Wow, wow, wow and double wow. Nobody could ever accuse Lady Gaga of turning up to an event under-dressed and this was certainly the case when she celebrated New Year’s Eve in Times Square at the weekend. Performing in front of thousands in the streets on New York, she looked a million dollars in her slinky silver Atelier Versace gown.

The dress, from the labels Spring/Summer 2010 collection, featured a beautiful sparkling bodice and high-thigh split. Her shoes of choice were a gloriously decadent pair of silver platform ‘Daffodile’ pumps from Christian Louboutins. To ‘couture’ the look up further, Gaga paired it with a pair of long white gloves and a dazzling Swarovski crystal-covered headpiece. Wowzers!

With one fell swoop Gaga has inspired three of our New Year’s resolutions.

1. New Louboutins

2. Be fearless in the face of fashion

3. Unleash our inner sparkle monster.

For that, Lady Gaga, we are thankful!

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If you were caught up in the Blackberry storm that affected networks across Europe a few weeks ago and vowed to ditch it as soon as you could, we think we have found just the thing to change your mind and keep you in the Blackberry family. 

If a Swarovski crystal encrusted handset doesn’t ensure your loyalties stay with Blackberry, we don’t know what else will.

Amosu Couture have just released the world’s first ever completely iced out Blackberry Bold 9900, which contains over a thousand Swarovski crystals embedded in its structure. If you have £2599 to splash out on a silver handset (or £2699 for a 24 karat gold one) then your Christmas shopping is sorted! You even get a free Amosu Couture leather case to protect all those sparkly crystals from danger.

We can totally picture this going on any WAG’s Christmas list. Remember Victoria Beckham’s solid gold iPhone? Well we think this is even better!

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The Soirée collection has been in select Agent Provocateur boutiques for two years, but now for the first time ever, it is available to everyone online!

We use term ‘everyone’ loosely, as some pieces aren’t strictly wallet friendly – there’s a £15,000 Swarovski crystal encrusted playsuit in there to prove it.

To coincide with the launch of its new collection and the ability to buy online, Agent Provocateur is debuting a short film (NSFW in our opinion) called Les Fleures du Mal, i.e. the Flowers of Evil, which as its title suggests, is quite seductively haunting.

“The collection is quite artistic and we kind of wanted to do something that was a bit off the wall,” Sarah Shotton, creative director of Agent Provocateur, told Women’s Wear Daily. “We’re a vintage-inspired company, and horror back in the day was a way of showing sex in film…it was a little bit of history and a bit tongue in cheek.”

Although the rise in price for some of the pieces is quite extreme compared to what usual AP shoppers are used to, it’s nice to see that not all the items are in the same price range as the aforementioned Swarovski encrusted brassiere, although a pair of knickers will set you back £200…

We are also quite pleased to see that AP hasn’t decided to match Victoria’s Secret Fantasy Treasure bra, which retails for a mouth-watering $2.5 million.

Will you be splashing out on any of the luxury pieces?

[Telegraph]

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Last night’s annual CFDA Awards ceremony, held at the Lincoln Centre’s Tully Hall, played host to a hall of world class designers and fashion figures, recognising and praising them for their work and contribution to fashion throughout the year.

The winners? Designer duo Proenza Schouler scooped the Womenswear Designer of the Year award, while Michael Bastian bagged Best Menswear Designer of the Year, and Alexander Wang received Accessory Designer of the Year.

The rest of the awards were handed out by Swarovski, with Best Womenswear Designer going to Prabal Gurung, Menswear to Robert Geller and Eddie Borgo scooped Accessory Design.

But when there’s a party, you can bet your bottom dollar a few Hollywood celebs will show their perfectly groomed faces, with the likes of Liv Tyler, Naomi Watts and Kirsten Dunst doing just that, while Karlie Kloss and Ashley Greene arrived on the arms of Jason Wu and Michael Kors respectively.

And as previously reported, Marc Jacobs was presented with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, Lady Gaga won the Fashion Icon of the Year, Phoebe Philo of Celine was named International Designer of the Year, and Hilary Alexander was given the Eugenia Sheppard Media Award for her services to the industry, reports Vogue UK.

A pretty busy evening all round, then. Congrats, everyone!

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We’re still basking in the sartorial highs from Monday’s Met Ball – the stylish guests, the gowns, the glamour – and we feel we’re in need of a little mid-week pick-me-up. If you do, too, this Dannijo necklace is sure to put a smile on your face.

