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Does anyone else think that Diana's jewelry was tacky?

That was one girl that could wear jewelry well!!!!!!!!:appl:
 
I think it was a product of the time and also she was dressing to be photographed. When you look at celebrities or "style icons" they are often wearing outlandish things to make more of an impact. Would it look appropriate in real life? Probably not. But her whole life was like living on a stage.

This is my theory on why tattoos have gotten bigger over time too :D I remember watching basketball as a kid and no players had tattoos on their arms. Then normal sized ones. Now huge ones that show up well on TV. :lol-2:
 
The 80's were a time for big everything. I couldn't have pulled off any of her jewelry, but I'm sad that we rarely see anything nearly as grand with the current set of royals. This false modesty thing is sad. They have the jewels, let the people see them!:evil2:
 
For the time, I think her jewelry was on point. If we're talking royal jewelry, I thought that Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, was a more egregious jewelry offender lol.
 
I always thought she was highly overrated, but I also don't understand why most royal families still exist. The role is mostly symbolic nowadays, and they're a vestige of a bygone era when a family could subjugate an entire nation by virtue of being born.

I'd like to see people of more substance and talent revered, and I'm not impressed by someone who can afford to be a philanthropist because she was born to money, married well, or both.
 
I'm not sure what i think about royalty as a concept - I guess that's something of a different discussion - but regardless, I do like to see the historic jewels. I'm really, really looking forward to seeing what tiara (if any) Meghan will wear. And her dress, which I'm sure will be gorgeous. I think she'll make a stunning bride. A tiara would look great against her dark hair. I thought Kate's was too small because it got lost against her white veil, pretty though it was. I'd love to see Meghan in a taller crown - but perhaps it would be difficult to wear something larger than what Kate wore.

I don't think the queen's daughter, Anne, was ever photographed in gaudy jewelry, and the queen almost always wears the same earrings - those pearl studs with the diamonds on top. That's why, looking at that website, I was surprised to see such huge pieces which, to me, don't look very royal. However, Diana was such an aristocrat through and through that perhaps she felt comfortable wearing whatever she pleased - she had nothing to prove. Glad she had fun with her big jewelry!

Oh, man - the grunge trend. I'd forgotten about that. I don't know which extreme is worse - over-the-top glamor or looking as if you've never had a shower!!

Jewelry offender - ha, ha! Off to look at Wallis Simpson.
 
lyra said:
The 80's were a time for big everything. I couldn't have pulled off any of her jewelry, but I'm sad that we rarely see anything nearly as grand with the current set of royals. This false modesty thing is sad. They have the jewels, let the people see them!:evil2:
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Kate's been seen in two large tiaras! Also, she's worn some of the queen's large (real) jewels!
 
bludiva said:
I think it was a product of the time and also she was dressing to be photographed. When you look at celebrities or "style icons" they are often wearing outlandish things to make more of an impact. Would it look appropriate in real life? Probably not. But her whole life was like living on a stage.

This is my theory on why tattoos have gotten bigger over time too :D I remember watching basketball as a kid and no players had tattoos on their arms. Then normal sized ones. Now huge ones that show up well on TV. :lol-2:
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Yes, I did wonder about that. Her gear certainly showed up well in photos!
 
Checked out Wallis. Although her jewelry was indeed large, they were masterpieces IMO. Real craftsmanship and design. I guess I just don't like much of Diana's jewelry. Wallis's has a lot of color - she used color well.

I like this cute guy. I wouldn't wear it myself, but I like the way he looks as if he's reaching for something.

panther_1775935c.jpg
 
This is what I mean about masterpieces with wonderful color. These were Wallis's. I like these. I guess I feel that if you're going to wear enormous items, at least let them be real and showcase imaginative design and wonderful colors! The workmanship looks pretty great, too. IMO, Wallis had better taste than Diana. Of course, this is totally subjective. One man's tat is another man's treasure! (The Chanel earrings of Diana's in my first post are fakes and seriously, IMO they are just nasty!)

Wallis1.jpg Wallis2.jpg Wallis3.jpg
 
Also, I think Wallis wore a LOT of black. These pieces must have really popped.
 
Jambalaya said:
This is what I mean about masterpieces with wonderful color. These were Wallis's. I like these. I guess I feel that if you're going to wear enormous items, at least let them be real and showcase imaginative design and wonderful colors! The workmanship looks pretty great, too. IMO, Wallis had better taste than Diana. Of course, this is totally subjective. One man's tat is another man's treasure! (The Chanel earrings of Diana's in my first post are fakes and seriously, IMO they are just nasty!)

Wallis1.jpg Wallis2.jpg Wallis3.jpg
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it is so subjective...i think the blue and green necklace at the bottom is spectacular and don't like the two above it (esp the amethyst/turquoise looking one)

those clip on earrings were the business back then. i remember all the ladies of my mom's generation wearing big ol' clip ons to church etc. so glad things have changed. :mrgreen2:
 
Bluediva - yes, very subjective! I love the colors in the top two, and I like the design of the amethyst one, with its pointed ends. The middle one reminds me of a garden in full bloom.

