OVERSTATED OVERRATED ORNAMENTATION

With our splendid history drawing from thousands of years of wonderfully diverse and varied costumes, along with the stunning accessories, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to inspiration. Gleaming metals, and vibrant gems add to the historically driven jewels, which over the many years were documented accurately giving guidance as to how it was done. Unfortunately, just because we have guidance doesn’t mean that some of us are guided!

I have been visually accosted with images from highly ostentation marriage celebrations, which in hindsight, are not that different to many of the over-the-top events of the same ilk we see around town. Usually the proverbial, ‘star of the show,’ is the bride, since this is her day, and the spotlight needs to be on her. Globally, this is the case, but locally it seems to be a conscious effort of not only the immediate relatives, but the guests as well, to outshine, overshadow, and pretty much obliterate any attention from being focused on the bride! The go-to-method for this? Ornamentation!

I recall times when no matter what the belief system or style of bridal, the loveliest jewelry was, as should be, seen accessorizing the bride. Those days are long gone. Family and guests compete to literally ‘outshine’ each other with construction brick size gem stones, surrounded by even more gem stones, dangling from more and more gem stones! Necklaces get bound around ‘neck less’ doyennes attempting to give the illusion that they actually possess a neck. Looking like garroting victims, they usually end up crimson faced from circulation being cut off to their heads. Not like this would make any difference to their cerebral prowess! The days of hair ornamentation being relegated to the bride, are also a thing of the past. Guests seem determined to have everything possible pinned, tucked, and clipped into their store-bought manes, which for special occasions get piled into gravity defying mountainous hair “don’ts”, that with the ample ornaments, give them the look of an attention seeking concubine in the court of Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang! 

Moving south from the head and neck, the waists are cinched with chains that bring about disturbing imagery of entrapped elephants. Moving further south along the extremities, bracelets and bangles jingle and jangle, adding a cacophony of noise to the already noisy look of the wearer. Bangles that again cut off circulation to the point of making ample wrists bulge above and below the ornamentation, frightens the onlookers who worry for fingers turning blue. Rings are again a massive spectacle of tackiness with planet sized jewels bedecked on every finger. The same goes for the ears, pulled to the limit, fighting gravity while attempting to support more overstated pieces. How desperate can one be to not only show, but to try and prove the wealth and status of oneself or ones not-so-better half? Extremely desperate is all I can say. 

Moving into ‘everyday life’ we are also sometimes bombarded with overt jewelry at lunches, brunches and all kinds of munches. A leisurely meal, which should be low-key, gets sprinkled with sparkles like an over-zealous fairy godmother on steroids had waved her magic wand! These Cinder-Ellas attempt at dusting off the cinders of their past, by showing off their present certainly falls short, because it does not need to be midnight for their true sad selves to show through. 

These glitter chasers also can be spotted doing the most mundane of things, from grocery shopping to paying a visit to a relative, while looking like the entire galaxy exploded on them. The usual of faces puffed and hair fluffed are far from enough, so the jewel encrusted accoutrements are a must. 

The ‘Diamond Dollies’ are another segment of this herd who need to shine the brightest at all times. Posing with hands draped across their throats to show off their rings and things along with their necklaces, they have become the comedy center of many social media feeds. Clutching some body part as if in fear that a mad marauder was out to steal their limbs, these characters want to ensure that every stone they are wearing is captured in the same frame. Looking like they have been the victim of a 1980’s be-dazzler these accessory victims are a shining eye-sore to all those who behold them. Well, maybe not to all, because for their own like mindless group, this is the only way to do it. 

We also see those about town who channel their inner ‘wannabe’ screen icon status by dressing like an extra from a bad Bollywood soap opera with every possible piece of ethnic ornamentation overtly flashing at the most unnecessary occasions. Drawing misguided inspiration from period dramas these photo grabbers are absolutely set on creating their own ‘movie poster’ look while being the glitziest of the glitzy set. Can we leave the movie profession to the professionals, and ask that one dress in reality and not in fiction? The wonderful upwardly mobile ‘flash magnets’ are determined to highlight the fact that they are also ‘cash magnets’ who need to show that all their ‘lack of hard work’ has paid off. They also feel the need to complement their ‘patron’ by showing his usually ‘quite recently gained’ wealth, in the loudest possible way! 

I myself love beautiful jewels and recall my Grandmother with her strings of pearls accenting a plain chiffon saree, or a dazzling chandelier earring being her only ornamentation for a special occasion. My mother too played up her love of brightly colored clothing with pieces that were modest, and elegant. Along with my sister Dinushka, I have inherited an understated style that extends to our accessories as well. Statement pieces we have always loved, but worn alone, has been our self-imposed rule. Everyone should revel in and enjoy their ornamentation while also keeping in mind that everything one owns, does not need to be worn at the same time. We are living in a world where even true members of royalty, (and am not talking of the ones who just theme their events as ‘royal’) are prone to subtlety. The Japanese Imperial family, the British royals, and most royals out there abide by, ‘less is certainly more.’ So, while dazzling, please keep in mind that like anything else, there is the point where beautiful slides into brash, and that is something to try ones best to avoid.