Now we love anything remotely decadent, and this silver necklace will glitter with tough-glam in abundance, adorned with Swarovski crystals, shiny metallic balls and spikes and scattered chains.

The perfect piece if you want to make a statement, let it shine over a simple strapless dress or snazz up a slouchy tee and skinny jeans by making a striking daytime impact.

Whatever you wear with this beautiful necklace, it’s sure to put the glam in your mid-week grind

Dannijo Swarovski necklace, £705 £317.25, available from theOutnet.com. BUY NOW!

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Hot on the heels of its glittering Dubai launch, Swarovski Elements launched its highly-anticipated Jawaher collection in London last night – the latest initiative for fashion-savvy shoppers in the Middle East.

Combining the intricate detail and glamour of Arabic women today, a handful of world-renowned designers – including Allessanra Rich, Sohad Acouri and Zaid Anton – have created exclusive pieces for the new Jawaher jewellery collection using crystal as a creative material to fuse contemporary glitz with traditional Middle Eastern tradition.

To celebrate its launch, the designs were unveiled in London for the first time last night at the Swarovski Crystallized store alongside a special fashion show and exhibition of traditional wear, evening gowns and, of course, the very latest sparkle.

And if statement jewellery’s your thing, you’re in for a treat. Heavy gold necklaces laced with coloured gems and light-catching crystals, elaborate headdresses with draped crystal chains, intricate crystal cuffs and elegant Swarovski-embellished evening pieces – it’s all there, and more.

Luckily, from today you can pop along to see the Middle Eastern magic for yourself at the Swarovski Crystallized concept store on London’s Great Marlborough Street, where the Jawaher exhibition is running for 10 days – it’s a must-see for lovers of luxury.

The Jawaher exhibition is at the Swarovski Crystallized concept store, 24 Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7HU, running from Wednesday 20th October – Monday 1st November.

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Johnny Rocket’s a name that should need no introduction, but what the heck, we’re going to give you one anyway. When John Pearce launched his jewellery label back in 1997, he had no idea it was going to become one of Britain’s most iconic accessories brands – but he’d hoped it would be.

Quickly catching the eyes of all the people that matter in music and celebrity cultures, it was the fashion industry that first saw Johnny Rocket’s potential for super-stardom when he sealed deals to collaborate with Tom Ford and Julien Macdonald, among others, to create his signature innovative designs that fuse edgy rock-spirit with intricate expertise.

Making somewhat of a name for itself as a coveted cool and quirky company, creative commissions have flown through the door for Johnny Rocket – he created Jamiroqui’s iconic warrior headdress, Kylie‘s legendary hotpants and a bespoke Swarovski-encrusted guitar for the Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins among the rest.

But Johnny Rocket’s no longer a one-man brand – in 2002, when Pearce was working on a diamond-embellished Ford KA with Julien Macdonald, he met Niall Paisley, an esteemed jeweller, who soon became a partner.

Fast-forward to today, though, and Johnny Rocket’s been working its magic on a new project – with diet Coke, as it would happen, creating limited edition Swarovski-embellished bottles exclusively for Selfridges, where John will also be appearing today to help customers customise their own versions.

We caught up with Johnny Rocket last week to find out more about the diet Coke collaboration, what makes jewellery so special, and what sparkle we should be looking out for this season…

You’ve just announced a collaboration with diet Coke to create a limited edition collection of bottles – how did the collaboration come about?
diet Coke approached me about working with them to give the iconic diet Coke bottles a touch of crystal magic with my sexy and stylish designs. I love diet Coke and said yes!

Tell us a bit about the collection – what were your inspirations for the designs?
Well, we wanted to draw on new processes we have been creating with Swarovski using graphics rendered in crystal components. The process has enabled us to create complex images such as photographs and tattoo designs. It’s detailed, but an incredibly expensive process. The collaboration with diet Coke is about creating a piece of fashion history that everyone can afford to own.

Do you have a favourite?
All of them! I love the run of stars in the red black and silver and the cascade of emerald and teardrop crystals. As well as the multicoloured heart – normally I can’t stand heart designs but this really works.

You’ll also be on hand at the Diet Coke Crystal Customisation Boudoir in Selfridges this week to help customers create their own bottles – you’re renowned for your individual style, so what do you hope you’ll be able to help shoppers achieve?
I hope to be inspired by the people who come to the boudoir and give them something unique to own – it could be a disaster or a bit of brilliance! Most likely it’ll be the latter.