It's REALLY hard to imagine anyone finding those enormous fake clip-ons attractive...I was around back then and I didn't like them!
 
I see what you mean about the turquoise though. I don't really like faceted and cabochon stones next to each other.
 
Jambalaya said:
I see what you mean about the turquoise though. I don't really like faceted and cabochon stones next to each other.
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yeah, imagine that with paraiba or some kind of nice blue tourmaline instead =P
 
Oooh, yes!
 
Jambalaya said:
Just googled "meghan markle tiara" and found this article in Time mag all about which crown she might wear! Yay - what a fun find!

http://time.com/5237031/meghan-markle-tiara/
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I, also, saw this and I posted it in The Royal Jewels thread yesterday. I am not sure the article is completely correct, but at least it is correct in stating that The Spencer Tiara belongs to The Spencer Family not to The Royal Family. If Meghan Markle were to wear it it would be because her future husband, Prince Harry, is the son of the former Lady Diana Spencer who was the sister and daughter of Earls Spencer.

AGBF
 
Oh, I need to check out that thread. Thanks, Deb!

Here is a photo of Diana wearing a more delicate piece. I think it suits her. She looks lovely in this pic. Pink really suited her.
Diana.jpg
 
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Deb, do you think it would be hard for Meghan to wear a stunning piece like the Spencer tiara when Kate wore something much smaller, and when Kate's position as future queen consort outranks Meghan's position? Or does it not work that way? (I haven't read the Time article yet.)
 
Just had a quick glance. I don't think Meghan will wear the Cambridge Lovers Knot or the Lotus, because Kate wears those. It's my understanding that the royal ladies "adopt" a tiara for their lifetime. Camilla wears two large ones, and it seems it's only her who wears them. Like when Diana was married, only she wore the Cambridge Lovers knot.
 
I think that Diana's jewelry was befitting a princess. She had a graceful style that was hard to beat. Large? Yes, but what wasn't in the 80's? I'm sure if she were still alive today she would still be rocking large, gorgeous jewelry! Royalty lives in a totally different circle from the rest of us anyway.
 
Everything was big in the eighties, hair, makeup, perfume, jewellery, jackets, shoulders, heels.....:tongue:
 
Jambalaya said:
This is what I mean about masterpieces with wonderful color. These were Wallis's. I like these. I guess I feel that if you're going to wear enormous items, at least let them be real and showcase imaginative design and wonderful colors! The workmanship looks pretty great, too. IMO, Wallis had better taste than Diana. Of course, this is totally subjective. One man's tat is another man's treasure! (The Chanel earrings of Diana's in my first post are fakes and seriously, IMO they are just nasty!)

Wallis1.jpg Wallis2.jpg Wallis3.jpg
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It really is subjective...these pieces seem over the top to me compared to those pictures of what Diana wore (with the exception of the cross necklace).
 
Diana was a larger than life presence. She was ahead of her time. I love that she wore huge pieces, probably a lot of them were retained from times when lavish jewelry was expected of royalty. She got those pieces out of boxes and vaults into the literal and proverbial sunshine and candlelight. I’m impressed that Kate Middleton wears Diana’s sapphire ring every day at any occasion. It’s huge, likely difficult to wear, yet it’s a symbol of connection with a bygone era and a beautiful person. I think yes, maybe Diana was gaudy in the eighties (her look streamlined as she got older) but what a luminous larger than life presence she was!
 
So I don't like the Chanel gold tone stuff but I do really like the 5 row pearl necklace with a pendant. Some of her stuff was huge, but I kindaaaa dig it? I guess I like the glamour of it, I mean, she was a princess after all? Yes, very dated for sure.
 
Think Dynasty (the program) coupled with royalty... She was tall and thin ,dressed for the times and had an unlimited supply of haute fashion and drop dead gorgeous royal jewels. ( No one likes to remember how they dressed during this period.) One wonders what choices would be made if we had access to what she had. Plus she nay not have had the ability to get jewelry reset if it was not hers. That said, with rare exception I did not like her fashion sense. and even Liz Taylor had some very 1980s pieces....
 
I love almost everything Kate wears, and I hope 30 years from now she would still be viewed as having worn very classic, beautiful clothing and jewelry.

I don't like much from the 80's.:lol:
 
diamondseeker2006 said:
I love almost everything Kate wears, and I hope 30 years from now she would still be viewed as having worn very classic, beautiful clothing and jewelry.

I don't like much from the 80's.:lol:
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What did you wear DS???? :wavey::mrgreen2:
 
I definitely don't think Diana's jewelry was tacky ... not the least little bit. I think, once she was more familiar with princess-hood and all that came with it, she owned her look and it suited her. And I like to imagine her going through drawers and trunks and velvet boxes, finding new/old treasures to wear with her outfits.
 
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