Heart of Eternity rated in color as “Fancy Vivid Blue” by the Gemological Institute of America.  This type of stone would cost a mint.

The genuine Heart of Eternity was cut by the Steinmetz group, who owned the diamond before selling it to the De Beers Group who use it as a kind of symbol of their company. This is the type of item that would have been tacky to wear when it actually came out but now the knock offs are sought off as collector’s items as are all things from the eighties and early nineties nowadays. If you managed to buy a Heart of Eternity knock off back when the James Cameron movie came out then it would be very fashion fierce for you to start wearing it now.

Genuine heart shaped diamonds tend to be quite tiny and expensive. Some brides opt to have several diamonds cut into a heart shape simply to try and cut costs. Yet tact to get the heart shape is to buy a pave diamond ring, which means that the heart shape is done in gold and silver and then paved with tiny diamonds.

 Still when it comes to heart diamonds nothing beats a solitaire stone in a white or pink color and of some size.  The most fashion fierce look is the one that looks like a cocktail ring. This is the type of ring that is sported on the fingers of all the celebrities.  These are usually lab created diamonds and they can be as big as eight carats.  Of course this type of baling costs almost as much as a mortgage on a home. You can get natural semi-precious stones or off color diamonds for a lot less.  Sometimes a heart shaped yellow or pink diamond is a lot less than other types of diamonds as well.