India International Jewelry Week 2014 was hosted at the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai last week – and it sure was amazing! The show ended with a finale presented by PC Jewellers, one of India’s biggest jewelry retailers, and featured showstoppers such as Bipasha Basu and Sonam Kapoor.
The finale included a long list of designers, which you can check out here, but we’ve got the round-up of our favorite, flashiest jewels for you!
While IIJW 2014 comprised of four events including The Haute Spot, The Bollywood Blitz, and The Foreign Press, the Grand Finale was deemed “The Best of the Best” fashion show – an accurate title to describe the exciting runway looks we saw!
Here are my favorite looks from IIJW 2014:
Actress Neetu Chandra walked for PC Jewellers, the host of the finale show. She’s wearing a piece from their Diamond Collection, which features kundan and polki sets with colored jewels. I like how bold, yet sophisticated the necklace is.
This Dipti Amisha necklace is graceful – while still having all the fun of being shiny and colorful! If you look closely, you can see the gold beads that Dipti Amisha’s collection was known for this year. The interplay of red and green is a tribute to polki style Indian jewelry, but it doesn’t look as heavy as its traditional counterparts.
Gadgil Jewellers showed off this lovely diamond choker, which is classic in its draping chains, but unique in featuring red jewels. Not only does the red pop out and add some depth to the already multi-layered necklace, it also matches the model’s gown!
Golecha Jewellers went for bold and chunky – which seems to be a popular trend this year. Some of their other pieces featured polki cut jewels and tikkas as well, but this piece stood out as a true statement necklace. With giant, intricate bead displays and a mix of stones and jewels, this necklace is quite the eye-catcher!
Let’s take a moment to relish in the fact that Swarovski displayed its bridal collection at IIJW this year, and it was just as jaw-dropping as anyone would expect. The reputed jeweller brought out the best of traditional Indian bridal fashion with gold and pearl tikkas and nose rings – all heavily influenced by the opulent Mughal culture. We can’t get a close enough look in this picture, but the bride’s red, gold, and pearl display looks amazing!
Swarovski also featured couples on the runway – a clever way to point out that men can be dressed to match and model too! The turban pin is just one of many pieces of men’s jewelry that Swarovksi designs.
Showstopper Parineeti Chopra dazzles in Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas Jewellers’ collection. The designers showed off lots of pearl and ruby on the runway, but Parineeti is wearing one of their simpler, elegant pearl statement necklaces. I never knew pearl could be used in giant pendant pieces until I saw this one!
The always-stunning Bipasha Basu walked in PC Jewellers, wearing a lovely teal sari to bring out the accents in her ring and layered necklace. Surprisngly, the dangled earrings in conjunction with the necklace aren’t over the top at all – rather, they contribute to her regal look. I especially love the mix of gold and silver tones in each layer of the jewelry – it’s not a combination you see often!
Sonam Kapoor proves that she doesn’t need to wear anything too sparkly or obvious to be her usual glamorous self. She’s wearing a simple gold headband, a jewel-encrusted gold bangle, and a not-so-subtle belly ring. She was the official Brand Ambassador for PC Jewellers.
Sridevi walked for Golecha Jewels and posed with the designers. She’s wearing a gorgeous silvery diamond necklace – with a can’t-miss gigantic square diamond as its pendant. Again, we’re seeing the theme of gold and silver interplay, as Sridevi is wearing a gold-toned sari but still looking lovely in silver jewelry. Maybe we need to rethink our matching habits?
Sunny Leone has always been relatively…edgy, given her past, but she masters the sultry look in Sumit Sawhney’s Apala collection. The horned choker is heavy but doesn’t take away from the beauty of her black dress. The headpiece is uniquely slanted, adding an unexpected grace to the look. The bracelet is a bit much, but its gilded pattern matches the rest of the jewelry and finishes off the “warrior princess” look.
IIJW 2014 featured a lot of stars and a lot of shining. We picked up on some new trends as well, such as the gold and silver combination and the popularity of thick, statement necklaces. My favorite collection was Swarovski’s bridal attire – which, although extremely traditional, brought out my favorite elements of color and pure elegance in Indian jewelry.
What were your favorite picks from IIJW 2014?
