New York’s 2005 spring fashion week tried to repair somewhat that battered reputation of Mother Nature. And, Mother Nature replied in kind letting New York escape from her wrath that has caused so much death and destruction across Florida and the Caribbean. 

 

For Spring 2005, designers paid homage to nature, taking their cues from the earth and all its glory.  Amidst a sea of pastels and party dresses, fashion’s brightest stars illustrated this trend through a melange of animal, insect, and garden references in their collections and the accompanying diamond accoutrement.

 

With the exception of major bling statements at the Gottex and Chris Aire shows, diamonds offered subtle glamour to the organic silhouettes of designers like Thakoon and Palmer Jones.  Similarly, Tracy Reese accented her “Garden of Earthly Delights” collection with classic diamond riviere necklaces.

In a refreshing turn of events, many designers focused on the easiness and wear-ability of their creations, with diamonds being paired with everything from bathing suits to ball gowns. “At Gottex, we saw models wearing oversized right hand rings with swimsuits,” says Sally Morrison, Director of the Diamond Information Center “where at Halston, red carpet-ready designs featured everything from stackable diamond bracelets to long diamond chains.”

 

Highlights from the Spring 2005 collections:

 

The Must Have: Diamond Right Hand Ring

From the huge rocks of Graff at Palmer Jones and Vivid at Gottex, to delicate rose cut bands at Thakoon, to Fred Leighton pave styles at Halston, diamond right hand rings were omnipresent during the week.

 

As if lighting up the runways weren’t enough, diamond rings pulled double duty by sparkling on the right hands of front row celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lil Kim, Nicole Richie, and Gretchen Mol, who all sported the pinnacle of diamond chic both at the shows and at the most posh parties of the week.

 

Diamond Riviere Necklaces

A river of diamonds around the neck is the best way to describe the diamond necklaces that decorated models at the shows. Fred Leighton graced the Halston runway with long diamond chains and also made a statement at Thakoon with exquisite vintage rivieres.

 

Diamond L’Animale

Animal instinct abounded at the shows with fierce diamond animal brooches. Graff provided koala bears in yellow diamond brooches with Palmer Jones sweet, tailored jackets. Fred Leighton outfitted Halston’s presentation with diamond lizard and cricket brooches adorning his iconic Hollywood dresses.

 

Stackable Diamond Bracelets

For many designers, less was certainly not more. This year designers stacked bracelets in refreshing new ways. This look was achieved at Thakoon by wrapping a diamond necklace from Fred Leighton around the wrist and at Behnaz Sarafpour by showcasing a diamond cuff from Tiffany with a multitude of diamond rows.

 

All Diamonds All the Time

The Iceman, otherwise known as celebrity jeweler Chris Aire, made diamond history when he presented the first all diamond fashion show on the Sunday evening during Fashion week. Models Naomi Campbell and May Anderson joined basketball players Vince Carter and Damon Stoudamire on the runway as Wyclef Jean and Nelly performed. Aire piled diamond pieces on each model including right hand rings, diamond riviere necklace, stackable diamond bracelets, diamond encrusted watches, and dangling diamond earrings.