We’d like to go back in time a bit to where it all began for you in 1997 – how did you become involved in jewellery design?
I’ve always loved making things and as a child was obsessed with Airfix. At High School in Oz I had a Saturday job in a jewellery store, where I was lucky enough to be offered a six year apprenticeship making jewellery and I’ve been doing it ever since.

When I moved to London, only Shaun Leane and I were really taking catwalk seriously. Shaun worked with Lee (Alexander) McQueen and I started with Owen Gaster. It was an incredibly exciting time. However, the first pieces I created for show disappeared on the catwalk. I learnt then that you have to fight for space in a show, and what really counted was getting press coverage for the designer.

Was it something you’d always wanted to do? What sparked your interest in jewellery?
It probably started with the Airfix kits. I initially wanted to design aircraft[s], but [there were] not that many courses for that in Oz. I’ve always been good at making stuff, pulling apart radios, cars and bikes – and then secretly putting them all back together again. However, when I first saw the ‘Dragonfly’ pin by Rene Lalique – that’s when I knew what I wanted to do. He’s the greatest jeweller ever. My friend Felicity brought me back a catalogue of the exhibition curated by Vivienne Becker at the V&A, I can’t make like him but I get him and his spirit, that’s enough.

What is it about jewellery that appeals to you so much?
It’s a difficult media to work in – there’s such a vast palette of materials and you need good hand-eye-brain co-ordination, but the end results are so worthwhile. It’s design created for all the right reasons and usually to mark an occasion – there’s a lot of love that goes into a piece of jewellery.

You’ve worked with some incredible people over the years, including Tom Ford and Julien MacDonald. What do you think it is about Johnny Rocket that catches the attention of such high profile names? 
It’s hard to say. For every client, regardless of who they are, it’s a collaborative process. I work closely with all my clients to produce something that is unique, beautiful to look at but also technically brilliant.

Who’s been your favourite person that you’ve worked with so far?

That’s an unquantifiable question. I mean, who do you love more – your wife, child or dog? It’s impossible to pick. Justin Hawkins is a gem – funny and so kind. Kylie and her entire team and family and delight to work with – they’re all so well mannered.

You also take on creative commissions and are responsible for Kylie‘s embellished hotpants, Jamiroquai’s warrior headdress and the Darkness’s Swarovski-encrusted guitar. What’s it like for you having designed pieces that have now become so iconic?
It doesn’t register at the time because you are intensely caught up in the creation process. It’s when something you’ve created continues to reappear in the media that you realise something else has been invested into the object and it has found a place in popular culture. I am not sure of the longevity of that, but it is nice when your daughter brings it to your attention when it flies past on TV.

Do you have an all-time favourite stand-out piece?
I really hated the Kyborg at the time because it was made when my wife was pregnant with Ruby and at the time I always seemed to be in Elstree studios or up the M1 for 16 hours a day. I dig it now as it was so outside the box for us, and I really can’t thank William Baker enough for his misplaced faith in me. If it was something that had all the joy of making a piece – it’s the Fender Guitar. Niall and I really worked well together on that, and we got a lot of nice travelling and fun out of it.

You cross-over into the fashion world a lot with your work – are there any trends and/or designers inspiring you at the moment?
In jewellery, Alexander Davis, Tomasz Donocik and William Cheshire are tripping my trigger. I’m still befuddled with men’s fashion at this moment. I rely on vintage for clothes, and find it increasingly frustrating to find menswear that is edgy yet finely crafted. I often find myself digging out old Ralf Simmons and Heidi Slimane stuff or ferreting around in Greenwich or Alfies for stuff.

Do you have any tips as to what jewellery to wear this season? What should we be looking out for?
Rose gold and black rhodium are really making a statement across the board, male and female. I really dig the contrast of Tomasz Donocik rose gold metal components with the raw edged brown leathers. I also am really looking forward to getting my friend, Arman Suciyan’s, new collection in. He is a lazy genius, behind a lot of Stephen Webster’s carved designs – I have been pestering him for three years and finally he has two amazing collections coming – revolutionary stuff. He is just so pedantic, I envy his skill.

Finally, what’s next for you? Do you have more exciting collaborations or commissions in the pipeline?

Yep just finishing off a project with Stephen Jones which involves alcohol and hats. I’m also making a guitar for myself, and saving my pennies so I can pimp up an old classic car – so a couple of me jobs for a change.

Johnny Rocket’s diet Coke crystal collection is available at Selfridges‘ pop-up Customisation Boudoir, which opens today for two weeks – and if you pop along this afternoon, Johnny Rocket will be on hand to help you customise your own bottle for £5.50.

[Images]

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